The 3T Racemax2 Italia aero gravel bike is officially out. It’s the machine for taking on big races. 3T has been working in the aerodynamic gravel bike space for longer than many others. Its first aero gravel frame—arguably the first aero gravel frame ever—was 2016’s Exploro. With the latest Racemax2 Italia, 3T isn’t so much setting a new trend as it did with the Exploro, but moving naturally into one that’s been growing the past few years, and really, that the Racemax line has been connected with since its inception.
The Racemax line
Depending on how you slice things, the Racemax2 Italia is the second or the third in the line. I’m going with the third. The first Racemax, which had Exploro in its name at the time of its debut in 2020, is now called the Racemax WPNT. It boasted big tire clearance, especially if you ran 650b wheels. In 2021, production of a new Racemax began in Italy (the WPNT is made in Asia), hence Italia in the name. The Italia model has the same geometry as the WPNT; however, the European frame is made from a filament-wound process instead of pre-preg carbon-fibre sheets. The frames are tuned differently with different levels of stiffness in the head-tube and bottom-bracket areas.
The head tube of the 3T Racemax2 Italia is deep to boost aerodynamics. The angle of the head tube is steep when compared with the previous 3T Racemax Italia. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Changes in geometry with the 3T Racemax2 Italia
The new 3T Racemax2 Italia has a steeper head-tube angle compared with its predecessors. It also has a different fork offset. The company made these changes so that the bike would be nimble with larger tires. The bottom-bracket drop was also adjusted. The rear centre grew slightly, from 418 mm to 420 mm, but the wheel base is largely unchanged.
Signature features of 3T gravel bikes
The new 3T looks, well, like a 3T. It sports a pronounced cut-out at the seat tube. The down tube is massive. Like the old Racemax frames, the down tube is 75-mm wide at the bottle-cage section. That shaping helps air to flow smoothly around the bottle. The dropped chainstays allow for more tire clearance.
The signature 3T seat-tube cut-out. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Give us the tire clearance of the 3T Racemax2 Italia already!
Tire clearance is king when it comes to gravel bikes. Well, bigger is definitely better in many circles (less so in others). As I mentioned, 3T has always seemed to get as much rubber into its Racemax frames as possible. With the 3T Racemax2 Italia, the frame and fork can accommodate tires as wide as 51 mm (actual measurement, not nominal) if the bike is running a 1-by setup. If there are two chainrings on the rig, 48 mm is the max. What’s notable is that these tire widths are on 700c wheels. It seems 650b is not required in order to go big. With 51-mm-tires, you have 6 mm of clearance.
Funky new additions
3T Racemax2 Italia comes with an integrated light on the seatpost. It runs on its own battery. You can remove the light easily for charging. If you want to run a seatpack on the back, you can replace the light with a blank cover.
The 3T Racemax2 Italia’s light increases your visibility. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
The beefy down tube deserves a storage compartment. The new door features a latch by Fidlock. It works well, but it’s essential that you slide the lever down to secure everything. Master that move, and it’s a breeze. Inside, a neoprene bag by Italy’s Miss Grape holds a few ride essentials. On the outside of the door, you can choose one of two bottle-cage positions.
The 3T Racemax2 Italia’s storage not only carries your ride essentials but also gives you a glimpse at the construction of the filament-wound tube. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Aerodynamics and the 3T Racemax2 Italia
The frame’s new head tube is deeper than the previous Racemax. Its narrow front takes its design cues from 3T’s road bike, the Strada Italia. The seatstay/seat-tube junction is also drawn from the Strada. The really minute aero details include the cover over the front brake caliper bolts as well as the covered axle end on the drive-side of the fork. Everything is optimized around 41- to 51-mm-wide tires. 3T says the new bike is 1.5 per cent faster than the first Racemax Italia.
Speed (km/h)
Racemax2 Italia
(drag in Newtons)
Racemax Italia
(drag in Newtons)
15
0.68
0.69
25
2.00
2.03
35
4.10
4.16
45
6.30
6.39
The cover hides the front caliper bolts, giving the fork an increase in aerodynamics. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Wheels
The Racemax2 Italia comes with new wheels, the Discus 45|40 LTD by 3T. The “45” is for the rim depth in millimetres. The rims have an outer width of 40 mm and an inner width of 29 mm. The hoops work well with tires ranging from 40-mm to 60-mm wide. My test bike came with 45c Schwalbe G-One RS tires, which measured 46-mm wide, all hooked up. Actually, I shouldn’t say “hooked up” because the wheels are hookless. The company feels that that’s the best design for tubeless tire setups running pressures of around 20 to 30 p.s.i.
Other components
The bike is outfitted with 3T’s aero gravel bars, the Aeroghiaia Integrale. I like the flare as well as the way the hoods have a standard angle, not the heavy lean caused by some big-flare bars. The stem, 3T More, leaves the brake hoses visible on the component’s underside. Depending on how much slack you have in your brake system, you can swap your stem—either one size up or down—fairly easily because of the More’s design.
3T Aeroghiaia Integrale LTD handlebar and More stem. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
The brake hoses are visible beneath the 3T More stem. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
My test bike came outfitted with a Shimano GRX drivetrain, a 46/30-tooth RX610 crankset matched to a 11-34 tooth R8101 cassette. The complete size medium bike weighs 9.01 kg on my scale.
The largest chainrings that the 3T Racemax2 Italia can run are Shimano’s 48/31-tooth GRX crankset or Campagnolo’s 52/36-tooth set for its 13-speed cassette. If you go 1-by, you can go as big as a 52-tooth ring.
Shimano GRX 11-34 tooth R8101 cassette and 12-speed RX825 derailleur. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Canadian pricing of the 3T Racemax2 Italia
3T Racemax2 Italia build
Price
Campagnolo Super Record 2 x 13 Gravel, 3T Discus 45|40 wheels
$19,199
SRAM Red XPLR AXS 1 x 13 with Torno Wide crank, Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels
$18,899
SRAM Red XPLR AXS 1 x 13, Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels
$18,199
SRAM Force XPLR AXS 1 x 13 with Torno Wide crank, 3T Discus 45|40 LTD wheels
$15,999
SRAM Force XPLR AXS 1 x 13, 3T Discus 45|40 LTD wheels
$15,299
Shimano GRX 2 x 12, 3T Discus 45|40 LTD wheels
$14,599
Frameset, 3T More stem, 3T Aeroghiaia Integrale LTD handlebar
$7,999
First ride impressions of the 3T Racemax2 Italia
In 2020, when I first tried the original Racemax, I thought, oh, this is how a gravel bike should feel. To me, gravel bikes largely felt a little tubby. But the Racemax had some zip. Other brands have since made strides with their zip factors, but when I jumped on this latest Racemax, I was still struck by how lively it felt. It’s agile on 45c treads.
My test bike got to me just days ahead of launch so I’m only a few rides into my testing. The 3T Racemax2 Italia’s speed and control on gravel have been fun so far. I’m sure there’s more fun to come.
Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Image: Nick Iwanyshyn