Originally Posted by
CampioneDeCasa
You're the first person I've heard from on the ekar gruppo. Was super interested in giving it a try, as the only modern campy drivetrain I've ridden is Veloce. I honestly can't see myself using much more than 13 gears, but if I'm going to drop a few thousand dollars on another bike, I want it to be able to do anything and everything, so it seems a bit safer to opt for a 2x just in case.
I've also noticed that it can be difficult to shift Sram while riding particularly bumpy terrain, so I've been leaning GRX without really giving the ekar a fair shot. I'm in no rush for a new whip, so I'll probably hope to find something to test ride before buying again.
I have had two SRAM Force groupsets and I am def. not impressed. On both bikes, the front derailleur shifting is poor (I'm being nice) in comparison to Shimano GRX and Ultegra. There seems to be an issue with my front derailleur chain stop (maybe it got bent) but the chain kept coming off while I was pedaling hard (this happens on both bikes). This has stopped me from looking at SRAM eTap groupsets.
So far, after nearly 200 miles, Ekar is working very well and the shifts are smooth and I don't miss electronic shifting, at all. The gear range is perfect for me (I usually ride 20-60 miles) on tarmac. I have another 1X gravel bike (Shimano GRX) but the 11-speed range (50/34F; 11-34R) doesn't work on the road for me; although, for gravel, it's fine, and that's what I use it for.