This week for our Fast Bike Friday feature we’re back on the gravel with the stunning Pinarello Grevil Ekar from premium Italian brand Pinarello; but leave your bike-packing luggage and camping mug at home, this gravel bike is built to be super-fast and fun, being more focused on aerodynamics and speedy agility thanks to its aero-angles and large volume 650B wheel and tyre configuration.
Before we go any further it’s also important to refer to the ‘Ekar’ portion of this Pinarello’s model name as it really is the headliner of this Fast Bike Friday feature; yes, instead of going with the more typically spec’d SRAM and Shimano gravel-specific groupsets the famous Italian brand has spec’d the Grevil with Campagnolo’s all-new Ekar 13-speed gravel-specific groupset. It’s not that long ago that the road cycling fraternity would baulk at an Italian road bike being fitted with anything other than an Italian Campagnolo groupset and it was deemed as sacrilege to fit Shimano or SRAM to such an Italian masterpiece. Things have moved on significantly these days and now we don’t even consider it; think for example of Team Ineos running Shimano Dura Ace groupsets on their Pinarello Dogma F road bikes. We’ve strayed off topic a little here, but to put it in a nutshell it’s kind of nice to still see an Italian bike fitted with an Italian groupset.
The Grevil Ekar is an Italian masterpiece from Pinarello boasting Campagnolo’s new 13-speed gravel-specific groupset.
Initially the Grevil takes you by surprise; for such an authentic Italian brand with a rich road racing heritage it’s somewhat unexpected to see such a radically different approach to gravel bike design from Pinarello. This super-fast carbon fibre gravel bike appears to include ALL the angles, with some unique tube profiles featuring subtle curves that contrast with more angular elements. Some of these frame design-features have been lifted directly from their road-going Dogma models and some are unique to the Grevil, but make no mistake, this is no gimmick; each tube profile has been carefully developed to help deliver just the right mix of comfort, compliance, stiffness and pedaling efficiency.
The Grevil frameset made from Pinarello TorayCa T700 UD carbon and features some distinctive tube profiles.
So it’s clear to see from the Grevil’s silhouette that there’s plenty of design elements that Pinarello have taken from their Dogma road bike but they’ve tuned the Grevil’s frame and fork to perform more efficiently off-road. Pinarello’s designers have adjusted the head angle to be a degree and a half slacker and the fork offset has been modified too helping to improve the Grevil’s stability on unpredictable terrain. The seat angle is 72.5 degrees, which again is slacker than what you would find on an equivalent road bike and this helps to reduce shocks through to the saddle.
Those distinctive angles aren’t just for show; they blend aerodynamic efficiency with off-road-friendly compliance.
The Pinarello Grevil’s livery makes it clear from the start, this is a super-fast gravel bike designed to be ridden ‘full gas everywhere’.
Pinarello have cleverly engineered a frame that boasts stiffness in key areas for pedaling efficiency and compliance where enhanced comfort is required.
The Pinarello Grevil takes another well-proven design principle that Pinarello have used on their much-sought-after road bikes; the rear of the Grevil is asymmetrical, following the understanding that pedalling and power-input is not exactly the same through both sides of the frame thanks to the right-hand drive-side of the bike accommodating the Campagnolo drivetrain and thus higher forces as the chain pulls on the right side. You’ll quickly spot this at the junction between the chainstays and bottom bracket as well as between the top of the seatstays and the top of the seat tube.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you; the seatstays and chainstays are asymmetric to better cope with the additional forces put through the drive-side of the bike.
The Grevil’s carbon seat post blends seamlessly with the rest of the frame, with the seat clamp bolt stowed out of sight where the seat tube and top tube meet.
The chainstay is dropped on the drive-side to accommodate the chainring and also features a flattened portion for added compliance.
There’s plenty of tyre clearance incorporated into the Grevil frame to allow for nice wide gravel tyres.
Pinarello’s famous Onda fork is already recognised for its stability and shock reduction, this gravel-specific version takes compliance to the next level.
Fast gravel riding and racing means aerodynamics is a legit concern, Pinarello’s Fork Flap design cheats the wind while providing extra protection for the disc brake caliper.
So let’s focus in on that Campagnolo Ekar groupset; first off it looks great! With just the right amount of visual similarities to their road-going groupsets it quickly stands out as a drivetrain from the Iconic Italian brand. That carbon fibre single-ring chainset quickly catches the eye and despite the gritty, utilitarian nature of gravel biking Campagnolo have managed to retain a more refined, classic look for Ekar. Campagnolo have committed 100% to a one-by setup (a single chainring on the front combined with a wide ratio cassette on the rear), there’s no double chainring chainset option like you’ll find from Shimano GRX for example.
Campagnolo’s Ekar gravel-specific groupset is a radical departure for the Italian brand.
This approach has its advantages including greater simplicity and mechanical efficiency as well as reduced weight and less possibility of clogging up with mud. Sometimes the downside of just such an approach is the difficulty to provide all the gear ratios you need; Campagnolo’s answer to this is in their versatile rear cassette. Their wide ratio 13-speed cassette almost features two cassettes in one – a close ratio road-style cassette which includes a tiny 9-tooth cog and a larger more gravel/mtb focused cassette that tops out with a large 42T cog to provide a nice low climbing gear.
That unique 13-speed cassette means Campagnolo have you covered for every imaginable riding scenario.
This 9-42T cassette needs a 13-speed-specific chain to fit the smaller gaps between each cog.
This 13-speed block almost features two cassettes in one – a close ratio road-style one and a more gravel/mtb focused one with bigger gaps between ratios.
To accommodate the huge range of movement across the 13-speed cassette the Ekar rear derailleur mirrors how both the SRAM and Shimano Gravel/MTB rear derailleur equivalents work, with Campagnolo’s 2D parallelogram trajectory giving a nice horizontal movement as the chain moves up and down the cassette. The Ekar rear derailleur includes a one-way clutch in the pulley cage pivot and there’s a locking mechanism in the derailleur’s main pivot to make removal and fitting of the rear wheel easier too.
The Ekar rear derailleur features a clutch to keep your chain secure, mirroring a feature seen on the SRAM and Shimano equivalents.
Campagnolo’s ‘2D parallelogram trajectory’ basically means movement is more horizontal as the derailleur moves up and down the cassette.
The Ekar’s single-ring carbon chainset takes its cues from some of its road groupset cousins and looks great.
The whole Ekar drivetrain has been designed around the single-ring principle; there’s no double-ring option.
Acknowledging that catching your pedals on rocks is a possibility, Campagnolo have included removeable protection on the carbon crank ends.
Campagnolo have done a good job of squeezing in the workings of the hydraulic brakes and mechanical gears into a compact shift/brake lever.
The Ekar gear shifter and hydraulic brake units look very similar to their Campagnolo road groupset equivalents at first glance, however there are some subtle differences which reflect their gravel-focused duties. First off and rather inevitably given the one-by drivetrain setup the left hand unit has been stripped of any gear changing duties with a hydraulic-brake-only configuration. Meanwhile the right hand unit which houses the mechanical gear shifter workings as well as the hydraulic brake, features one distinct difference from their road-going cousins. The inboard shift paddle (for gear shifts down the rear cassette) is c-shaped to allow for better feel and greater security off-road providing an easier, more definite gear shift regardless of whether you’re riding in the drops or on the hoods.
Compared with Campagnolo’s road-going version there’s an all-new c-shaped update to the gear shift lever which better suits shifting off-road.
The Ekar shifter/brake levers are comfortable on the hoods, with that slightly taller shape feeling more secure when you’re riding off-road.
The neat Ekar flat-mount hydraulic brake calipers are identical front and rear.
The Ekar groupset disc brake rotors are made from 1.85mm-thick stainless steel.
The Pinarello Grevil Onda Fork includes its distinctive aero ‘Fork Flap’ portion.
This particular Ekar-equipped Pinarello Grevil gravel bike comes spec’d with a pair of 650B Fulcrum Rapid Red 5 DB wheels.
As we’ve touched on numerous times during the past year, there’s an ever-growing, ever-evolving gravel biking scene which continues to diversify as more and more cyclists switch over to gravel from road cycling, mountain biking, touring, bike packing and more. We’ve reviewed steel gravel bikes that are designed primarily for utilitarian load-carrying duties, alloy bikes that feature far more relaxed angles and are designed to be more lively and playful giving a similar feel to a fully-rigid MTB and then there’s plenty of gravel bikes out there that are focused solely on performance and speed, featuring aerodynamic carbon fibre frames and fast carbon 700c wheels.
The 650B wheel size concept is simple – a smaller diameter rim fitted with a larger-volume tyre adds more comfort and control, while overall wheel and tyre diameter almost exactly matches a 700c wheelset.
It’s fair to say that the Pinarello Grevil bucks this trend somewhat; instead of being clearly identified as one of those distinct gavel bike types the Grevil is a little more nuanced. While it sports an aero carbon frame and fairly conservative angles for a faster more ‘roadie gravel’ feel they’ve also fitted the Grevil with a pair of 650B wheels sporting fatter 47C wide tyres giving the bike a greater capacity for control and comfort when the bike is pointed off-road. This may come as a bit of a surprise to some, especially given Pinarello’s rich road racing history, however with the semi-slick Vittoria Terreno Zero tyres fitted to those 650B wheels the combined outer diameter is very close to a conventional 700c road wheel and tyre combination meaning that when you’re zipping along on the smooth tarmac the Grevil feels like a fast road bike; it isn’t until you take the bike off-road that the extra tyre volume comes into play, providing extra cushioning and greater control thanks to a wider footprint.
Vittoria Terreno Zero Graphene 2.0 650B x 47C are fast-rolling on smoother roads but provide ample grip on loose gravel.
Tubeless ready, the Vittoria Terreno tyres fitted onto the wide Rapid Red 5 DB 650B rims will help prevent pinch flats.
This is one fast, aerodynamic gravel bike; the completely smooth centre portion of the Vittoria tyres will help you hold your speed.
The Pinarello Grevil Ekar provides a magic mix of performance and agility, with all of its rich racing heritage gained from decades of winning on the road informing the ride quality and flat-out-speed of the frameset. That distinctive silhouette with all its curves, angles and asymmetric features reflects the development originally seen on the Pinarello Dogma road bike but takes things further in a quest for comfort and compliance off-road. There’s some aerodynamic tube profiling too hinting at how the Grevil has been designed to perform, giving you an aero-advantage over long distances. The curve ball is those 650B wheels; initially they seem too much of a contrast with the rest of this super-fast gravel bike’s performance identity, however as we’ve already discussed, with those fat Vittoria tyres and their slick central channel they’ll be super-fast on the road and comfortable and playful when you venture off-road. Finally there’s that Campagnolo Ekar groupset – marking the Italian component maker’s entry into gravel biking; it’s a brilliantly thought out groupset with all the elegance of their road-going equivalents combined with the simplicity and efficiency required to perform consistently in gritty, gravel riding scenarios.
The Pinarello Grevil magically blends performance and agility thanks to that stiff, aero-efficient frame and large-volume 650B tyres.
Pinarello Grevil Ekar RRP £4,200.00 is available in-store and online now.
Full Specification:
- Frame: Pinarello TorayCa T700 UD, Internal cable routing, Italian BB, UCI Approved
- Fork: Pinarello Onda with Fork Flap
- Shifters: Campagnolo Ekar Ergopower 13-Speed
- Rear Derailleur: Ekar 13-Speed
- Cassette : Ekar 13-Speed 9/42T
- Chainset: Ekar Carbon 40T
- Brakes: Ekar Hydraulic
- Rotors: Ekar 140mm F /140mm R
- Wheelset: Fulcrum Rapid Red 5 DB 650B
- Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Zero Graphene 2.0 650B x 47C
- Stem: Most Tiger Aluminium
- Handlebar: Most Jaguar Gravel
- Seat Post: Pinarello Carbon Aero Curved UD
- Saddle: Most Lynx Manganese
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by James Vincent
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