Campagnolo Ekar: Shifters

The Campagnolo Ekar shifters is one of the few gravel specific shifters available in the market. The only other gravel specific shifters that I know of are the Shimano GRX RX815 (Di2) which I am using on the Cervelo Aspero, and the GRX RX810/600/400 mechanical road shifters.

This shifter is unique because it is a 13 speed shifter, with a front single setup. In other words, there is a shifting mechanism for 13 speeds in the right shifter, and no shifting mechanism at all in the left shifter. Both shifters use hydraulic braking for maximum braking performance.

Let's take a closer look, and compare it to the Shimano 105 R7020 mechanical shifter (which is similar to the GRX mechanical road shifters).

Shifters come with the hydraulic brake calipers as a set.

Simple packaging, but looks cheap for a Ekar grade groupset.

XTR Pedals: M9100 Race vs M9120 Trail

Here is another comparison post, where I will compare different XTR SPD pedals. Previously, I had compared two different generations of XTR Trail pedals, PD-M9020 vs the newer PD-M9120. This time, I will compare two pedals from the same generation, but of different types.

There are two types of XTR SPD pedals, the Race type and the Trail type. The main difference is the presence of a pedal cage around the SPD mechanism on the Trail type pedal. From what I understand, the pedal cage is to help support the shoe and the foot in case the rider did not clip in successfully, or if the rider is using a non-SPD shoe for short or casual riding.

On the Specialized Aethos, I installed the Race type XTR PD-M9100 SPD pedal, which is a minimalist SPD pedal with no pedal cage. With that information available, I can do a detailed comparison between the Race type (PD-M9100) and the Trail type (PD-M9120).

XTR level packaging! The Trail pedal needs a bigger box due to the larger pedal size.

Trail PD-M9120 vs Race PD-M9100. Make sure you get the correct type for your usage.

PD-M9120 Trail pedals on the left, PD-M9100 Race pedals on the right.

SRAM Rival eTap AXS Road Shifter and Brake Caliper

For those who have not used SRAM road components before, here is a brief introduction. At the very top level, there is SRAM Red, followed by Force and then Rival. All 3 of these groupsets already have full wireless shifting, with no wires required anywhere.

Each of the shifters has its own coin battery, while the front and rear derailleur has a battery attached to each of them. Although it is a bit more troublesome to charge or replace many different batteries, it is super easy to setup. I liked how easy it was for me to setup the SRAM Force AXS rear derailleur and SRAM GX AXS shifter on the Fnhon DB12 folding bike.

I recently had the chance to study the SRAM Rival eTAP AXS road shifters and hydraulic brake caliper close up. Check out the detailed photos below to learn more about it!

The Rival shifters and brakes (right side only) comes in a HUGE box!

Specialized Aethos: Outdoor Pictures

With all the planned modifications completed on the Specialized Aethos, this post will show the new bike at various outdoor locations. The special paint job on the frame and fork looks outstanding in the sun!

Metallic flakes in this champagne coloured paint is awesome. Looks just as good as the paint job on the Cervelo Aspero.

Shimmers beautifully under sunlight.

With the Dura-Ace C36 wheelset, at the top of Lorong Sesuai. Climbs really well!

Specialized Aethos: Weight of Accessories and Tool Kit

Although the Specialized Aethos is a very lightweight road bike, the reality is that some accessories need to be added to the bike in order to make it more practical. 

Bottle cages and lights are necessary, as well as some simple tools to fix a puncture. You can always leave out some of these items, but there is a risk that you might get stranded if you can't fix a puncture yourself.

In this post, the weight of the bike accessories will be measured, to see how much weight is added onto a bare bicycle.

Specialized Zee Cage II side load bottle cage. A bit heavier as it is made of plastic instead of carbon fibre.

Generic carbon fibre bottle cage. Reason I got this is due to the gap between the two screw holes that allows an Airtag holder to be slotted in between.

Topeak Saw Guide and Park Tool Hack Saw

Here is a tool that I don't use often, but good to have when I actually need it. It is a saw guide and a hack saw for cutting handlebars, seat posts or steerer tubes. In fact, it can be used to cut any cylindrical material as well.

Previously I have always borrowed these tools when I needed them, but I decided to get one set for myself, when I started to build the Specialized S-Works Aethos.

The saw guide requires a bench vise to hold it in place, and I did not have one previously. Now, with my own workbench and bench vise, I can use a saw guide at home.

There are different brands of saw guides, but I eventually decided to get this Topeak Saw Guide, as it has a feature that other models do not have.

It has an interchangeable saw guide spacer, which is used to control the gap of the saw guide. This is necessary because of different materials to be cut. For aluminium or steel, a normal flat saw blade is used. However, for cutting carbon, a special wider saw blade is needed. This means a wider gap is required to guide the blade properly.

Topeak Threadless Saw Guide. The threadless probably refers to threadless steerer tubes, instead of the old threaded type.

Specialized Aethos: XTR M9100 SPD Pedals

I have been using SPD pedals with cage for a long time, ever since my first SPD pedal PD-A530. Based on what I understand, the pedal cage around the outer perimeter of the pedal helps to keep the foot on the pedal, when you are not clipped in securely yet. If there is no pedal cage, there is only a small contact area on the pedal, which may allow your foot to slip if you missed clipping in.

Another reason for having a pedal cage is to allow pedaling when not using SPD shoes, as the wider platform allows sufficient grip even when not clipped in.

Then, I had the chance to test the Garmin Rally XC200 power meter SPD pedals. These pedals do not have a pedal cage.

During that time, I realized that despite the absence of the pedal cage, my foot did not slip off the pedal. Also, from my observation, the front and rear of the pedal cage actually does not touch the shoe at all. 

My conclusion was that if I only plan to ride the bike using SPD cycling shoes, the pedal cage is unnecessary as it does not provide any additional support or grip. I have used so many different XTR and Deore XT trail pedals prior to this.

The Specialized Aethos is such a bike, where I will likely ride the bike only with SPD shoes and with full cycling attire. Therefore, I decided to get a MTB SPD pedal without the pedal cage in order to minimize the weight of the bike. One of the lightest one that I can find is the XTR PD-M9100, while the Trail version is PD-M9120.

PD-M9120 Trail pedals on the left, M9100 Race spec on the right.

XTR PD-M9100 pedals with no pedal cage!

Specialized Aethos: Dura-Ace C50 vs C36 Wheelset

Although the Specialized Aethos build has been completed as shown in the previous post, I am still looking for areas where it can be optimized. One of that was the wheelset that is on this bike.

For this Aethos, the priority was on building a lightweight bike, which is why I chose the Dura-Ace C36 wheelset. Using a lower profile carbon wheelset will save some weight over a higher profile wheelset.

I also have the Dura-Ace C50 wheelset which is used on the Focus Paralane all-weather commuting road bike.

Specialized Aethos with C36 wheelset on top, Focus Paralane with the C50 wheelset below.

Specialized Aethos: Assembly Part 3

Finally, the Specialized Aethos has been completed! I started from the bare frame and fork, and assembled every component myself. The assembly was started with Part 1 and Part 2, and Part 3 will show the completed bike.

This bike is equipped with the full Dura-Ace Di2 12 speed groupset, except for the crankset which is the older R9100 11 speed version.

Final part of the assembly is to install the bar tape. Shown here is the PRO Sport Control bar tape, which weighs about 70 grams per pair.

Exposed hydraulic hose routing, but no Di2 wires. I prefer this to routing the hoses internally through the headset.

Specialized Aethos: Assembly Part 2 with Dura-Ace Di2 12 Speed Components

With the bottom bracket issue settled, now I can continue to assemble the Specialized Aethos. For the components, I am mostly using the Dura-Ace R9270 components which were previously installed on the Focus Paralane. I decided to use the Dura-Ace components on this Aethos, while I will install a new set of Ultegra 12 speed components on the Focus Paralane instead.

Dura-Ace Di2 RD-R9250 12 speed rear derailleur.