The Extrema Italia is designed for the harshest adventures and toughest races. Aero yet dropper/suspension seatpost compatible, with exclusively 700c compatibility, the Extrema Italia can fit up to 700x57c tyres for top-of-the-line mountain bike-like traction.
Like all 3T frames with Italia designation, it is constructed from 3T's proprietary filament winding and RTM technologies and as part of the Exploro stable, is built on the core principles of REALFAST aero, that all begins with the tyres. (See the Technical spec below for the core design principles.)
The EXTREMA Frame Kit is available in 2 painted finishes as well as the Project X special edition that highlights the majesty of the filament wound construction. In addition and for those looking for a fully customised finish, there is also an “RTP” (Ready To Paint) version that can be finished to your personal preferences - or left raw and stealthy as you prefer.
Like the RaceMax Italia, the EXTREMA is built to deliver exceptional aerodynamics using a tyres-first approach. As with all bikes in the 3T stable, aerodynamics are the core consideration but unlike others, they are designed around you as a rider, for real world speeds and real world conditions. 3T go as far as to stick 3D-printed mud on their frames to test!
However, while the RaceMax Italia is fastest - and comparable to top flight road bikes - with a 700x35-46mm tyre, the EXTREMA is more akin to the 3T ULTRA in terms of remit, offering even more traction and control as it is designed and optimised for 29”/700c 50-57mm WAM tyres.
The Extrema is built for the toughest terrain at high speed for long rides. It features new 3Touring geometry with a higher stack and shorter reach when compared to Racemax to make the Extrema the ideal choice for adventure racing and bikepacking adventures. The wireless dropper and suspension seatpost compatibility along with fork accessory mounts add to the versatility of this unstoppable race adventure bike. Indeed, 3T factored bikepacking and on-bike storage to ensure the Extrema is primed for adventure riding or long days in the saddle. There are traditional mounting points for bottles inside the triangle plus two mounting points on the top tube and three bosses on each fork leg for small bike racks.
The Extrema is adept at soaking up trail imperfections like a good hardtail - but without the need for suspension - and this is largely due to the capacious tyres. Most current gravel bikes top out around 45C, so the extra width and associated lower tyre pressures deliver new levels of comfort, grip and speed. The Extrema is no slouch either despite what its silhouette suggests, and it tackles the rough stuff with assured stability courtesy of the slightly longer wheelbase. The geometry, coupled with the relatively low weight from its construction, also makes climbing easier while delivering the confidence to whip down descents.
The Extrema Italia delivers the same Bottom Bracket and Headtube stiffness values that were engineered for the RaceMax Italia and that 3T believe to be optimal for a fast gravel platform. Thanks to an updated layup and thinner seattube, the Extrema Italia offers increased vertical compliance compared to the Racemax Italia.
Aside from those core differences, the Made In Italy Extrema features all the benfits of 3T's proprietary Filament Winding and RMT technologies found on the RM Italia.
MADE IN ITALY
The RaceMax Integrale, Ultra and Primo, like the bulk of the rest of the market, is constructed using carbon sheets, pre-impregnated with resin and strategically laid up into a mold to deliver particular characteristics to the frame. In this case that pre-preg carbon is High Modulus and Uni-directional so deliver the best possible results. But the technology has limits and requires a lot of manual finishing, which is both labour intensive and opens the production process up to that human constant : error.
With a desire to build on their heritage and uplift their offering, 3T looked at novel ways to bring at least a proportion of their manufacturing back to Italy. After researching manufacturing options they came to rest on 2 key technologies. Filament Winding and Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM).
Filament Winding is a process to continuously wind carbon fibres into frame sections. Like wrapping string around a tube, but with precise control over tension, angle, and placement, it allows 3T to create structures where the fibres follow the exact paths needed to handle riding forces most efficiently. And, since nobody made a filament winding machine suitably practical for making bike frames, 3T designed and built their own. Its standout feature is that it can wind fibres at zero degrees, which traditionally is not possible (as the mandrel rotates, the fibre is by definition not exactly along its axis) but for optimal stiffness, there is a need for zero degree fibres. Only 3T do this.
In addition, the machines allow for different fibres to be woven into the finished tube. This lends an even greater amount of control over the specific characteristics of any given section of the frame, truly dialling in the resultant feel of the finished product while also factoring in customer drivetrain choice. Yep - Filament Winding allows 3Tto customise your frame for 1x, 2x, mechanical or electronic shifting upon request. Very few manufacturers customise layupper individual.
One of the benefits of filament winding is that the process is effectively dry. The resin is added later and in a far more economical and precise fashion. Indeed, the FW process marries perfectly with Resin Transfer Molding (RTM)
Traditional pre-preg material has fibers pre-impregnated with resin in sheets. These are then cut in shapes and applied to a core. This leads to waste and limits the use of the material as it starts curing as soon as you take it out of the freezer. The bladder-assisted production process also creates a less-than-perfect surface, requiring lots of finishing.
RTM injects resin into the mold after the dry fibre frame is loaded. A vacuum is applied to remove all the air inside the mold, preventing voids and creates a super clean surface finish reducing labour and dramatically improving consistencey and overall product strength.
In addition, by separating the fibre and the resin, 3T are able to select each for specific applications, creating shorter curing cycles at lower temperatures.
The result is a production process that automates 90% of the total fibre weight application with 10% finished by hand. More than this though, it reduces both physical and energy wastage dramatically.
The production techniques employed in the Extrema Italia's construction takes the perfomance to the next level, offering even greater responsiveness and rider confidence in a frame that will not only be lighter and tighter - but that will be more durable and impact resistant, critical given its remit.
Like the RaceMax Italia, the Extrema employs the MORE Integrale cockpit system. TheMORE Integrale uses the exact same headtube shape for internal and external cables for a svelte look and gives you all the benefits without the drawbacks. Aside from being able to choose any 3T Integrale bar and its width, as well as stem length in order to dial in your fit (unlike the fixed positions of one-piece bars), the system allows for small height adjustments (and change of stem length as required in future) without disconnecting or resizing the brake hoses.
For those that seek adventure further afield, the MORE stem can be removed completely for travel without the need to disconnect the brake hoses and it is compatible with 1x & 2x Sram and Shimano electronic groupsets or 1x mechanical groupsets. All this and the MORE stem also comes supplied with a dedicated K-Edge GPS Mount too.
The Extrema Italia is designed exactly as it sounds: for the toughest race courses and fast adventures, enhanced through proprietary manufacturing that delivers best in class reactiveness and handling and built using the company's latest refinements of their REALFAST aerodynamics: rear wheel cut out, narrow headtube, bottle shielding downtube and aero profile tubing all round. The ultimate all-day gravel rig for fast and tough terrain.