The 'Un-Official' Campagnolo Ekar thread

[robertbb]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

Doesn't comport with my experience -- approaching 20k miles on my Campy 12 group and, while it hasn't been completely set-and-forget because a couple of components have failed, it has been otherwise just as reliable as my previous 10- and 11-speed groupsets.

Fair enough, this can sometimes come down to frame geometries and how close to the "edges" they are in terms of manufacturers spec. Some will be more tolerant than others.

I've been using and working on Campy for 15+ years and never had issues with 10 - 11 speed, but found 12 speed to be a p*g to get working reliably for any length of time.

[nalax]

Originally Posted by SonicBoom

No stiff links. For the hangar, you mean attaching the derailleur to the hangar at torque?

No, some frames also have a replaceable hanger. In my case, just another area to check.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by robertbb

Fair enough, this can sometimes come down to frame geometries and how close to the "edges" they are in terms of manufacturers spec. Some will be more tolerant than others.

I've been using and working on Campy for 15+ years and never had issues with 10 - 11 speed, but found 12 speed to be a p*g to get working reliably for any length of time.

I have Shimano 9-12 speed systems and Campagnolo 11-13 speed systems and honestly, I find all of them to be reliable and easy to set up and run. The more gears, the more muck on the chain impacts shifting. The key to me, keep a clean chain.

With wider range cassette, hanger alignment is important. If you are having issues on one end of the cassette, it is the hanger alignment.

[SonicBoom]

Installing the brakes now. I left too much hose and want to remove the bard, recut the cable and reinstall the barb. Is pulling the barb out (before I cut the hose ) with pliers the simplest/best method to get the barb?

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by SonicBoom

Installing the brakes now. I left too much hose and want to remove the bard, recut the cable and reinstall the barb. Is pulling the barb out (before I cut the hose ) with pliers the simplest/best method to get the barb?

Technically, you should use a new olive and barb after install.

I have used an old barb (on Shimano) but always a new olive. You can't use an old olive after install.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by SonicBoom

Installing the brakes now. I left too much hose and want to remove the bard, recut the cable and reinstall the barb. Is pulling the barb out (before I cut the hose ) with pliers the simplest/best method to get the barb?

I'm planning on outsourcing my Ekar hydro installation. I think it will be less expensive than buying the dedicated tools, plus I won't have the chance to farck it up.

[joeminglin]

Originally Posted by phishrabbi

Thanks I've reached out. This article from Bike Rumor reads, in part:

"Beyond Campagnolo’s own family wheels 3T, Boyd, Carbon-Ti, Deda, DT Swiss, ERE, Hunt, Industry Nine, Scope, Vision, and Zipp have all so far also announced that N3W freehubs will be available for their latest wheels (including several rim brake wheel options!), for use either with traditional Campagnolo road or new Ekar gravel bikes. With the backwards-compatibility feature, we expect that list to continue to grow."

This makes me think that because of Campy's choice to make the new n3w standard backwards compatible, there must be some way to get one onto a 130mm hub. I'd be happy to buy a campy branded road rim brake hub with a n3w driver.

You're a wheel builder! Is there anyone sourcing a 130mm 28h rim brake hub with a n3w driver?

If anyone is still thinking about putting Ekar on a rim brake bike. White Industries T11 and Bitex RAR12 and 9 hubs have N3W freehubs.

This is from White regarding getting an N3W for my T11:
N3W freehub body comes with a 2mm drive side axle spacer that goes between the drive side axle end and freehub body. Goes on the axle you already have. No mods needed. And yes, same set up for a CLD hub. You can put it on either hub.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I'm planning on outsourcing my Ekar hydro installation. I think it will be less expensive than buying the dedicated tools, plus I won't have the chance to farck it up.

I always suggest that if people don't know how to work on hydro brakes, take the bike to a shop. That is not something you want to screw up.

EKAR brakes are easy to bleed but you need a specific campag/magura specific barbs and olives along with the correct bleed kit. But that is true of all hydraulic brakes.

[JWB475]

I saw someone had posted this over on Weight Weenies. A way to hack the thumb shifter so you can quickly dump ~5 gears. But there must be a reason Campag choose to limit the travel of the thumb shifter with that metal rod?
https://youtu.be/5fy4YyjS9nY?si=DvMi75xVVeFl5Yu3

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by JWB475

I saw someone had posted this over on Weight Weenies. A way to hack the thumb shifter so you can quickly dump ~5 gears. But there must be a reason Campag choose to limit the travel of the thumb shifter with that metal rod?
https://youtu.be/5fy4YyjS9nY?si=DvMi75xVVeFl5Yu3

The official explanation is that Ekar is intended for riding off-pavement, and therefore surfaces tend to be rough and bumpy. Without the bar to limit travel, it was felt that it would be too easy to accidentally bump the thumb button too far, causing inadvertent upshifting across too many sprockets.

[zacstanley]

Anyone know if these Ekar derailleurs will work with 12 speed shifters and cassettes? Looking for a wide range option for use with mechanical disc brakes.

[SonicBoom]

Originally Posted by zacstanley

Anyone know if these Ekar derailleurs will work with 12 speed shifters and cassettes? Looking for a wide range option for use with mechanical disc brakes.

This is kind of the opposite

1×13 C Upgrade Kit
This upgrade kit allows you to pair 10 or 11 speed mechanical SRAM shifters and a SRAM 1x-specific Exact Actuation* derailleur with a Campagnolo Ekar* 13 speed cassette and chain. You’ll gain all the advantages of greater gear range and closer gear ratios without needing a whole new groupset.

[zacstanley]

Originally Posted by SonicBoom

This is kind of the opposite

1×13 C Upgrade Kit
This upgrade kit allows you to pair 10 or 11 speed mechanical SRAM shifters and a SRAM 1x-specific Exact Actuation* derailleur with a Campagnolo Ekar* 13 speed cassette and chain. You’ll gain all the advantages of greater gear range and closer gear ratios without needing a whole new groupset.

I would use Campy 11 speed shifters too!

[Wakatel_Luum]

Originally Posted by zacstanley

Anyone know if these Ekar derailleurs will work with 12 speed shifters and cassettes? Looking for a wide range option for use with mechanical disc brakes.

I couldn’t see why not.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by zacstanley

Anyone know if these Ekar derailleurs will work with 12 speed shifters and cassettes? Looking for a wide range option for use with mechanical disc brakes.

If you are inquiring about using the Ekar derailleur in a 2x12 system, unfortunately the Ekar derailleur is not compliant with a 2x crank. But if you are looking for a wide range system, an Ekar 1x13 system with a 9-42 cassette has a wider range than any Campagnolo 2x system.