The idea of aero gravel is taking the broader industry by storm, but 3T was an early adopter of the concept back in 2016 already with the original Exploro gravel bike. The Italian company has since applied its aero recipe to its complete gravel range, including the terrain-trouncing Extrema Italia and road-inspired Primo². It has also completely revamped the Racemax Italia platform to keep it relevant. 3T claims version two of the Racemax Italia is up there with the segment's best gravel bikes and says, "it represents the most race-oriented gravel bike, built to perform at its best on fast and smooth surfaces."
This might sound like a lot of marketing hype but having spent a lot of time on the burly Extrema Italia and road-going 3T Strada Italia, the company might be onto a very fast gravel bike recipe here.
Racemax² Italia gravel bike specifications
Visually, the Racemax² Italia utilises an aero-inspired design recipe across the range - underscored by a new variable-width down tube, seat tube with wheel cut-out, new seatstays and a deep time trial bike-like headtube. These tweaks have been implemented to streamline airflow around the front of the bike, bottles and tool compartment.
The Racemax Italia's geometry is on the racier side with a stack and reach figure of 569mm and 377mm, respectively. The 71.5-degree head- and 74-degree seat tube angle are on par with racing gravel bikes in the category, while the 1,015mm wheelbase and 420mm chainstays should make for a rather playful and agile machine. Four sizes are available: small, medium, large and extra large.
As with most bikes that fall under the endurance and gravel bike category, in-frame storage has become an appealing system to help free your pockets from tools and other faff. The Racemax² Italia's Fidlock storage system gets a neoprene storage bag, as well as a locking plate mechanism that doubles up as a bottle cage mounting interface. That said, the frame can also be ordered without the storage compartment.
To improve visibility, there's a five-mode, 25-lumen integrated seatpost light. It can be removed wen necessary, particularly when mounting a rear bikepacking bag.
The quest for wider tyre clearance
In terms of tyre clearance, the Racemax² Italia hasn't pushed the boundaries here but rather looked to accommodate the segment trend of going wider. As such, the maximum clearance is rated at 51mm for 1x setups, and 48mm for configurations with a front mech in place - these numbers are on par with bikes such as the Cannondale SuperX and Ribble Ultra-Grit gravel bikes.
For the best aerodynamic edge possible, 3T recommends tyre widths of between 41 and 51mm - this comes down to alterations around head tube area, which is now slimmer and uses CeramicSpeed SLT bearings. There's also a fully redesigned fork that hides the brake caliper bolts under a specially designed turbulence-reducing aero cover.
Pricing and model range
There are six complete builds and one individual frameset available, outfitted in Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo groupsets. Five colourways including ambra (amber), brezza (blue), smeraldo (green), rame (orange) and Project X (army green) are speccable from purchase.
At US$ 6,499 / £ 4,425 / €4,917, the Racemax² Italia frameset comes complete with the 3T More stem and 3T Aeroghiaia Integrale LTD handlebar.
Complete builds get the same standard hardware as the frameset but differ by way of wheels and groupset configuration. The range starts with the US$10,999 / £7,303 / €8,114 Racemax² Italia Shimano GRX 2x12 complete with 3T Discus 45|40 LTD wheels.
There are two Racemax² Italia SRAM Force XPLR AXS builds. One without the Torno Wide Crank and 3T Discus 45|40 LTD wheels listed at US$11,699 / UK: £ 7,304 / €8,115 and one with the Torno Wide Crank at US$11,699 / £ 7,745 / €8,605.
The same applies to the two premium Racemax² Italia SRAM Red XPLR AXS bikes. Both get Zipp 303 SW XPLR wheels but are available with (US$14,399 / £9,368 / €10,409 ) or without (US$13,899 / £9,368 / €10,409) the Torno Wide Crank.
The only truly all-Italian build in the line-up is the Racemax² Italia Campagnolo Super Record Gravel. As expected, it comes in at a lofty US$14,599 / £9,662 / €10,736.
Listed prices should be taken with a pinch of tax-flavoured salt, as they were given, unusually, ex-VAT. For the UK market, that's a lofty 20% to consider. With taxes, for a UK bike, you're looking at £11,594.40 for the Super Record build.
You can find out more at 3T.bike.
