If you are looking for Campy Ekar: Bike24.de

[jambee]

I am in the market for a new Ekar group. So I have been eyeing one of the "full group" offering in Germany (since I live here).

Today I noticed that Bike24 had shown the full group package as "unavailable" but the individual components were priced at 45% discount.

So a full group of Ekar was 899 Euro (no chain or BB since I had these already). Pretty great deal in my opinion given that last week the same group went for ~1240 Euro.

Get it while you can.

Also does it mean that something new is coming from Campy?

[prototoast]

Complete bikes with Ekar are basically all on sale at huge discounts. I think most people just don't like Ekar, and that's why you're seeing it on sale.

[jambee]

That is for sure not the reason :-).

[eddiepaletti]

I ordered an Ekar groupset from them over a year ago at a very good price. The groupset arrived in a what was left of a flimsy cardboard box that was in tatters. The local PO, literally, had to bring the box out on a cart with the smaller component boxes strewn everywhere. I wasn't even sure everything was there. I took pics which I sent to bike24. They never even responded.

And, I don't think this was a one-off issue because around the same time I also ordered Shamal Carbone wheels. They arrived in a super thin cardboard box that again was badly damaged. There was nothing in the box but the wheels in their wheel bags without any other padding. Not even brown paper to fill the voids and keep them from banging around.

Everything turned out fine, although one of the brake calipers did have to be replaced and Campy did so under warranty. I have no way of knowing if it was damaged in shipping or a manufacturing defect. But I don't think I would order from them again.

I hope you're stuff arrives properly packaged and you have a good experience!

P.S. I love my Ekar and have had ZERO issues with it. Have owned two groupsets so far. The one I have now is on an open UP I use for gravel but which I also use a lot as a road bike (even having raced criteriums with it).

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Complete bikes with Ekar are basically all on sale at huge discounts. I think most people just don't like Ekar, and that's why you're seeing it on sale.

I finally got to try it recently and have to agree. I know I could learn to like it and be content with it, but I did not enjoy the aesthetics, the thumb shifter or the hood shape.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by eddiepaletti

P.S. I love my Ekar and have had ZERO issues with it. Have owned two groupsets so far. The one I have now is on an open UP I use for gravel but which I also use a lot as a road bike (even having raced criteriums with it).

I'm in the middle of my Ekar build right now! Looking forward to getting it on the trails in the spring!

[nalax]

Last summer one of the Ebay dealers unloaded Ekar components which at least one of the online dealers responded to so I picked up an Ekar group for around $700. Runs great on my Swiss Cross and I love how it functions. Shifts well, brakes are the best. If/when I build up another bike it will be running Ekar. It reminds me of the Kinks "I'm not like everybody else"

[vespasianus]

EKAR on merlin is ~$1000 USD. The same it has been for about a year. Certain configurations are not available - most likely because they sold out.

I personally love EKAR. Works great. Recently got a Diverge STR with axis and I love EKAR even more.

[Gwerziou]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Complete bikes with Ekar are basically all on sale at huge discounts. I think most people just don't like Ekar, and that's why you're seeing it on sale.

As is well known and discussed here and elsewhere, mass discounts are running throughout the bike industry.

Ekar is their most successful product in 40+ years, responsible for 50% of Campagnolo's total income. (from Bike Europe interview w Davide Campagnolo)

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by Gwerziou

As is well known and discussed here and elsewhere, mass discounts are running throughout the bike industry.

Ekar is their most successful product in 40+ years, responsible for 50% of Campagnolo's total income. (from Bike Europe interview w Davide Campagnolo)

Yup, all bikes are being dumped. Got the Diverge STR at a HUGE discount.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Complete bikes with Ekar are basically all on sale at huge discounts. I think most people just don't like Ekar, and that's why you're seeing it on sale.

Pretty funny. Campagnolo can't keep up with EKAR demand is why it's hard to find..There is a glut of Shimano and sram 12s bikes also..I guess cuz 'most people just don't like them'...

[martl]

many manufacturers and retailers are sitting on huge stockpiles and some of those are getting cash flow problems, by the sounds of it. I wouldnt go as far as to deduct customer preferences or aversions here

thanks for the bike24 heads-up, just ordered a cassette, a chain and a BB as spares just in case. Cassette was down from 260 to 150, so that's good.

[Baron Blubba]

A medium size bike company I know offers their gravel bike with several different Sram configurations, and also Ekar. They have never sold a single Ekar version of that bike.

I think Ekar is phenomenal and extremely versatile --it can be a legit road groupset or a terrific gravel groupset. Really fun to operate.

[robertbb]

Originally Posted by martl

many manufacturers and retailers are sitting on huge stockpiles and some of those are getting cash flow problems, by the sounds of it. I wouldnt go as far as to deduct customer preferences or aversions here

thanks for the bike24 heads-up, just ordered a cassette, a chain and a BB as spares just in case. Cassette was down from 260 to 150, so that's good.

Be interesting to know "which" cassette you get. I believe Campy made a running change to the eKar cassettes - there were interface/alignment issues with the inside face of the largest cog with certain hubs (if I remember correctly).

Maybe gfk_velo would have more insight

[capt_velo]

Are tariffs still only applied if you spend more than $800 if importing to the USA?