One gravel bike to rule them all?
3T’s Extrema Italia combines elements of gravel and mountain bike design – and is intended to take on the chunkiest gravel you can find, with clearance for massive 57mm tyres.
The Italian brand says the Extrema Italia is built for “the toughest race courses and fast adventures”.
In keeping with the brand’s unique design language, the Extrema Italia’s frameset is aerodynamically optimised, while sporting mountain bike components including a SRAM Eagle Transmission drivetrain and a RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper post.
It’s refreshingly different from most gravel bikes and we’re struggling to think of a mainstream option that packs in as much tyre clearance.
Big clearances meets aero
The ‘Italia’ in this bike’s name signifies it’s made in 3T’s HQ in Presezzo, Italy, with the brand using 3T’s proprietary filament-winding process.
In a nutshell, this process involves spinning a carbon fibre yarn onto a core to create a carbon structure. Unlike cutting sheets of carbon fibre to the desired shape, filament winding enables 3T to angle the fibres exactly as desired.
3T designs its bikes around a specific tyre-width range, referred to as WAM (Width As Measured). The brand is then able to aerodynamically optimise the frame around a certain tyre-width range, which is 50mm to 57mm on this bike.
By comparison, the more race-oriented RaceMax Italia is designed for 35mm to 46mm WAM tyres.
3T says the Extrema Italia delivers the same bottom bracket and head tube stiffness values as the RaceMax Italia, but is more compliant thanks to an updated carbon layup with the thinner seat tube.
The down tube does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of aerodynamics, with a ‘neck’ (the section between the bottle cage bolts and the head tube junction) that’s 60mm wide. The down tube then widens to 75mm as it heads towards the BB386 EVO bottom bracket junction.
The down tube redirects the airflow over the frame, shielding the bottles, according to 3T.
The down tube is also size-specific for each frame size and the gap between the down tube and front tyre is minimised for less turbulence.
Elsewhere, there’s a sculpted cut-out on the seat tube to shield the rear wheel for an aerodynamic advantage.
What 3T calls its ‘DoubleDrop chainstays’ are also striking, with the brand saying this design creates a stiffer bottom bracket and decreases weight.
The Extrema Italia uses 3T’s Integrale system. Or, in other words, a separate handlebar and stem, which allows for more adjustability than a one-piece cockpit.
3T has spared some thought for the real-world needs of the consumer though. You don’t have to disconnect the hydraulic hoses to adjust the handlebar height, swap the stem length by +/- 10mm or even fully remove the stem for travel.
The Extrema Italia includes mounts for a top tube bag or bento box and integrated mudguard mounts, and the fork has triple cargo mounts. 3T states in its technical documentation that the legs are rated to carry a load of up to 3kg on either side.
The bike uses a 27.2mm round seatpost, bringing compatibility for either a rigid seatpost or dropper post.
It also specs an on-trend SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) dropout.
A really neat detail is you don’t need adaptors for the brake calipers because 3T has integrated their height into the chainstay and fork’s profiles. That means you have to run a 160mm disc brake rotor at the front though.
A burly build
We have the mid-range Extrema Italia build in for testing, which will set you back a not inconsiderable £7,593 / $9,199 / €8,232 / AU$12,885.
SRAM Rival eTap AXS shifters, brakes and crankset are paired with GX Eagle Transmission components for the rest of the drivetrain.
Keeping things in the SRAM family are a set of Zipp 303S wheels, with a hookless rim profile that measures 23mm internally and 45mm deep. They’re wrapped in beefy 29x2in Continental RaceKing tyres, which measure 50.87mm on my digital calipers.
A RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper post also signifies the bike’s off-road prowess.
Completing the build is a 3T Aeroghiaia Integrale carbon handlebar in a 42cm width. With my tape measure, the tops measure 40cm centre to centre, while the dramatically flared drops measure 48cm.
The tops have an aero profiling, with the front section curved, enabling you to curl your fingers round them, with a sharper profile around the back of the hoods.
The bike was meant to come with the aerodynamically optimised 3T Torno carbon crank, but production has been delayed on these. If you have bought an Extrema Italia that’s meant to have a 3T Torno crank, the brand says it will send one out once it’s available.
My size-large bike weighs 9.7kg, which – although weighty – is realistic considering the MTB-oriented drivetrain and tyres.
The Extrema Italia range starts at £6,677 / $7,999 / €7,240 / AU$11,491 – it’s exactly the same build as shown here, but you miss out on the wireless dropper post and 3T Torno crank.
The top-of-the-range model will set you back £9,605 / $11,599 / €10,414 / AU$15,950. It steps up to a SRAM Force / XX SL Eagle Transmission drivetrain with 3T Discus 45 / 40 wheels.
Alternatively, a frameset (including a seatpost, handlebar, stem and headset) retails for £4,574 / $5,499 / €4,959 / AU$7,487.