The 'Un-Official' Campagnolo Ekar thread

[morrisond]

I just did with WRL which is the same procedure - worked great - just keep the cut end up - brakes work more than fine - however I will probably bleed them at some point and then the lever strike will be even less.

[Dave]

It's silly to build a disc brake bikes without a bleed kit, hoping not to have to bleed. I want my brakes to work perfectly from day one. Bleeding should always be done.

[mev]

The system is advertised as being able to mount without bleeding. There are even different instructions from Campagnolo for "with oil" and "without oil" systems, so why not try out that feature? I can always bleed the system later if it doesn't work for some reason.

[SonicBoom]

I did it without bleeding, fwiw.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by SonicBoom

I did it without bleeding, fwiw.

Yeah, works fine.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Sure looks like one to me.

Yes, Campagnolo makes one as do various tool makers, those tools which can be found at a bunch of hardware stores, for not much $ but....good luck with whatever you put on.

At least there are 'Harbor Freight' options, unlike the ton of shimano BB cup wrench 'standards' that gee, don't come with Ultegra and below BBs....Guess I'll dump that shimano group since I can't get the BB cups in.....

[RemixRob4]

Whats the most you've reused the quicklink? I'm on somewhere around 5 now (take It off to wax) and still get a good *clunk* but hate the super high cost compared to other brands

[joeminglin]

Originally Posted by RemixRob4

Whats the most you've reused the quicklink? I'm on somewhere around 5 now (take It off to wax) and still get a good *clunk* but hate the super high cost compared to other brands

More than that. I've run Shimano chains to 3-3.5k miles without needing to replace the QL. I think my Ekar bike has about 1.5k miles so about 5-6x waxes and it feels fine to me. If you can un-link it by hand then you should replace it is my rule.

IIRC, my Ekar chain came with an extra link.

[RemixRob4]

Originally Posted by joeminglin

More than that. I've run Shimano chains to 3-3.5k miles without needing to replace the QL. I think my Ekar bike has about 1.5k miles so about 5-6x waxes and it feels fine to me. If you can un-link it by hand then you should replace it is my rule.

IIRC, my Ekar chain came with an extra link.

Great thanks for your experience! I've got 2 extra right now, and need to get a new chain soon (at least as a back up or for swapping while waxed)

[C40_guy]

Speaking of Ekar...

I took my Litespeed Watia with Ekar for its first ride today. LBS finished the build (gearing, brakes) and I put the final touches on earlier this week (still have some details to chase).

Really nice ride, decent gear spacing, very good braking, great traction.

My direct comparison is a Litespeed Blue Ridge with Record Ten.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Speaking of Ekar...

I took my Litespeed Watia with Ekar for its first ride today. LBS finished the build (gearing, brakes) and I put the final touches on earlier this week (still have some details to chase).

Really nice ride, decent gear spacing, very good braking, great traction.

My direct comparison is a Litespeed Blue Ridge with Record Ten.

Nice!

[MXLeader]

What else should I be looking out for?

Every great once in a while, during hard efforts on the road or on gravel, the chain will get thrown off the chainring to the crank arm side when shifting to a harder gear. This only happens when shifting from the 15 to 14 or 14 to 13 tooth cogs.

I've been using Ekar for about 7,500 miles on my Pursuit All Road. As others have noted, derailleur adjustment can be a bit tricky with the extra narrow 13-speed spacing but it feels pretty much spot on with no hesitation up the cassette and a reassuring "clunk" when shifting to a harder gear. Derailleur hanger alignment is spot on using an Abbey Tools HAG. The upper jockey wheel adjustment is ~1 or 2 mm w/o any noise.

I use a 44-tooth chainring and 10-44 cassette which is pretty much perfect for the short and steep hills here in midcoast Maine. Over the 7.5K miles I've had the bike, I rotate through 3 waxed chains and rotate through cassettes when I change wheel sets. I have even used two different 44-tooth chainrings as I've moved from 175mm to 170mm cranks. The chain is at the minimum length as I'll sometimes swap the front chainring to a 40-tooth for a particularly hilly ride or in the off-season. I just compared the chain stretch of my first two chains to a brand new one and there is minimal wear. The rear cassette cogs don't look worn, bent, damaged and neither do the chainrings.

My current thinking is that I may need to be more conscious of where in the pedal stroke I'm shifting and maybe back off on the power a bit more just for a moment while shifting.

I've done all the troubleshooting that I can think of. What might I be missing? I've even thought about installing a chain keeper as a last resort. Thoughts?

[SonicBoom]

That's really odd. You have also checked the rear derailleur upper limit?

[MXLeader]

Originally Posted by SonicBoom

That's really odd. You have also checked the rear derailleur upper limit?

Yes, the limit screws are set for both upper and lower.

After I wrote the prior post, I gave the derailleur adjustment screw a quarter turn to back off the shifting down (smaller cogs) the cassette. That seemed to ease of the "clunk" dropping into the harder gear a bit and the shifting up the cassette hasn't been compromised. So for the last few days I haven't had a chain drop but I've also been a tad more careful with pedal pressure during shifting. Maybe that was just enough of an adjustment? We'll see.

Here's a most-likely list of potential contributing factors:

1. Derailleur hanger alignment
3. B-screw (upper jockey wheel) adjustment
4. Chain length
5. Chain connecting pin set and peened properly
6. Derailleur adjustment
7. Chain condition
8. Chainring condition
9. Cassette condition
10. Shifting technique
11. Derailleur wear/damage

Any additional suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Erikg]

Chainline? I wonder if the chain line might be too far inward on the front sprocket? Is it also an Ekar crank?