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Campagnolo EKAR – Gravel Bike Tech

1x drivetrains are great for gravel bikes (more tire clearance, less mud build-up, simplicity of shifting in hectic situations). With Campagnolo EKAR, you'll have 13 cogs to choose from.

Posted by Gerard Vroomen - 24 September 2020

As you can read on my other post, I’ve been anticipating this Campagnolo EKAR groupset for a long time. That post focuses more on the background and the road implications, here I will discuss gravel.

What’s important for gravel?

For me, the keys to a great gravel groupset are:

  • Gear range (not too much range as the steps get too big, not too little as you’ll run out of gears going up or down, or both). For me, 380-440% range is generally a nice range, although of course there are situations where bigger or smaller than that makes sense.
  • Step distribution (I don’t mind big steps at the climbing end of the cassette, if I need that smallest gear, I probably really need it. So that last step can be huge. but at the middle of the range, I want reasonable steps because there I am most likely to spend a lot of time in steady-state so I want to dial in my cadence).
  • Braking (I want my bike to stop reliably, predictably and when I am not braking, I don’t want to hear my brakes).
  • Comfort (brake hoods need to be comfortable as riders spend more and more time there. I have to say all groupset makers have made great strides there. The fit is personal, but for most people’s hands, there are no bad levers anymore, only good and great levers).
  • Everything else

So gearing ranks number 1 & 2 for me because without it, we’re walking, not cycling. Also a fun activity, but why bring a bike for that?

Where Campagnolo EKAR shines

There are 3 cassette options and all 3 are great:

  • 9-36T (9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-20-23-27-31-36): 400% range is great, the only issue here is that the smallest chainring Campagnolo makes is a 38T right now. And 38×36 is a bit big as your smallest gear if the route gets really tough.So for now, this is mostly for road, for stronger gravel riders, for less extreme terrain or for riders who mix a lot of asphalt and off-road sections.
  • 9-42T (9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-25-30-36-42): This is a big 467% range, so bigger than what I would normally call ideal. But when you really look at it, the 13 cogs means you can increase the range and cover more extreme situations (you could say it’s a 12-speed 10-42 cassette plus an extra 9T cog).This becomes clear when you see how the steps are distributed: the first 6 cogs are the same as on the 9-36T). Only in the climbing range do the steps get bigger, so it is very functional. You only need a 38T chainring to get a great top gear (equal to 42×10 or 46×11) and 38×42 is a great climbing gear as well.
  • 10-44T: 10-11-12-13-14-15-17-19-22-26-32-38-44: This is a more traditional cassette range in that it starts with the 10T, and the 44T gives you that tiny  bit more climbing ability than most other cassettes topping out at 42T. Again the first 6 cogs are 1-step apart, so lots of options to dial in your gear.

But wait, there’s more!

This is not to say the rest of the Campagnolo EKAR group isn’t great. The brakes, the levers, the rear derailleur, it’s all beautiful. One thing that I also discussed in the other post is that the groupset is mechanical.

In general I don’t really care about electronic vs mechanical, especially not for the rear derailleur. Either way, you push something and the derailleur moves. If there is an argument to be made specifically for gravel, you might give a slight nod to mechanical because you have a bigger chance to fix something mechanical in the middle of nowhere than something electronic.

Exploro Race Campagnolo EKAR

We’re launching the first Exploro today, on the day of the official Campagnolo launch. It’s also the moment where the new red/white colors becomes official for the Exploro.

For the specs, we’ve decided to go with the 9-42T cassette on the Exploro RACE and the 38T chainring. In the end, that gives you the most versatility. Of course you can always change to a different ratio when you wear out this one. All cassettes work with one and the same rear derailleur.

Wheels come from Fulcrum (Campagnolo’s sister company) in the form of the Rapid Red 900 in 700c. The fact that their little red logo matches perfectly is coincidental). Both the 3T Discus LTD 45 | 40 (700c) and the 3T DiscusPlus i28 (650b) will be available for Campagnolo EKAR in the coming months (they require a special freehub body), you can already see the 45 | 40 in the action photos with a prototype freehub.

Small note, the standard handlebar spec on the Exploro Race EKAR will be the Superergo. That’s our most popular dropbar for its combination of race geometry and exceptional comfort in all riding positions. In some of the photos in this post you might see the Aeroflux, which is the Superergo’s aerodynamic cousin.

Full specs and prices here. Campagnolo EKAR supply will be limited for a while, so be sure to order or reserve on time. A 3 month lead-time is expected right now once first supplies are sold out.

 

◄ Previous Story Climbing ten times in a row the Mt. Grappa with a Strada Due
Next Story ► Campagnolo 13-speed EKAR groupset

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34 responses to “Campagnolo EKAR – Gravel Bike Tech”

  1. G

    Greg Patrisso says:

    18 November 2022

    Hey Gerard,

    Just received the Exploro RaceMax Ekar, and had some questions about your recommendations for cadence sensors. The Ekar crankset has little clearance between the frame, and it has forced me to put my wahoo cadence sensor on the outside of the non-driveside crank arm rather than the inside as it rubs the frame.

    I see my only other alternative as using the old-school chainstay cadence sensor, but I don’t like that for gravel as it could move or be knocked into the spokes on rough terrain.

    What would you recommend/what have you seen other riders do?

    Also – looking forward to the updated WAM/RAM sheet for the RaceMax!

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      18 November 2022

      Hi Greg, I am not sure what you mean by putting it on the outside, maybe it’s easiest to send us a note via customer service as you can attach some photos then.

      Reply
  2. S

    Stephanie Perry says:

    09 January 2021

    There are things that wish about this bike one that is was that is was in stock in xxs and that it was so expensive. I love color and I would get with 650b wheels. Are the wheel set up for tubeless?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      12 January 2021

      Yes the Shamal Carbon wheels are tubeless ready. And no need for rim tape as the MoMag system means there are no spoke holes in the tire bed.

      Reply
  3. K

    KP says:

    08 January 2021

    Hello – Was fortunate enough to obtain the new Strada Ekar here in the U.S. last November. I spent a lot of time thinking about a switch to the 1×13 drivetrain beforehand. I can tell you now that I’m very happy with my decision. I think this bike is the future and I’m thrilled to be riding it. Thank you to Gerard, the 3T team and Campagnolo for creating it.

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      12 January 2021

      Hi KP, glad you like it! Keep riding.

      Reply
  4. D

    Dave M says:

    06 January 2021

    Is the tire clearance on the Ekar version with 650b wheels the same as for the other MAX bikes? Also was curious if you tried fitting the 27.5 x 2.35 Rock Razon on the Exploro MAX. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      12 January 2021

      Yes the tire clearance is the same on all 1x bikes basically. It’s only with 2x where the front derailleur determines the clearance (with mechanical FD giving more space than electronic for example). But that’s not really a frame feature, that will be the case with those front derailleurs on any frame model. Rock Razor fits for WAM (width), but it’s a little tall, so the RAM is bigger than we’d like. So it works, but the clearance to the seat tube is very small. Only for dry weather.

      Reply
  5. N

    Nat Bromhead says:

    15 December 2020

    Basic tech Q RE the Ekar Freehub. I have 38mm Prime wheels with SRAM 11sp on OG Exploro. I’ve just received a RaceMax with Ekar & Fulcrums. Can I swap wheelsets & freehubs and run my Prime’s on the new bike?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      15 December 2020

      If Prime offers an N3W free hub replacement part that you can swap out for the HG11 or xD freehub body that is on your wheelset now, then yes. Otherwise no.

      Reply
  6. S

    Suresh says:

    03 December 2020

    Hello Gerard,
    I have ordered a 3 T Ekar. May I ask, do you use the Ekar PRO-TECH bottom bracket for the exploro race? Also what are your thoughts in regards to the Ekar group set?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      03 December 2020

      Hi Suresh, we use the Campagnolo BB indeed. I really like EKAR, I think Campagnolo have done a great job with it.

      Reply
      1. S

        Suresh says:

        04 December 2020

        Thanks for responding. Seasons greetings to you and your team. Be safe.

        Reply
  7. F

    Franco Pondi says:

    29 September 2020

    So this Ekar 1×13 really sparked my interest in the 3T bike range – great, innovative bikes indeed, and a great match for this Campagnolo group set! But what is up with that cable routing into the top of the top tube?? – That looks rather unfortunate (and takes up the space often used by a top tube bag)! Any thoughts to changing this in the future?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      29 September 2020

      Well, the future is long. And we also use toptube bags, one doesn’t exclude the other (coincidentally I was the first to design toptube bag threads onto a gravel bike to avoid having to use velcro straps? So toptube bags are definitely considered in the design).

      Reply
  8. P

    Philippe Lievre says:

    29 September 2020

    Bonjour je voudrais savoir si l exploro race max rouge et blanc sera vendu cadre seulement et si oui à quelle date pour la France. Merci pour votre réponse.

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      29 September 2020

      Hi Philippe, yes it will be available also as a frameset but it will take a few more months as we catch up with demand.

      Reply
  9. P

    Philippe Lievre says:

    27 September 2020

    Bonjour je voudrais savoir la hauteur de la douille de direction sur les tailles xxs et le 51 sur exploro race max car aucune information sur le tableau des géométries. Merci pour votre réponse. Lièvre Philippe

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      28 September 2020

      “Road” headtube**
      XXS – 125
      51cm – 147
      54cm – 161
      56cm – 180
      58cm – 201
      61cm – 232

      BUT there is an importance caveat: The RaceMax FORK length is equal to a standard road bike, so this HEADTUBE length can be compared to road bikes. To compare to gravel bikes with standard gravel forks, deduct 25mm from these “road” headtube lengths for a proper comparison.

      Reply
  10. J

    Jim says:

    26 September 2020

    Any 9 tooth 11 speed cassettes on the planning board I could use on my 11 speed Ebike. I would really use 9 and 10th gear.

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      26 September 2020

      We’re sold out on the Bailout and Overdrive 9-32T cassettes and we don’t plan to make any more.

      Reply
  11. J

    Jörg Thierer says:

    25 September 2020

    Hello Gerard,
    an information about the weight of the Strada Ekar and the Exploro Ekar would be nice.
    I guess most people would appreciate it.
    Thanks in advance

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      28 September 2020

      We had a small Strada at 7.5kg and a 56cm Exploro Race at 8.6kg here.

      Reply
      1. J

        Jörg Thierer says:

        29 September 2020

        Thanks Gerard for the reply.

        Reply
    2. G

      Greg Custot says:

      29 November 2020

      Hi,
      When could we expect the exploro EKAR to be sold with a different painting (not really fond of the red color, compared to the Kaki or orange ones). Objective : receive it in France in March at the latest for a gravel race early April.

      Reply
      1. Gerard Vroomen says:

        01 December 2020

        Hi Greg, probably in Jan/Feb we will start offering other colors for the EKAR here on the site. Right now for the first batch, we’re assembling them all the red/white.

        Reply
  12. M

    Marco Bovo says:

    24 September 2020

    Is there a way to try one of your bikes?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      24 September 2020

      Yes of course. Our experience centers have demo bikes, of course not every model in every size, but they can usually accommodate people with something similar to try.

      Reply
  13. b

    binx says:

    24 September 2020

    Cool. Are those new Schwable G-one tires as well? Haven’t seen them before, and the labels look like the new Pro One TLE labels.

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      24 September 2020

      New-ish, since early 2020.

      Reply
      1. b

        binx says:

        29 September 2020

        Are those 40mm labeled G-Ones on the Discus 45/40 wheels? Clearance looks better there than the Campy promo shots that look to have the 40mm Terra Speeds on the Fulcrum rims. Thanks.

        Reply
        1. Gerard Vroomen says:

          29 September 2020

          Those are labeled 35mm but on that rim they fit a lot wider obviously (around 38mm, whereas the 40mm labeled tire fits 42mm on that rim). One of the advantages of a wider rim (aside from the aero benefit), you don’t need a very wide (and heavy) labeled tire to get an actual wide fit.

          Reply
  14. F

    Franco Falcone says:

    24 September 2020

    I’ve been waiting for this. I know that 3T has also contributed- at least you Exploro bikes have participated to Campagnolo’s research in developing this gravel group set How do I purchase 3T Exploro Race with Campagnolo EKAR group set.

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      24 September 2020

      Hi Franco, you can order it here: https://www.3t.bike/en/223-exploro-race?highlight=exploro-race-ekar1x13. Or at participating 3T experience centers of course.

      Reply
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