Campagnolo goes 13-speed with Ekar gravel groupset
Italian brand becomes first of the ‘big three’ to break into 13-speed with the lightest gravel groupset to date, writes Michelle Arthurs-brennan
Campagnolo has launched its first gravel-specific groupset, and in the process it’s added an extra cog to its cassette. As well as having an extra gear, the mechanical-only Ekar groupset is the lightest gravel option on the market – shaving 86 grams off its nearest competitor, SRAM Force 1x11.
There’s only one spec level, with four available chainring sizes – 38t, 40t, 42t and 44t. The
13-speed cassette features a new nine-tooth sprocket, enabling a
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
The first of the big three to launch a ‘gravel’ groupset was Shimano, back in
2019. Shimano GRX is now rumoured to be the Japanese juggernaut’s biggest seller, largely via the OEM market, with gravel bikes waltzing out of bike shop doors quicker than any other category.
SRAM followed with a wide-range groupset earlier this year, which was designed for gravel and road riders but met wider range with limited jumps. The lightest configuration – with a 9-36 cassette – comes in at 2,385g, whilst SRAM Force 1x with a 10-42 cassette comes in at 2,471g
Price wise Ekar is pitched below Chorus, with a full groupset retailing at £1,449
First foray
Before setting out on the design process, Campagnolo says it interviewed 4,500 gravel riders as well as mechanics and brands to determine what they considered most important.
Of course the geographical location and motivations of those riders will have impacted the results – but the requirements seem pretty sensible to us: durability, braking control, chain stability, gear range and the ability to run 1x – in that order.
Interestingly, weight didn’t feature in the top five – but Campagnolo is still proud of its achievements there. It also stated its intention to make the groupset “financially accessible to younger riders and OEM brands expanding their gravel categories.” a lot of the needs of the former. That timeline makes the Italian brand the last of the trio to market – however, in a repeat of 12-speed on the road (which Shimano has still to crack), it’s won the numbers game with its 13 gears.
But Campagnolo is not the very first groupset to boast 13 gears: Rotor was first with its idiosyncratic hydraulic-shifting 1x13 launched in 2018.
Ekar Ergopower levers
As with its road shifters, Campagnolo has embedded what it calls Vari-cushion in the hood. However, many gravel riders like to tackle technical sections in the drops, especially if they’re running flared bars. Campagnolo’s traditional thumb button for upshifts has been redesigned and is now more of a curved paddle, making it easier to reach from the drops, while a laser-cut texture on the brake levers provides extra grip in the wet.
Ekar derailleur
There’s a single 1x13 clutch rear mech for all cassette sizes. It’s constructed from carbon-fibre reinforced polyamide and anodised 7075 and 6082 alloys, while the bolts are stainless steel in the interest of longevity.
Ekar cassette
The 13-speed cassette is designed to offer at least the full range of 2x groupsets and comes in three options: 9-36, 9-42 and 11-44.
Campagnolo has kept the jumps close at the high gears, and wider at the low gears – the logic being that riders can find the perfect level of resistance at the top end
The new S-phyre RC902 shoes have already seen plenty of racing action under Wout Van Aert but should also work well for us mere mortals. They use what Shimano calls “engineered fit”, which is based on analysis of its own bikefitting.com data from sponsored riders performing explosive accelerations. In practice this means a redesigned heel cup and a combination mesh/microfibre leather upper.
As always there is a carbon sole, which scores 12/12 on Shimano’s stiffness scale, with a replaceable heel plate.
The sole now features a full wrap from the upper which should improve the hold and feel of the shoe and resist the stretched-out feeling that creeps into road shoes over time. This wrap helps the shoes feel really connected on the up and downstroke without the need to tighten them so much as to create pressure points.
Also new is the Boa Li2 dial connected to Shimano’s familiar and excellent lacing pattern on both the top and forefoot of the shoe. The new dials offer micro adjustment and are more compact, which might result in the shoe being marginally more aero although nobody is making that claim yet. The mesh toe box and big vents in the sole also allow for plenty of venting on summer days and long rides. Talking of hot days, Shimano’s new insoles retain the adjustable arch, but add an antibacterial treatment.
Keep an eye on cyclingweekly.com to find out whether the new S-phyres swept James Stout off his feet.
■ £319.99
■ www.madison.co.uk