Cyclist
Ekar GT brings Campagnolo 13-speed gravel shifting to lower price point
The new Campagnolo Ekar GT groupset brings Campagnolo’s gravel groupset to a new, lower pricepoint of £1,211.94 / $1,599 / €1,490, which is around £400 cheaper than pre-existing Ekar.
It’s still 13-speed and offers cassettes starting at 9-teeth. But rather than a carbon crankset it swaps to alloy to lower cost. It also includes a new 36-tooth chainring option, supplementing the 38t, 40t, 42t and 44t rings previously available. There’s a new 10-48t cassette, in addition to the 9-36t, 9-42t and 10-44t Ekar cassette sizes.
Alloy replaces carbon
The Ekar GT groupset has an alloy crankset, in place of the original Ekar’s carbon. It’s one of several changes to hit a lower price point that contribute to increasing the groupset weight to a claimed 2,700g rather than the original’s claimed 2,385g. Campagnolo says that its changes are also designed to increase durability and lower maintenance.
There’s an increase in the crankset’s Q-factor from 145.5mm to 151mm, which Campagnolo claims is comfortable and efficient for riders across the height range. It offers 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm crank arm options and the design allows you to change the chainring size without needing to take the crankset apart.
The Ekar GT rear mech swaps to alloy from Ekar’s carbon too. Campagnolo says that it has increased the size of the jockey wheels to help avoid mud build-up and make cleaning easier, and there’s also a new clutch lock.
Whereas some groupsets (notably the latest 1x 12-speed Shimano GRX RX820) require a different derailleur cage depending on the range of the cassette fitted, Ekar GT lets you fit the entire range of cassettes using the same derailleur, which also makes it easier to alter your gearing.
The original Ekar cassette has two sprocket clusters (one cluster for the smallest four and a second cluster for the largest nine). But in Ekar GT cassettes the three smallest sprockets and the five largest ones are clustered, while the five intermediate ones are single sprockets.
Campagnolo has also amended the shifter design in Ekar GT, saying that the new shape offers better grip and control, a comfortable fit and lever reach adjustment, to allow them to better fit a range of hand sizes. They have a similar profile to the latest Super Record Wireless shifters, but unlike them retain the thumb lever.
And new Zonda GT all-road wheelset
Campagnolo has also added a new wheelset to its collection. It says that the Zonda GT is designed to straddle on-road and off-road riding. It uses the 2-Way Fit system, is tubeless ready and has a weight of 1,690g. There’s a 23mm internal rim width with a hooked bead, which should suit wider road-going and gravel bike tyres, and a 29mm depth.
The new wheelset has Campagnolo’s G3 clustered spoke pattern, with 24 spokes front and rear, and comes with the N3W freehub that’s designed to work with its Ekar cassettes as well as allowing you to fit an adapter for its standard 11- and 12-speed road cassettes.
The new wheels are priced at £614.99 / $749 / €690.
Read our review of the Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed groupset.
The post Ekar GT brings Campagnolo 13-speed gravel shifting to lower price point appeared first on Cyclist.