by Campagnolo has launched a new version of the Ekar gravel groupset today. The new groupset which is named Ekar GT will sit alongside the existing Ekar groupset. The GT stands for Gran Turismo, Italian for grand tour, and is most commonly used in automotive circles when describing long-distance driving. Campagnolo says here the suffix stands for cyclists who have adopted a ‘don’t hold back’ motto.
Ekar, Campagnolo’s dedicated gravel groupset launched back in 2020 as a mechanical, carbon fibre, 1×13 speed offering. Ekar GT is also a mechanical 1×13 groupset although this new version has received some changes which are outlined below and dropped the carbon chainset. The last Campagnolo groupset launch we covered was for the top-tier Super Record WRL wireless groupset.
Campagnolo has also launched a new wheelset alongside the groupset; the Zonda GT wheels. The Zonda model name has featured in Campagnolo product ranges for many years and the brand currently offers a Zonda road model. The Zonda GT appears to be a wheelset that aims to provide road and gravel riding capabilities.
So what’s changed? From the information we have so far, Ekar GT has received refinement in certain areas, a slightly wider choice of gear ratios, swapped the carbon fibre chainset for aluminium, and tweaked the shifter and rear derailleur design. Quoted RRP is said to be $1,599 or Є1,490, not a million miles away from the carbon Ekar groupset retail price.
The new groupset weighs a claimed 2.7 kilos though we don’t know with what drivetrain spec choices. We have also asked Campagnolo for individual component weights and pricing.
Gearing options and a new chainset
To kick off, Ekar GT has received some gearing changes, receiving a new, smaller 36T chainring option at the front, and a new 10-44T cassette option at the rear. This means the groupset as a whole offers lower gearing than the carbon offering.
Four cassette options are on offer. These are 9-36T, 9-42T, 10-44T and 10-48T. There will be five chainring options available, 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44. The 36-tooth ring is the newcomer here, the smallest chainring option for carbon Ekar currently is a 38T. So there is a new 36T ring in town, and the brand also says it is easy to change chainrings without needing to dismantle the crankset.
It is assumed, though yet to be confirmed by Campagnolo, that the new components are compatible with the current Ekar groupset, meaning that if you already have the carbon offering you can use the 36t chainring and the new cassette options.
Cassette-wise, the addition of a 10-48 tooth cassette is new, the largest current Ekar cassette is a 10-44T model. The 10-48 cassette uses individual sprockets apart from the largest five sprockets which are a one-piece unit.
Ekar GT also gets a new aluminium chainset which still uses a four-bolt chainring mounting pattern and Ultra Torque bottom bracket platform. Q – Factor has been widened to 151mm which Campagnolo says will provide a comfortable and efficient pedalling style, regardless of rider height. The new crankset is available in 170, 172.5 and 175mm lengths. The existing Ekar offers a 165mm crank length as well, a potential issue if riders need 165mm cranks.
New shifter ergonomics and a rear mech update
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The Ekar GT Ergopower shifters have a redesigned palm area for better grip and control according to Campagnolo. The shifter hood rubber has a different finish and looks to use a pattern of small square cutouts. The outside of each of the hoods also features a new small white Campagnolo winged wheel logo.
The Ekar GT shifter button itself looks to be pretty much the same as the existing Ekar and the levers still have built-in reach adjust. It’s difficult to tell from the press images at this point but the shifter may also not be quite as ‘tall’ as the existing Ekar ones.
The new rear derailleur doesn’t look massively different from the current Ekar unit but there are a couple of differences. Visually the new unit receives the same white winged wheel logo that the shifters have but loses the white ‘Campagnolo’ wordmark that features on the front of the Ekar unit in favour of a black one.
The Ekar GT derailleur has a larger pulley wheel with bigger cutouts in the body which are there to make cleaning easier according to the brand, which also claims all materials have been chosen for their strength and to improve durability and maintenance. The same derailleur cage can be used for any cassette size and the mech also features a new clutch mechanism to help with chain retention over rougher terrain.
The new Zonda GT Wheelset
Campagnolo has also launched the new Zonda GT wheelset in tandem with Ekar GT. The new, disc only, aluminium wheelset uses Campagnolo’s G3 spoke pattern, and features a 23mm internal width, 29mm rim depth and N3W freehub. The wheels can be set up with a tube or tubeless using what Campagnolo calls its 2-way fit technology which means tubeless tape isn’t needed.
The wheels use cup and cone bearings like other wheels in the Campagnolo range and feature aluminium self-lock spoke nipples. N3W, HG and XDR freehub bodies are available.
The Zonda GT wheels weigh a claimed 1690 grams per pair and carry an RRP of $749 / €690
