Sure, this new 3T Extrema is essentially the most succesful Exploro gravel bike that 3T has ever made. It’s obtained big 29er XC mountain bike tire clearance and huge tire aerodynamics for a quicker, smoother experience over the roughest terrain. It extra bikepacking-ready mounts to hold extra gear additional. It removes any exterior cables, whereas maintaining full cockpit adjustability. And it’s even obtained an excellent previous spherical 27.2mm seatpost for rider consolation personalization or gravel dropper posts.
I’ve solely been driving it for a brief time frame, however I already assume it’s my favourite 3T gravel bike because the Exploro’s debut!
3T Extrema Italia carbon gravel race bike with MTB clearance
Immediately 3T unveiled a brand new Extrema Italia Integrale journey gravel bike that from the surface seems nearly precisely like their subsequent gen Exploro RaceMax and packs in a lot of options of final yr’s Extremely. At first look, it seems like there’s probably not a lot new. And in reality, nearly all the pieces concerning the new Extrema has been seen on a 3T gravel bike earlier than.
However take a more in-depth look (which I did in out launch story, right here), and it’s clear that is essentially the most refined and most technically advance 3T gravel bike but!
And we thought the Exploro, RaceMax & Extremely had been nice off-road bikes…
It’s a much bigger & gnarlier gravel bike constructed to go quicker & additional racing the hardest off-road journey bikepacking races.
Positive, each 3T gravel bike since that first Exploro 7.5 years in the past was off-road prepared. And I rode everybody in between. Even that first one was extra succesful than a 90s mountain bike with 27.5″ x 2.1″ tires. But this one takes a much bigger soar to full dimension 29er wheels and clearance for as much as 2.25″ tires, placing it extra on par with a cross-country bike from say 2015.
However on the identical time, it appears to not lose the quick feeling you get with a correct gravel race bike. It’s nonetheless fairly light-weight. And with a variety mullet drivetrain with an Eagle 10-52T cassette paired to a 40T 1x chainring, it has all the highest & low-end gearing you might want for.
First Rides Reviewing the brand new 3T Extrema Italia
I’ve actually solely been driving this one for a few weeks. And sure, most of my rides have been within the snow.
And never on the bike’s inventory Continental Race King 700x50mm tires. However with room to spare, I popped in a set of supple new Maxxis Extreme 29 x 2.25″ mud tires for additional grip and further float. The Severes have a WAM of 55.3mm (vs. the 49mm WAM of the inventory Contis) and but weigh simply 90g extra per tire extra, with a way more aggressive tread to dig into gentle snow & muck. With such giant tire quantity, I’m capable of safely run CX-style pressures of round 22psi, delivering glorious snow grip.
It actually simply goes to point out how versatile this Extrema bike could be. I’ll completely be pleased with 45mm or 50mm gravel semi-slicks when arduous & dry driving situations return. That’s what I really like about gravel bikes, when achieved proper.
However is all the pieces achieved proper?
The bar match and lever place out of the field from 3T was lower than good, with the sharp aero again of the Aeroghiaia deal with bar digging into my hand on the tops. And the levers so poorly positioned and upturned (see above, earlier than the nice snow got here) that my lengthy fingers couldn’t really attain the brake levers from the drops with winter gloves on. Cue panic whereas going downhill on snowy singletrack!
However that is really the place the 3T Extrema IS good.
It’s totally built-in, positive. However I might nonetheless modify the separate bar angle to go well with my personally ultimate match. After which, unwrapping the bar to the brifters, I moved the levers right down to the correct place with loads of adjustment vary nonetheless attainable inside the inside cable routing. I dread having the identical difficulty on a 1-piece bar+stem combo cockpit, which I’m strongly against for gravel bikes!
So, is it really good?
Properly, in all probability not fairly. To this point there are just a few nits to select with the brand new 3T Extrema.
First off, I used to be actually thrilled once I first noticed 3T lastly ditch their horrible cable routing port instantly behind the stem. It was a sore topic in my thoughts since Exploro day 1. I mentioned with Gerard Vroomen a lot of time over time why he insisted on that routing (the massive ugly cable bends do lead to good mechanical shifting), however I by no means actually agreed that it was one of the best answer.
I like to have a small toptube bag to hold snacks, spares, and perhaps stash a cell phone or digital camera. And that routing ALWAYS obtained in my manner. Digital-only Italia fashions lastly swayed Gerard to go full inside routing.
Which implies you get undisturbed direct mount toptube bag routing on the brand new 3T Extrema.
Besides…
The bolts are within the incorrect place. #facepalm. Look intently at that Tailfin bag that’s mounted a pleasant few millimeters behind the stem. And also you’ll see that the highest tube bolt placement is off by about 32mm. The forward-most bolt on the bike completely splits the usual 64mm mount spacing on this Tailfin bag. My different favourite Apidura Racing High Tube Pack (which 3T says they primarily based their design on) has 2 bolt positions. However even then the 3T Extrema finally ends up with greater than 2cm of wasted area between the entrance of the bag and again of the stem.
So shut, however no cigar. Fortunately the strap-on Tailfin is tremendous safe, so I’m sticking with that. Perhaps I’ll toss these bolts and save just a few grams. đŸ˜‰
You may additionally discover that rubber-banded-on GPS mount. That’s as a result of the proprietary reverse faceplate bolts imply there are usually not direct out-front biking pc mounts for this bike but. 3T says they’re engaged on one (there’s a cutout within the faceplate to connect a future mount), however didn’t have a timeline to share with me but.
The separate 3T Extra Integrale stem and Aeroghiaia bar do go away nearly (however not fairly) 1cm of spherical 31.8mm clamping space on both facet of the stem. However the first 2 inventory Garmin & Wahoo mounts I attempted didn’t match, so I defaulted again to rubber bands.
Loads of tire clearance, although!
However with knobby 29er by 2.25″ mountain bike tires and loads of clearance for mud, snow, leaves & pine needles, I’m giving the 3T Extrema cockpit a move for now. I really feel like what makes this bike nice is rider consolation and management.
And quite a lot of that comes right down to having the ability to choose no matter tires go well with the situations.
I’ve usually been a fan of 40-45mm tires and restricted knobs for gravel driving. As a result of greater tires felt gradual. However after sustaining a wrist pressure damage from what I can solely suspect was driving gnarly terrain on a too-stiff gravel bike, I welcome a motorbike that feels quick even with 2.25″ mountain bike tires.
The 27.5 x 2.1″ Peyotes on the Extremely felt gradual. However the 29 x 2.25″ Severes on the Extrema really feel quick.
Bear in mind angle of assault and rollover? Or do you bear in mind how wider tire volumes on correct light-weight casings imply decrease air stress, and decrease rolling resistance? Bear in mind why all XC racers are on 29ers lately. And why even old style stalwart Nino Schurter is successful World Cups on 2.4″ tires lately when he used to race 50mm tubulars!
Yeah, large light-weight 29er XC tires are fairly nice.
How a lot does it really weigh?
So out of the field I did make just a few modifications to the 54cm mid-spec 3T Extrema Italia Integrale construct with SRAM Rival+GX Eagle AXS groupset and Zipp 303s wheels. And my full able to experience gravel journey bike weighed in at 10.09kg / 22.2lb with pedals.
+180g for greater Maxxis mud tires vs. the inventory Contis. +340 g for my Crankbrothers Sweet 3 pedals. +14g for the Garmin mount with rubber o-rings. +150g for Juice Lubes Tyre Juice tubeless sealant. -456g for the two butyl tubes I eliminated. +50g for the 2 carbon bottle cages that had been on the bike when it arrived.
With none of that, my inventory 54cm bike with out pedals would weigh 9.8kg. That’s simply about 1kg greater than the 2x mechanical RaceMax I examined three years in the past or the 1x AXS Extremely I examined final yr. (Each of which had been inside 40g of one another.) To this point, I’m completely satisfied to hold round that additional weight for the additional off-road and bikepacking functionality. We’ll see if I modify my tune after driving this bike for half a yr or so.
3T Extrema Early Driving Takeaways:
I’ve solely actually began to interrupt this bike in over the previous week or two. And I plan to experience it via the winter and into the spring earlier than I give the ultimate verdict.
However up to now, I’ve combined in an excellent vary of moist winter tarmac (thanks Ass Savers Win Wing!), slush-covered roads, snowy gravel roads, and forest singletrack both lined with a deep layer of leaves or recent fallen snow. And it’s all been a blast… as soon as I lastly bedded the brand-new brakes in!
No in a single day, loaded-down adventures but. However give it time.
And up ’til now, this one is my favourite.
Made in Italy. Tire clearance to suit something you might think about. Extra progressive geometry. Huge Eagle gearing vary, and equipment ratios that really work for common riders driving correct hills. Clear cable routing and adaptable wi-fi AXS group. And that WITH an totally adjustable cockpit. A correct spherical 27.2 seatpost. And at last, something cage mounts on the fork for riders in search of greater adventures.
Let the limitless gravel and various off-road adventures get excessive.
