Campagnolo goes 13-speed with Ekar gravel groupset

Italian brand becomes first of the ‘big three’ to break into 13-speed with the lightest gravel groupset to date, writes Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

- Michelle Arthurs-Brenna

Campagnolo has launched its first gravel-specific groupset, and in the process it’s added an extra cog to its cassette.

As well as having an extra gear, the mechanical-only Ekar groupset is the lightest gravel option on the market – shaving 86 grams off its nearest competitor, SRAM Force 1x11.

There’s only one spec level, with four available chainring sizes – 38t, 40t, 42t and 44t. The 13-speed cassette features a new nine-tooth sprocket, enabling a wider range with limited jumps. The lightest configuration – with a 9-36 cassette – comes in at 2,385g, whilst SRAM Force 1x with a 10-42 cassette comes in at 2,471g

Price-wise Ekar is pitched below Chorus, with a full groupset retailing at £1,449

First foray

Before setting out on the design process, Campagnolo says it interviewed 4,500 gravel riders as well as mechanics and brands to determine what they considered most important.

Of course the geographical location and motivations of those riders will have impacted the results – but the requirements seem pretty sensible to us: durability, braking control, chain stability, gear range and the ability to run 1x – in that order.

Interestingly, weight didn’t feature in the top five – but Campagnolo is still proud of its achievements there. It also stated its intention to make the groupset “financially accessible to younger riders and OEM brands expanding their gravel categories.”

Ekar Ergopower levers