By The Takeaway: Ekar’s 1x13 group offers excellent ergonomics, excellent shifting performance, useful gearing, and excellent brakes.
- Three cassette options: 9-36, 9-42, 10-44
- Carbon crankset with a new sealing system
- Claimed to be the lightest 1x gravel group
Price: $1,764 (complete group)
Weight: 2435 grams (complete group with 9-42 cassette)
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Gravel’s burgeoning popularity has caused companies of all sorts to jump into the equipment game. Even a company as traditional and road-oriented as Campagnolo couldn’t resist gravel’s call. Today the company drops its first gravel group. Called Ekar, it arrives as a dedicated 1x mechanical-shift drivetrain with a 13-speed cassette.
If you’re wondering where the name came from, cima Ekar is a location about an hour from Campagnolo’s HQ that teems with fantastic gravel roads.
For now, Ekar is a single group, not a family. There’s no hierarchy, and there’s no EPS electronic shifting option yet, though you can assume Ekar EPS will eventually happen—especially if this Ekar sells well.
Campagnolo sent my Ekar review group installed on a custom-painted Ridley Kanzo Fast gravel race bike. I did my usual gravel routine on it: some single track, longer gravel adventures, and, after a tire swap, some road riding. Below you’ll find a tech and feature breakdown, as well as my ride impressions.
Weight and Price
Campy’s coming out of the gate swinging, stating that Ekar is The lightest gravel groupset.
The table below contains Campy’s claimed weights—I received my review group on a bike and could not pull all the parts to verify the weights. Note that the Ekar weight given is for a group with 9-36 cassette, with a 9-42 cassette claimed group weight is 2435 grams.
As far as price: Campagnolo positions Ekar between Chorus and Centaur in its line. The company did not provide a groupset price but did provide individual component prices.
Individual parts prices
- Rear derailleur: $256
- Cassette: $274
- Cranks: $360
- Chain (with quick link): $48
- BB cups: $33
- Shift/Brake levers with calipers: $711
- Rotors: $82 (pair)
According to my furious scribbling, that comes out to $1,764. That’s more expensive than a Shimano GRX mechanical in 2x ($1,447) or 1x ($1,349), though GRX does not have any carbon parts. Ekar is less expensive than any of SRAM’s gravel options, though SRAM’s 12-speed gravel groups are, at this time, only offered with electronic shifting.
When Can You Get It?
Now. A Campagnolo spokesperson says that groups are at distributors worldwide and ready to sell today. Complete groups come in nifty packaging seen here.
You can also get an Ekar group from one of Campagnolo’s bike-brand partners. 3T, Pinarello, Ridley, Wilier Triestina, and Specialized all have Ekar-equipped bikes ready to go. No surprise that Specialized chose the excellent new Diverge to get the Ekar group. The Diverge LTD Carbon ($7,000) seen here is a limited model—just 100 for the whole world. Specialized describes the finish as, “Maroon with red ghost pearl gloss & black tint.”
Rear Derailleur
The Ekar rear derailleur looks a bit like an Italian interpretation of SRAM’s Eagle derailleur. Like SRAM’s mechanical mechs, the shift cable wraps around a fin before reaching the anchor bolt. The chain passes over 12T upper and 14T lower pulleys, and the company used stainless-steel bolts, “For strength and long-term resilience.”
The rear derailleur features a mechanical clutch to limit chain bounce, and the rings feature the familiar narrow/wide shape to retain the chain. Clutch tension is not adjustable. Higher clutch tensions improve chain stability and retention but increase shifting effort. Unsurprisingly then a Campagnolo spokesperson stated that the final tension setting is, “a balance between smooth shifting and chain retention.”
The rear derailleur has a lock system on the main pivot that holds the body back. This makes wheel installation and removal easier, Campagnolo claims. It does, but only to a point: though the body is out of the way, you still have to fight the pulley cage spring tension and clutch resistance when installing a wheel. Campy’s system is better than nothing, but SRAM’s pulley cage lock is superior from a user’s perspective.
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Shifting
Campagnolo’s Ekar group is a 1x13 system: there is no 2x option. There are three stainless-steel cassettes—9-36, 9-42, 10-44—and four chainring options—38, 40, 42, and 44 tooth. The rear derailleur has enough take up to compensate for all but the most extreme cassette and ring changes.
Here I must note that Campagnolo uses upshift and downshift differently than I do (and differently than SRAM, Shimano, and cars and motorcycles). When I say “upshift” it means moving to a higher/harder gear, while “downshift” means lower/easier gear. Campy reverses this in their communication—something to remember.
The hood shape is the same as Campy’s 2x12 mechanical shifting groups, as are the aluminum brake levers, which are laser etched for more grip. The upshift lever, Campy calls it “lever three,” has a new shape that makes it easier to reach when riding in the drops. The downshift lever (nestled behind the brake lever) is the same as Campy’s road shifting system.
Brake-lever reach is adjustable, as is downshift-lever reach.
New Driver Standard
It’s been, what, 36 hours since someone in the bike industry announced a new “standard?” You know what that means—another new standard!
Yes, Campy has a new driver-body standard called N3W. It’s necessary because the existing driver’s diameter limited the small cog to 11-tooth or larger. N3W is really just a shortened (by 4.4mm) version of the company’s existing driver, and there’s an adapter and lockring that allows fitting Campy’s 11- and 12-speed cassettes on the new driver.
Campagnolo states that N3W is, “An open and a trademark-free license for companies complying with the technical specification and the terms of Campagnolo’s mandatory signed agreement.” That means anyone can use it for free as long as they promise to stick to the specifications. Campy claims that 15 wheel partners are on board so far. Most significantly, DT-Swiss—who provides hubs and drivers to many wheel brands—is on board.
Though Ekar uses all new cassettes and drivers, existing Campy lockring tools are still compatible with the new bits.
Braking
The hydraulic disc braking system is mostly carried over from the company’s road groups with a few notable changes.
There’s now a single flat-mount brake caliper that fits different locations or rotor sizes with adapters. This is the same as Shimano and SRAM. Previously, Campy offered unique calipers for front or rear, with a unique caliper for the 140mm and a different one for the 160mm rotor. The new way may be a little heavier and look less elegant than Campy’s dedicated calipers, but one caliper and adapters it is a whole lot easier for everyone.
Inside the calipers are pads with a revised pad compound. These offer better wear, especially in adverse conditions (these pads will make their way into Campy’s road groups as well). The Ekar rotors use a steel carrier and not the aluminum carrier found in the road groups. Steel adds a bit of weight, but it’s more durable and helps reduce the group's price.
Like the road discs, the Ekar brakes use Magura mineral oil (Magura helped Campy develop their disc brakes).
Crank
The Ekar crank is made of carbon. The integrated four-arm spider uses an asymmetrical BCD designed to allow the rider to swap rings without removing the crankset. A set of slide-on plastic boots protect the ends of the crank from rock-strikes. Four lengths are offered: 165, 170, 172.5, and 175mm.
Ekar uses a two-piece hollow steel axle with a Hirth interface called ProTech. It’s a lot like the Ultra-Torque system used by the company for years, but there are significant-enough differences that existing Ultra-Torque BB cups are not compatible. ProTech has a more robust sealing system than Ultra Torque, and will eventually supplant UT in Campy’s road groups as well.
Ekar’s cranks have a Q-factor of just 145.5mm, which is almost the same as Campy’s road cranks. For comparison, Shimano’s GRX cranks are 151mm, SRAM’s Force “road” cranks are 145mm with the Force Wide bumping out to 150mm.
Chain
You guessed it: there’s a new, narrower chain for this 1x13 group. The C13 chain is 4.9mm wide, about 0.15mm narrower than Campy’s 12-speed chain.
There are two ways to join the chain: with a pin or, new for Campy, with a quick link. For shortening the chain or installing the pin, Campagnolo says you need the new CN400 chain tool. Price wasn’t available, but it won’t be cheap: the CN300 goes for over $200. However, Campy offers a parts kit to convert the CN300 for the new 13-speed chains (price not available).
The new quick link will make removing the chain for cleaning and maintenance much easier, something gravel riders will appreciate.
Gravel Gearing Comparison
Love rabbit holes? Then you’ll love a comparison of the various gravel gearing options. Ekar cassettes come in three variations: 9-36 (440 percent range), 9-42 (467 percent), and 10-44 (440 percent). Ekar rings come in 38, 40, 42, and 44 teeth.
Below are some charts I assembled comparing Ekar to SRAM’s and Shimano’s gravel groups (Ekar is the top line in all charts). I’ve not done every cassette and chainring option: I'm using a middle of the road Ekar gearing option (40t ring with the 9-42 cassette), and comparable options from the other brands. If you want to explore more combinations, head over to gear-calculator.com and go nuts.
A couple of quick observations.
Campagnolo has not gone for total range with its Ekar cassettes: SRAM’s 12-speed 10-50 (500 percent) and 10-52 (520 percent) cassettes rule that stat. But with one extra cog and a tighter range, Ekar’s progression is smoother than SRAM's 1x options. Not surprisingly, SRAM’s Force Wide 2x—with 24 combinations—provides tighter jumps and more range (467 VS. 516 percent) than Ekar, but with the added complexity and weight of dual rings and another derailleur.
Compared to a Shimano 1x11 GRX setup with 11-42 cassette, Ekar obviously offers more range and tighter steps. If both setups have a 40 ring, the Ekar has the same low ratio, but a much higher high, delaying spin-out on faster descents. Compared to Shimano's 2x11 GRX setup, Ekar’s total range is just a smidge narrower (467 VS. 479 percent), which means you get almost the same gearing benefits from a simpler drivetrain.
—Campagnolo Ekar VS. SRAM Force Wide 2x—
—Campagnolo Ekar VS. SRAM Eagle 1x—
—Campagnolo Ekar VS. Shimano GRX 2x—
—Campagnolo Ekar VS. Shimano GRX 1x —
What to make of all this? Ekar offers a nice balance of overall range and smooth progression packaged in a simpler 1x drivetrain. However, if your gravel riding has a lot of variability (steep climbs and fast descents) SRAM’s overall range advantage is appealing.
Ride Impressions
If you’ve ridden Campy’s 2x12 mechanical disc brake groups as I have, Ekar will feel very familiar.
Shift feel is very Campagnolo: hearty chunks from the upshift lever with slightly lighter clacks from the downshift lever. Throws are short, and lever effort is to the higher end of the spectrum, but everything flows smoothly. Overall, it feels like the solid and mechanical feel was intentional, not a byproduct.
Though I don’t find it the most beautiful looking thing, I loved the new upshift lever shape's functionality. I never had to search for it or reach for it: it was always right where I expected it to be. I’d love to see this lever on Campy’s road groups.
I didn’t love that Ekar limits upshifts to one per lever press. I understand Campy chose this to make shifting more foolproof in bumpy terrain. Still, in rolling terrain with rapid speed and cadence changes, I wished for the ability to do multiple upshifts with a single lever press—a standout feature of Campy’s mechanical road groups in my opinion.
Shifts were, as I expect from Campagnolo, fast and positive. They were occasionally noisy and, they’re not the smoothest feeling shifts I’ve experienced, but I’ll take fast, precise, and noisy over quiet, smooth and sluggish every day. And though the shifts were sometimes noisy, Ekar runs very smoothly and quietly once a gear is engaged.
Chain stability and retention were excellent. I rode both singletrack and rough doubletrack descents, and the chain stayed secure and never jumped around the cassette.
I feel the intricacies of gravel gearing are very dependant on terrain, fitness, and personal preference. I will say that I prefer the simplicity and robust chain retention of 1x over 2x for gravel but am often frustrated by the big jumps of SRAM’s 1x12 system or the limited range of Shimano’s 1x11 system.
I rode the Ekar 9-42 cassette with a 38 tooth ring and found it comes the closest to offering the range and jumps I want on my gravel bike. It’s almost identical in overall range to a Shimano GRX 2x11 system, but much more straightforward. I had enough gear to grunt up steeper singletrack climbs, yet didn’t spin out until around 35mph on a paved descent. When I put the slicks on the bike and took to the road, I did find the jumps at the low end of the cassette still a bit big for maintaining a consistent cadence, but notably better than any other 1x system, and not too far off a wide-range 2x system. Truthfully, I think the 1x Holy Grail of both range and pleasant jumps won’t happen until someone makes a 15- or 16-speed cassette, but we’re probably several years away from that.
I like the shape of Campy’s hoods: the covers offer good cushion without feeling squishy, the rounded contours feel nice, and the wide tops distribute pressure well. The tall horns offer another grip position and offer a bit of extra security in bumpy terrain.
The Ekar brakes are outstanding—Campy makes the best drop bar disc brakes. Modulation is exceptional, power is controlled and intuitive, and they’re extremely smooth and very quiet. The superior control they offer is even more evident on dirt than pavement.
I don’t think it was Campagnolo’s goal, but I feel it is worth noting that they’re just a flat bar shifter away from a mountain bike group. Given their previous foray into the mountain bike world, they’re probably not interested, but I think Ekar would make a pretty sweet mountain bike drivetrain.
Compared to SRAM and Shimano, Campy is a small player in the bicycle drivetrain world. Despite their position as a David among Goliaths, the awesome Ekar group proves that you can never count Campagnolo out.
Campagnolo Ekar 13 Rear Derailleur
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
