3T rounds out their made-in-Italy bike line-up with an all-new Strada Italia highway bike that refines aero efficiency for, as soon as once more, wider tires. The Strada has at all times been a novel aero highway race bike, embracing wider-than-normal tires. And now it may match as much as 35mm slicks. As a result of in the end, that wider rubber presents decrease rolling resistance, higher grip, improved management, and even further consolation. 3T solely had to determine find out how to reshape the bike to make it extra aerodynamic, too.
3T Strada Italia huge tire aero carbon highway bike, made-in-Italy
That is just about all the pieces that made the Strada particular, simply with even larger tires and higher aerodynamics. Now, on high of that, it hits a brand new degree of light-weight efficiency and responsive trip, because of its distinctive robo-fiber-wound, resin-transfer-molded carbon building, fabricated fully in 3T’s HQ in northern Italy.
The 3T Strada has been pushing the highway bike envelope since its wide-tire 1x-only debut all-the-way again in 2017. It snuck 1x drivetrains into the professional peloton already that yr. And we examined and dug that 1x setup. However the world wasn’t fairly prepared. So 3T added a 2x possibility by 2018. In actual fact, the biking world nonetheless isn’t fairly prepared on the high of highway using & racing. So this newest high-end highway bike could be run as a 1x or 2x, too. Some new tech that the biking business has embraced although is totally hidden built-in cable routing, which the Strada Integrale added just a little over one yr in the past.
Now all of that evolves one step additional with this newest made-in-Italy Strada Italia version.
What’s new?
The least apparent however most essential improve for the brand new 3T Strada Italia highway bike is 35mm WAM (actual Width As Measured) tire clearance. Designed for any tire in the actual 30-35mm width vary. That’s the guts of the quicker rolling, improved grip, and additional consolation claims that 3T makes for his or her new highway bike.
Simply to be clear, 3R specs this bike with 700x32c Conti GP5000S tires, which measure out to round 34mm on their very own Discus wheels. Nowadays it’s more durable to make certain precisely how huge a tire will sit on varied huge rims, so it’s good that 3T speaks clearly about their WAM tire clearance.
Now to ensure that wider tire doesn’t simply sluggish you down with extra wind resistance, 3T fully redeveloped the aero character of this new Strada Italia.
The bike was aero-optimized in CFD, first in 2D tubing profiles, then in 3D to make all these airflow enhancements over the Strada Integrale which is made-in Asia. 3T doesn’t actually dwell on the numbers (we requested), however they do guarantee that the brand new bike is quicker that the outdated model, even with the broader frontal space of those fats tires. 3T defined that 0° Yaw drag discount was a primary focus.
Improved Aerodynamic Frontal Reshaping
The body sticks with the identical 46mm throughout slender headtube as earlier than, simply barely bulged out on the high and backside to suit their distinctive MiniMax bearings that permit for the complete 1.5″ to 1.125″ tapered carbon steerer within the area that common bearings for a 1.25″ tapered setup would match. These bearings measure simply 42 & 47mm exterior, with the carbon body bulged solely to 48 & 53mm to suit them.
The fork crown and legs are a shade wider to suit the larger tire up entrance. However the large change for wind hitting the entrance of the bike, is the now massively huge and pointed decrease downtube part. Measuring a whopping 73mm throughout, it’s as large as on 3T’s newest Italia version gravel bikes. A little bit of that appears to be the results of the huge tires right here not being all that totally different than quick gravel tires.
But the actual cause is to make the body wider than your water bottle. Each highway bicycle owner rides with a water bottle, so 3T designed their new downtubes to fully defend your common bottle. It successfully creates an airfoil form with the body being the forefront and the bottle being the trailing edge. 3T says this alone dramatically lowered drag on the bike with a bottle within the cage (vs. the earlier Strada that widened to about 2/3 of the bottle width), fully making up for the broader tire frontal space.
Deeper Aero Shapes in Profile
Additional again on the bike, the bent seattube now grows to 29mm huge to clean air onto the rear wheel. And the seatstays and their dropped high all get smoother aero shaping.
But it surely’s that huge downtube that may apparently make the brand new 3T Strada Italia quicker into the wind.
From the facet, the general silhouette of the brand new 3T Strada Italia appears fairly acquainted. However most tubes are deeper, now that the UCI threw the three:1 rule out the window. My take a look at bike’s headtube is now 130mm deep. The seattube is 56mm deep. And the brand new proprietary truncated aero seatpost is 50mm deep. Even the newly teardrop seatstays are 25mm deep. Solely the curved decrease seattube isn’t deeper, as a result of it successfully will get its depth mixed with the tire and rim.
First Rides: Stiffer, Extra Reactive Body
Whereas fats tire and aerodynamic advantages are nice. It’s essential to not ignore the advantages of 3T’s made-in-Italy filament-wound resin switch molding carbon building that give the brand new bike its Strada Italia identify. This semi-automated manufacturing course of makes use of programmed robots to wind steady dry carbon fibers (not standard reduce items of pre-preg) round mandrels which might be then mixed and positioned into molds by hand.
The result’s extra correct fiber placement, longer steady fibers, and solely the precise quantity of resin is injected into the mould on the final step. You get lighter and stiffer frames, that in the end have a trip character that feels prefer it higher damps vibrations. It’s a tough attribute to quantify.
However each 3T Italia body that I’ve ridden (RaceMax, Extrema, and now Strada), feels tangibly stiffer and one way or the other extra responsive than their conventionally made variations. But on the finish of the trip, I don’t really feel like that further stiffness resulted in a harsher trip. 3T describes the Italia bikes’ trip as extra reactive. The dialogue of reactivity and stiffness-to-compliance is imprecise. However there’s an enchancment right here in trip high quality you could actually really feel.
On paper, 3T says the variations in stiffness and luxury are small. Each the common Strada Integral made in Asia and this Strada Italia made in Italy are designed for a similar efficiency traits. This one is outwardly incrementally stiffer, but it surely’s not formally extra comfy as a body. However with larger tires at decrease pressures, there’s much more consolation gained.
And Lighter, too
Weight reduction is tangible although. This new 3T Strada Italia formally claims a 950g body weight (54cm unpainted) and 350g fork (additionally unpainted). That’s 55g lighter than they are saying for a similar measurement Strada Due Integrale. It’s moderately gentle for an aero bike, however not that gentle in comparison with most of the newest efficiency highway bikes. Full bike weight isn’t ultralight both, however you must bear in mind how huge these wheels & tires actually are.
My full 54cm 3T Strada Italia Mission X with Pressure 2x weighs 7.9kg. Or a full 8.21kg able to trip with 280g pedals, a single bottle cage, and tires arrange tubeless. It’s no superlight, however certain feels quick out on the highway.
Up to date Geometry
The brand new Strada Italia additionally options barely up to date geometry, and solely 4 sizes 51-58cm (for now.) However dealing with doesn’t actually change with the identical confirmed head & seat tube angles. It’s principally about barely reducing the BB peak to offset the bigger diameter tires. Then, adjusting headtube lengths, total Stack heights, and barely longer Attain to provide extra constant sizing steps and aggressive positions on the bike which might be achievable by most riders.
Of observe (and significance to me who worries about this stuff), there’s not a ton of saddle peak adjustability inside that brief straight part of seattube. However every bike comes with a size-specific seatpost size to hit very best seating heights that 3T communicated clearly. And 3T seller retailers will reduce your proprietary seatpost to the proper size, then you definitely nonetheless have round 2-3cm of adjustment. And in the end there are longer posts accessible when you want a much less standard match.
Tech particulars
- Absolutely-internal cable routing by way of proprietary 3T MiniMax Integrale bearings and the D-shaped steerer
- Digital shifting solely
- 1x (min 36T, max 62T) or 2x (min 45/29, max 54/40 or extra with XL hanger) compatibility
- BB386EVO press-fit backside bracket shell with threaded-together Token Ninja BB
- 160mm flat mount disc brakes
- Syntace X-12 12mm thru-axles
- UDH common derailleur hanger
- proprietary Strada Italia seatpost with Ritchey 1-bolt head for all rails
2024 3T Strada Italia – Pricing, choices & availability
The newly made-in-Italy 3T Strada Italia huge tire aero highway bike is available in a number of full bike builds, and frameset choices. Framesets in Verde inexperienced, Bianco white, or Rosso crimson paint displaying off the carbon weave within the 3T emblem begin at $660 / 6000€ together with the seatpost, 3T Extra Integrale Stem & 3T Aeroflux LTD handlebar. Able to Paint framesets with out a topcoat promote for $7000 / 6300€, and the shiny uncooked carbon Mission X completed framesets promote for $7200 / 6500€.
Full bikes begin at $8700 / 7900€ in customary colours with a Rival AXS 2×12 construct and Zipp 303S wheels.
Or $10,200 / 9200€ in customary colours with Ultegra Di2 2×12 and 3T Discus 45I32 LTD wheels.
Then, $10,600 / 9200€ for Pressure AXS 2×12 and the 3T Discus 45I32 LTD wheels.
The highest-tier 3T Strada Italia Mission X body constructed up with Pressure AXS 2×12 and Discus 45I32 LTD wheels like I’m testing sells for $11,600 / 10,500€.
Get yours right now. I’ll be using this yet one more all through spring and into summer time to see the way it handles highway and all-road using.
For individuals who understand these costs are tremendous excessive… The earlier, Asian-made Strada 2x Integrale will carry over for extra inexpensive full highway bike builds too.