The 'Un-Official' Campagnolo Ekar thread

[nighthawk]

Originally Posted by jpw

Being 1x I thought so, but what's that second lever (doing) in the Campagnolo photo? That's two right levers in the photo, right?

Yeah, the marketing photos with the rock piles have two rights. Why? Nobody knows. Maybe just wanted to show a few different angles.

[morrisond]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Copy to shimano and sram..


What kinda of components do you have on your gravel bike??


Yup, 'pretty sure' they could have designed the lever to do multiple upshifts but chose not to..well, because they TESTED it and just didn't throw it at the market, like another bike component group maker does, wait for complaints and/or failures, then change it via warranty.

I had Potenza HO on my Gravel bike with only 1x Downshift(down the cassette) - off-road - it was really nice knowing one push one gear as in general you were bouncing around a lot.

On Potenza at least it was very fast - kind of like the Fire button on a video game controller.

You never really got it wrong like sometimes what happens on the Road with Chorus and above where loss of momentum from going too far down the cassette usually means you are fine and not falling into a tree like you would be off-road.

It was very precise and you could really bash it - whereas if you bash the lever down on Chorus and above you might get more than you want when you are bouncing around.

It does make sense for Off Road - you won't fall over from spinning too fast in any gear - however 3x upshift is really nice as you will fall over from spinning too slow.

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

I am implying there's a higher chance of things going unintentionally pear shaped on gravel for any number of reasons, and being able to ratchet down half the cassette might not be the best solution for downshifting in that kind of environment. If you want a rider in that kind of scenario to have the highest chance of getting the gear they want, when they want, one gear at a time down makes the most sense. There's the least chance and smallest penalty if something goes wrong.

I would agree with this. Add to it the precipitous drop from 42 cog to 9, gravity alone could help the chain reach escape velocity. All together, I love this Ekar group. I was thinking of a new cross bike with GRX, but will surely go with Ekar.

[jpw]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Nope..left and right lever..probably should have turned the RH one over, or both for the photo. Look at the cut outs behind the brake blade..2 different levers.

"2 different levers" - you mean right and left?

They look like two right levers to me.

Makes me wonder if Campagnolo already has something hidden up its left sleeve that will be released at a later date, a left lever with another design application.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by jpw

"2 different levers" - you mean right and left?

They look like two right levers to me.

Yes, right and left...No shift lever blade on the front.

But so what? Plenty of pictures of the actual levers..yeegads..any opportunity to slam Campag.....tiresome.

It should be mentioned, these EKAR, altho even hydro levers, not 'bulbous' like some.
But Campag so 'ugly'....yikes.

[jpw]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Yes, right and left...No shift lever blade on the front.

But so what? Plenty of pictures of the actual levers..yeegads..any opportunity to slam Campag.....tiresome.

It should be mentioned, these EKAR, altho even hydro levers, not 'bulbous' like some.
But Campag so 'ugly'....yikes.

You completely misread the motive for my question about the photo. Zero slamming at all. Purely natural curiosity. Goodness.

[oldpotatoe]

JPW-

It won't be a complete failure. I expect it will be at a minimum a qualified success.

Zero slamming at all.

Generic observation of 'some' here...nothing personal...

Another generic observation..slam sram and the pitch forks come out..slam Campagnolo..why a favorite pastime for some.....

Campagnolo doesn't have a GRoad group!!

Now they do..

But it SO late!

Works perfectly

IT'll probably be YUGE $

Actually not

BUT..only one higher gear at a time?? YGBSM..what are they thinkin!! That will put them outta biz for sure..

And..'it's ugly' and has a funny name....yeegads

[nmrt]

Everyone's experience is different. On my Mtb bike with a SRAM 1 X 11, I LOVE the ability to dump three gears during downshifting. I wish something similar of a gravel gruppo as well be it campy or SRAM or Shimano.

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

I would agree with this. Add to it the precipitous drop from 42 cog to 9, gravity alone could help the chain reach escape velocity. All together, I love this Ekar group. I was thinking of a new cross bike with GRX, but will surely go with Ekar.

[Velocipede]

They know about the photo with 2 right hand levers in it. It was done on purpose to show the profile and shape of the hoods/lever/body and to show off the new shift lever.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

JPW-


Generic observation of 'some' here...nothing personal...

Another generic observation..slam sram and the pitch forks come out..slam Campagnolo..why a favorite pastime for some.....

Campagnolo doesn't have a GRoad group!!

Now they do..

But it SO late!

Works perfectly

IT'll probably be YUGE $

Actually not

BUT..only one higher gear at a time?? YGBSM..what are they thinkin!! That will put them outta biz for sure..

And..'it's ugly' and has a funny name....yeegads

Nothing works perfectly, but is that based on your own personal experience riding it or it that quote attributed to someone else?

They seem to have built this group around it's own eco-system without any or much cross compatibility> New BB/crank interface, new Freehub body. New chain. 1 x only (for now maybe?) Chain tool works or doesn't work?

One of the things about SRAM and Shimano is the interchangeability of components and choice of 2x with SHIMANO so you can make it your own set up. With this not so much?

It does seem to be getting good initial reviews and maybe the target market ( whoever that is) doesn't care that they have to go to Campagnolo for everything (at least for now) and it is what it is. It just seems a bit limiting to someone like me or many others who want to build their bike the way they want to.

And 1x13 are we at all worried about component wear and chain line issues? I think I am at least a little but maybe I am wrong. J. Huang brings up the "works better under load" but isn't that just how Campagnolo stuff works best anyway? One of the reasons I like Shimano stuff is the light action and ability to shift that stuff at rather slow speeds very effectively.

Either way it's good to see them playing in the gravel/adventure arena as it is def. a driver of enthusiast bike sales these days.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by charliedid

They seem to have built this group around it's own eco-system without any or much cross compatibility> New BB/crank interface, new Freehub body. New chain. 1 x only (for now maybe?) Chain tool works or doesn't work?

One of the things about SRAM and Shimano is the interchangeability of components and choice of 2x with SHIMANO so you can make it your own set up. With this not so much?

I don’t think it’s as different as you think.

It appears the bottom bracket change is new outer seals that warrants new cups. It’s reported (rumored?) this change will happen across the line. I am guessing the new parts are compatible with current cranks if you update the bearings/seals/cups. If true, it’s basically just an improved bottom bracket and not a totally new standard. The oddity is that Campagnolo’s bottom bracket is sort of half installed on the crank so you sort of buy it in two parts.

Sure, it’s a new freehub body, but the new freehub body is 100% backwards compatible with 10-12 speed cassettes. Shimano and sram also had new freehub body’s (xd and micro spline) but they are not backwards compatible.

It’s been confirmed existing chain tools can break the chain and the new quick link joins it. Identical to sram and shimano.

The Ekar derailleur is 1x only by design. The horizontal parallelogram and offset pulley use chain length/tension to control spacing to the cassette. A front derailleur would throw this out of adjustment. Again, this is the same as sram and shimano. They both offer 1x specific derailleurs that use a similar design.

[Velocipede]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

I don’t think it’s as different as you think.

It appears the bottom bracket change is new outer seals that warrants new cups. It’s reported (rumored?) this change will happen across the line. I am guessing the new parts are compatible with current cranks if you update the bearings/seals/cups. If true, it’s basically just an improved bottom bracket and not a totally new standard. The oddity is that Campagnolo’s bottom bracket is sort of half installed on the crank so you sort of buy it in two parts.

Sure, it’s a new freehub body, but the new freehub body is 100% backwards compatible with 10-12 speed cassettes. Shimano and sram also had new freehub body’s (xd and micro spline) but they are not backwards compatible.

It’s been confirmed existing chain tools can break the chain and the new quick link joins it. Identical to sram and shimano.

The Ekar derailleur is 1x only by design. The horizontal parallelogram and offset pulley use chain length/tension to control spacing to the cassette. A front derailleur would throw this out of adjustment. Again, this is the same as sram and shimano. They both offer 1x specific derailleurs that use a similar design.

Pretty much agree with everything you've said. It's really nothing different. I mean, just cause you can't mix and match with the Big 3 doesn't make it bad or good. It's just a thing. Personally I don't like mixing brands. Too many issues with perfection. Why mess with it?

But everything listed is pretty spot on.

[shinomaster]

I had the original Centaur 10 escape on my cross bike for one season and it was fantastic and super fast. The only reason I switched it out was to get the new hood shape. It's easy to over shift with ultrashift in a race and get stuck in too hard of a gear,

[bfd]

Originally Posted by Velocipede

I mean, just cause you can't mix and match with the Big 3 doesn't make it bad or good. It's just a thing. Personally I don't like mixing brands. Too many issues with perfection. Why mess with it?

But everything listed is pretty spot on.

But with 11 speed, everything is, or should I say was, compatible. I'm an old Campy guy and have several Campy wheels. When I put together a bike with etap drivetrain, I was able to use my Campy wheels with a Campy 11 speed cassette. It works perfectly!

Similarly, I could use a Shimano 11 wheel/cassette with my bikes that have Campy drivetrain. Why do that? Well, up until recently, if you needed lower gearing like say 11-34 or larger, you couldn't use a Campy drivetrain because there wasn't a Campy cassette with that gearing. But, you could throw on a Shimano 11 wheel/cassette and away you go! It works and the fact that the parts from the Big 3 are interchangeable is a good thing!

Of course, now that 2 of the 3 have gone to 12 speed, and Campy is at 13, it is unclear whether 12 or 13 speed will be compatible across the big 3.

Good Luck!

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

I don’t think it’s as different as you think.

It appears the bottom bracket change is new outer seals that warrants new cups. It’s reported (rumored?) this change will happen across the line. I am guessing the new parts are compatible with current cranks if you update the bearings/seals/cups. If true, it’s basically just an improved bottom bracket and not a totally new standard. The oddity is that Campagnolo’s bottom bracket is sort of half installed on the crank so you sort of buy it in two parts.

Sure, it’s a new freehub body, but the new freehub body is 100% backwards compatible with 10-12 speed cassettes. Shimano and sram also had new freehub body’s (xd and micro spline) but they are not backwards compatible.

It’s been confirmed existing chain tools can break the chain and the new quick link joins it. Identical to sram and shimano.

The Ekar derailleur is 1x only by design. The horizontal parallelogram and offset pulley use chain length/tension to control spacing to the cassette. A front derailleur would throw this out of adjustment. Again, this is the same as sram and shimano. They both offer 1x specific derailleurs that use a similar design.

Originally Posted by Velocipede

Pretty much agree with everything you've said. It's really nothing different. I mean, just cause you can't mix and match with the Big 3 doesn't make it bad or good. It's just a thing. Personally I don't like mixing brands. Too many issues with perfection. Why mess with it?

But everything listed is pretty spot on.

Thanks for the clarifications. I'm not a total tech nerd so I don't read as close as some of you. I'd rather ask here and see what folks know.

I was not saying people would mix brands per se just that GRX and AXS seem to have some flexibility to mix match with in groups. Backwards compatible freehub sounds good....seems a spacer and lock ring I just read. All good.