Campagnolo Ekar GT gravel groupset review | of course bello

Campagnolo is a brand you may not have heard of. In fact, I am not sure if it has ever been published in the pages of AMB before. The Italian componentry manufacturer boasts an impressive 42 Tour de France wins, more than the other two major manufacturers. But you're reading this in Australian Mountain Bike magazine, so I'm guessing most of you don't care that much about young, hungry men who hurt themselves in the French countryside for the better part of a month.

Enter the stage right Campagnolo Ekar GT gravel groupset. Named after the 'Cima Ekar' mountain peak in the province of Vicenza, Italy, the GT (Gran Turismo) groupset offers a variety of mechanical gearing options for daily touring, and alloy components at a lower price than EKAR. All bikes are cool and rock climbing and pack bikes have opened up opportunities for even the most hardened downhillers to explore in new ways.

Campagnolo EKAR (not GT) was the world's first 1 × 13 special stone group, released in 2020. Featuring plenty of carbon, this 2385g group was aimed at racing types, and the lightest gearing available was a 38T chainring and 10-44 cassette. In comparison, the Ekar GT is a little more advanced at 2700g (compared to a Shimano GRX mullet drivetrain with a 10-51T cassette at 2800g), with chain sizes up to 36T and cassette options up to 10 -48T. That represents a range of 480% – up from the EKAR group's 467%, still slightly behind the Eagle 10-52T and GRX's 10-51T.

They go to the cranks, featuring steel semi axles with aluminum arms, and swapping between chainrings is as easy as opening and changing them: available in 36, 28, 40, 42 and 44T and 170, 172.5 and 175mm lengths in black the bottom is black. Historically, Campagnolo has been known for thumb shifters and the Ekar GT ergo power brake/shift levers do not disappoint; including access adjustment, increased hood texture for off-road grip, and the ability to drop three gears at a time when faced with a sudden, brutal berg.

The drivetrain is disc only and can be specified with 140 or 160mm rotors. It should be noted that the Ekar GT requires a campagnolo N3W freehub, or a compatible wheelset. We were given a set of Campagnolo Zonda wheels to test the team's collection.

What makes it different?

Well, it's basically a set of 13-speed groupsets that at the time of writing have one more gear than the two major component manufacturers*. The ergo power bars offer an alternative hood design and flexibility option that, in my opinion, suits smaller hands better than other options on the market. While other brands may offer a wider range of gearing thanks to wider cassettes, the EKAR GT is available with chainrings as small as 36T which may be perfect if you're a mountain rider only.

Being a 13-speed group, the EKAR GT cassette requires the body standard of Campagnolo's freewheel hub, which is available on Campagnolo's Zonda gravel wheels (which is what we tested the EKAR GT on). For those eyeing the build and considering other wheelsets, there are free N3W body options available from brands like 3T, DT Swiss, Hunt, Industry 9 and Zipp. Most wheelsets will be compatible with the adapter, excluding Shimano wheelsets. While it may seem painful to look at a different hub body standard, the neat thing about the N3W is that it is backwards compatible with all Campagnolo 10-13 speed cassettes: that's almost 20 years of parts.

How does this work?

I wasn't hitting any top records on the first ride out of the EKAR GT, riding 80km/3hr with 80% off road and 20% gravel/doubletrack was enough to get a first impression. It had been a while since I rode a bike equipped with Campagnolo , but it took a few minutes before the transition felt natural and I immediately felt at home with the Ergopower levers.

The hoods were smaller and shorter than my existing GRX hoods and while there was a slight bump at the bottom of the hood, it was perfectly positioned to hug my palm without hesitation. On a small bike, the effect of long hoods can be great; if you're already using a short trunk and a shallow reach bar, tall hoods can be difficult to install. Maybe this isn't a sizing issue if the frame is bigger or bigger, but it's definitely something that can be difficult to fit into a bike fit when trying to improve biomechanics, comfort and grip.

On our local area of ​​short, sharp hills, we found ourselves using the full range of the 10-48T 'adventure' cassette, a feature specific to the EKAR GT (in comparison, the widest EKAR cassette is 10-44T, and the smallest combination is -38T). We chose a 40T chainring to keep apples to apples with my existing stone groupset, with 170mm cranks. For the technical and biomechanic-savvy, the Q-factor of the EKAR GT is 151mm: slightly wider than that of the EKAR 145.5 but comparable to Shimano's GRX.

Although the lower gear range can be compared to the 51T cassette and the 38T chain with the GRX, what makes the EKAR GT different is the configuration: one cog goes up between the top five gears, followed by two gears with a step of two cogs, then two. with three cog steps, one cog steps and three cog steps. Essentially, a wide-ranging 'adventure' cassette is small business on top, party on the bottom.

All of this corporate group status is fueled by the EKAR GT's long derailleur cage, which is matched with a small 'endurance' 9-36T cassette right up to the 'adventure' model we tested. The derailleur also has a simple clutch mechanism that is activated by gently pulling the derailleur back into its lock position, which is activated by a slight pullback and a button to release it.

This makes for a realistic and fun road-like experience on flats and shallow hills; I felt like the goddess Athena going into battle. It also means that if you're going up long, steep and consistent climbs you may find yourself wishing you had gear in the middle of what's on offer.

After a few hundred kilometers we can report that the displacement needs a little finesse to keep it true, and we get some shifts from the top to the bottom of the cassette. While we could fix this and it turned out great, it's something to be aware of and fix ahead of time to make sure you don't get caught in mid-shift chaos.

We did experience brake shudder and movement of the pads inside the caliper, however brake performance was unaffected and excellent. I wasn't sure if it was a case of 'it's not a bug it's a feature' as we were very impressed with the stopping power. Rotors are available in 140 and 160mm, and we didn't experience any drag or rotor scraping when getting out of the saddle.

Thoughts and feelings

We weren't sure what to expect with the EKAR GT, so many years of the two giants got us intrigued and excited for something new and different. Ironically, what we loved about the groupset is also what bothered us: it's a business/party cassette and that's where your special riding needs are taken into account. We liked the fast business end with 1 and 2-cog motoring jumps, we liked the wide range of the 13-speed adventure cassette but we also felt that the gaps at the end of the cassette could send you looking for a gear. that's not the case, especially for variable riding with varying hills.

Spinners will also be disappointed, as the EKAR GT offering is limited to 170, 172.5 and 175mm chainrings, we hope they offer 165mm in the future as this is becoming a more popular crank length.

Ergo power shifters and ergonomics were present molto benebut if there's one thing missing it's the plastic feel of the thumb shift. It's unlikely to be an issue with wear or damage found inside the bar, but we felt that a nice lightweight alloy would provide a nice feel. We also felt that the ergonomics of the thumb shifter were a little lacking in the drops.

Overall, if I were in the market for a new gravel team I would consider the EKAR GT: a skerrick lighter than the GRX at the same price, with good ergonomics that are popular under the right conditions. For riders who need a lot of gear, the 10-48T cassette gives you that range but just be aware that on the climbs I sometimes wished there was a gear missing. This can be mitigated by choosing a smaller EKAR GT cassette option with 36 or 38T chainrings, for example. Or maybe a little more passive about the uphill cadences than I am.

A big part of Campagnolo's appeal is the history and premium appeal of the brand; but if you've ridden a Campagnolo before then maybe I'm preaching to the choir.