The Gear Wars Continue: Campag 1x13 Ekar
 

12 speeds clearly wasn't enough so, here we are:


For folks wanting a Campag group with shiney chrome parts for gravel...keep wanting. Lots of CF and black. New FH body, ofc new cassette, new BB, and new levers, same rotor size specific calipers it looks like...but only 1x AFAIK.

For good information, try my favorite cycling website. Lots of accurate info. Yes, it's 1X only, but with an excellent 467% range, using the 9-42 cassette. With 40 or 42T chain ring, it would meet a lot of biker's needs.

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=258775

I think Ekar will be huge for Campa. They learned their lesson from the MTB fiasco; I'm glad to see this, it looks very well thought out and well implemented.

467% range? That’s it? Pfft. ;)

Anything larger and the only option is a 10T with a 50, 51 or 52 MTB cassette.

My road bike with a 48/32 and 10-36 12 speed has a 540% range. You need a 2X to get some serious range.

I was just poking fun at the 467% comment, but I have a gravel bike with 500%. It’s a 1x.

From a technology and design standpoint it looks really good, and seems fairly priced for what you get. It doesn't really solve the 1x problem though, and the 9t cog arguably makes it worse. Look at the ratio chart below with the speeds most of us normal cyclist actually ride gravel at (8-20 MPH'ish) most of the time in the red box (Ekar top, GRX 2x bottom). If you like to pedal at a steady cadence, this is still makes no sense.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c7774a33d1.jpg

What is the point of the whole 9t and 10t, just to have a wider range and not require a large gear on the cassette to keep the rear der safe? Since a chainring and 11t can get the same high gear I don't understand the desire for the more inefficient tiny cogs.
One of the things that gets ignored with the whole 2x12 is that while the chainrings aren't as optimally located as with a 1x system the drivetrain isn't as noisy when using crossover gears as the older 8,9,10sp systems were. I'm running similar to Davesss set up though not quite the range 48/32 with an 11-34 12 speed but on a cross bike. I went with it since I will use it for some crit riding and hilly road races and shouldn't need to drop out of the large chainring to do so, the gear range is wider then my first 12 speed (2x6) road bike of yesteryear and should be sufficient for current fitness levels. The 32 ring based on previous cross seasons means for cross riding I'll almost never leave the small ring, none of the courses I did in recent memory had long paved flats to need higher gearing. While the 1x13 might give the same range I can run my 2x12 like its 2 separate 1x12 bikes but with more reasonable and optimal gear changes.

How much does a 9-42 cassette with 13 cogs weigh? Seems like it would be heavy.

I'm not sure you're understanding this, not trying to be snarky or mean but you're missing the point on several fronts.

* 9/10t cogs aren't just for increasing range. They're important for increasing gear inches without the need for a larger 1X chainring, which in turn eliminates the need for a giant largest cog to get acceptable low gearing.
* If you're riding a crit or fast road race with a 48X11 then you are either just out there having fun (totally fine!) or you aren't winning any sprints (also totally fine). But there are PLENTY of others that need a much higher end gear for racing.
* For cx, 1X is great, like you mentioned. And I'd argue the larger jumps between gear changes is preferable. I know I like bigger jumps when I'm on gravel, cause when I need to change a gear I NEED it to make a noticeable difference. It's not like pavement riding where transitions in elevation and surface type are smooth or minimal.
* Now to your point about using one bike for everything. This again is not too bad with 1X13, Campy made it very easy to change the chainring to suit your ride or race. Bigger for road/crit, smaller for CX. Bob's your uncle.

Hope that helps!

Not snarky, it's why I asked if that was the exact reason as a question.

I'm no longer winning sprints, a 48/11 at 90rpm is 31mph, my current sprint cadence is closer to 100rpm but only for a quick sprint, my typical cadence is more like 75-80 leaning more towards 75 which does mean I'm not taking downhills like I used to with a 53t but my typical average speed over rolling terrain is still 21-22mph, not slow but not as fast as I used to though getting better again. A 48t has no trouble doing that but lets me run the 48 as a 1x12 for most terrain with road.

I guess to me 1x wastes the potential versatility of a bike. I love my 1x on my mtb but except for pulling a trail-a-bike around the neighborhood at slow speeds it isn't used for anything other than mountain biking and really a modern MTB isn't designed for much more then that anyways. Most other bikes can be used in so many other ways and yet they lose that with a 1x.
On an aside, I saw a patent probably 18-20 years ago by campy for a 13sp drivetrain chain where they envisioned the connecting piece of the chain being a single arched piece of metal that rode over the teeth of the gears

One point being missed is that 1x eliminates chain drops on rough terrain, which is why most MTB riders are switching to it. There is no gravel where I live and even if there was, eating dust isn't my idea of fun and neither is riding in the mud. I ride on clean dry roads in the hills and mountains of Colorado. I sometimes ride from Loveland to Estes Park three times a week. I just did the 52 mile loop through Glen Haven this morning. I ride Campy chorus 12 crank with sram axs 12 speed and the new 10-36 cassette.

when is the number of gears on a rear wheel going to be "enough." I thought 12-speed was silly. give it a few years and manufacturers will "rediscover" front derailers and talk customers in to buying new bikes because the old bikes were designed around making a FD impossible.

honestly, I think gear boxes of one sort or another will become more popular at some point. if you want range and small increments, a derailer system is going to hit a solid wall at some point.

The new 1x systems were not designed in a vacuum. They are based on rider desires and what companies are certain will sell. I won't ever buy one because I ride on paved roads. I have no gravel available and wouldn't use it if I did. The primary purpose of 1X is to eliminate the chain drops that occur with 2X system, when ridden on rough terrain. If you don;t have than problem, then there is little point to 1X.

Most people do not ride at a steady cadence. If all I did was ride at a steady cadence from 8-20 mph, I'd be bored to death. I ride in the hills and mountains of northern Colorado. I ride winding mountain descents at speeds up to 54 mph and climb 12% grades as slowly as 5 mph. On the steepest grades my cadence might drop to 65 and on the fastest descents hit 115 rpm before I spin out at 42-44 mph on my way up to 50+. A typical 1X doesn't have quite enough top gear or low gear, compared to my setup that has a 540% range. My top gear of 48/10 is 4.8/1 and my lowest gear ratio is a 32/36 or .89/1. I use every one of them on most of my rides.

I could get by with a 46/30 crank instead of my 48/32, but no one makes a 12 speed compatible model that I know of. A 1X system with a 42T chainrng and 9 tooth small sprocket would meet my top ends desires. At the low end, a 42/42 would be more than plenty for many riders, but I much prefer my 32/36 and would like a 30/36 if I can ever find a 46/30 crank that will work with SRAM AXS 12. There is some hope that Campy will eventually offer some new 12 speed crank and cassette options, now that they have a freehub body that allows a 9 or 10T smallest sprocket. Their 13 speed 9-36 without the 9 would be great as a 12 speed model.

I love my 1x setups on both of my CX/Gravel bikes. For mostly flat midwest riding a 42t 11-32 is plenty of range for gravel and most road. The 1x setup is great for CX racing because I don't have to think about shifting the front ring, and the clutched RD helps stop the chain from bouncing around, plus there's no FD to get gunked up with leaves/grass/mud.

A 13 speed 1x sounds awesome for that use, but for me the benefit would just be tighter spacing between gears. I don't really need any more range than what I have.

If I were buying a pure road bike, I'd definitely get a 2x. The benefits of 1x seem to be lost on a road bike. Even with 13 cogs, you'd still have bigger gaps between gears than a 2x, and need to run a very large cassette to match the range. In many cases, the weight of those large rear cassettes is heavier than the second ring and FD. I can see 1x for crit racing, only because the crit racing I'm familiar with is all big-ring-only anyway and you don't need a large range cassette. This would make for a fairly limited road bike though.

Rohloff has had a 14 gear IGH for years. Honetly, personally abvet 11 speed, I just plain want IGH or CVT.

Like I said, the specs look great, but when you dive into the gear math, there are problems for some riders, and I don't think gearing is something that a lot of people really think about...they just buy what the guy at the bike shop said was good, or what they see everyone else running.

Are you planning to use this groupset on your road bike for 50+ MPH gravel descents?

Someone please make it stop.

I have no plans to buy this groupset, period. A 2X system provides far more range. I ride smooth roads where chain drops are not an issue. I also have no need for disc brakes. I weigh 135 and get all the braking power I need with Campy rim brakes. My only interest is the potential future of 2X systems that are based on the 13 speed cassettes. Even if 12 speed, Campy's sprocket spacing on a 10-36 would be superior to the SRAM 10-36 that I have now. Campy puts as many 1T shifts as possible on a cassette and a couple of larger shifts on the lowest shifts, where they are more appropriate. I'd get my 14T sprocket back.