The cool thing about a gravel bike is that you'll put your wheels almost everywhere.
You will travel along rolling paths, long, very vicious climbs and even, from time to time, connections on tar as smooth as Kojak's skull.
Your bike, your Paula , I should say, will therefore regularly have to do the splits!
And yes you saw me coming from afar with my cardboard pun but I didn't really know how to start the subject.
Good. We'll start with a reminder.
The Campagnolo Ekar group you know
When he was introduced, Massacan wasn't even an idea yet.
Basically, the Ekar is the first 13-speed Gravel groupset on the market .
Campagnolo also likes to point out that this is the lightest Gravel groupset in the world .
No electronics here, you find a lively and precise mechanical gear change, a really classy carbon crankset, 3 choices of cassettes, objectively the best braking on the market and, naturally, manufactured in Italy.
Perfect, you will tell me.
Not that easy. Campagnolo is not a “mainstream” brand, it has its share of aficionados and its detractors.
In reality, there are a few points that may be wrong with the original Ekar group.
First of all, there are the developments.
If you want to follow your little friends for several days in a row with a pair of thousands of D+ every day, and if, like me, you are a fan of Fat Sabbath, Oreosmith, Red Hot Belly Peppers and Rage Against the Cardio Machine, even with the combination 38T in front and 10-44T behind it can tingle a little (a lot).
When you consider that you can mount a SRAM groupset in mullet version with a 36 tooth in front and a 10-52 cassette in the back, there is something to think about.
There is the price too. It's still not given the Ekar.
Be careful, you get what you pay for! But OK. This remains a hell of a post.
This is, among other things, the cost of manufacturing in Italy and impeccable finishing quality.
And then the carbon crankset doesn't help.
It therefore seemed obvious that Campa had to look at a group offering more versatility and a slightly more affordable price.
Well that’s exactly what they did with the new Ekar GT group.
Review details:
The Campagnolo Ekar GT crankset
No more carbon, make way for an aluminum crankset.
It weighs 250 grams more but is that so important for a Gravel bike?
And above all, from now on, you will be able to install a very small crown of 36 teeth where its carbon alter ego could not go below 38.
In summary, you will exchange Instagram likes for Komoot likes.
It's not that bad, is it?
The Campagnolo Ekar GT derailleur
The derailleur has also been revised.
The rollers are oversized and the yoke is a tad different to allow the installation of a 10-48 cassette.
We find the same qualities of mud evacuation.
The gear change is still as smooth and precise as ever.
Campagnolo Ekar GT cassettes
For the cassette since I talked about it above, you can count on the same teeth as for the original Ekar.
There is a 9-36 if you like to ride hard on moderately steep paths, a 9-42 and a 10-44.
There new to the Ekar GT is precisely this fourth option: A very wide 10-48 so you can venture wherever you want without stress.
Campagnolo Ekar GT shifters
They have been retouched, particularly at the junction between the casserole dish and the hanger.
Some users have complained of a somewhat abrupt transition between the two which would affect comfort.
Personally, it never bothered me.
But you understand now, I'm more the type to hold on tight to my slice of pizza and my Peroni rather than my hanger.
Just, I would like to point out here that we are unanimous in saying that Campagnolo braking (thanks Magura for the technology) is the best braking at the moment for a gravel bike.
Far ahead of SRAM and Shimano in terms of feeling, bite and endurance.
In conclusion...
The new Ekar GT, for us, is a real success.
It's a very credible alternative to a SRAM Rival AXS for example.
Don't you want to regularly ask yourself if you've thought about charging your derailleur battery?
Do you want to ride “different”?
Are you sensitive to beautiful equipment?
With the Campagnolo Ekar GT group, you will have an extremely pleasant group to use , super reliable , placed at a very competitive price and totally Massacan approved !