Saturday, March 25, 2023

Campagnolo Ekar: Bottom Bracket and Chain

As shown in the previous post about the Campagnolo Ekar crankset, the unique construction means that it will only be compatible to a Campagnolo bottom bracket. These are one of the many unique features of this Campagnolo Ekar gravel groupset.

A Campagnolo bottom bracket is needed to match the Ekar crankset. A standard BSA threaded bottom bracket is chosen to match the bike frame.

At first glance this bottom bracket looks the same as other outboard bottom brackets.

However, there are no bearings inside the adapters! The bearings are press fitted onto the crankset spindle instead.

Without the bearings, this bottom bracket weighs just 57 grams. In theory this bottom bracket can last forever since there are no bearings to wear out.

Other than the special Campagnolo bottom bracket, the chain is also unique. As a 13 speed groupset, it requires a super narrow 13 speed chain, which only Campagnolo Ekar uses.

Campagnolo Ekar 13 speed chain

Chain comes sealed inside a dirty looking plastic bag, and includes two sets of quick links. Good that there is an extra quick link as I think it would be hard to find a replacement.

Chain weighs 245 grams uncut, which is pretty standard.

As the pioneering 13 speed groupset, there are many proprietary components that cannot be found elsewhere. Therefore, it is mandatory to get the components as a complete groupset, to avoid incompatibility problems.

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