Innovative bike and accessories brand 3T is rolling out a new Flatmount version of its Exploro gravel/adventure bike, which it originally introduced 18 months ago. The Exploro is billed as the only bike in its category that takes aerodynamics into account. The company adds that ‘While aerodynamics may sound odd for a gravel bike, no one will deny that wind is a major factor in gravel riding & racing, and that means aerodynamics matter.’
Many gravel racers have put these aero advantages from 3T to work for them, resulting in many victories including Mat Stephens’ win in the Dirty Kanza 200 miler.
3T adds that a second reason that aerodynamics matter is that ‘a lot of customers use the 3T Exploro as their one and only bike.’ With road wheels and tyres, the Exploro can double up a fast aero road bike, for regular road group rides and even races. With up to 40mm 700c Road (Plus) tyres or up to 54mm 650b MTB tyres, it’s a capable off-roader and mixed-surface machine.
The New Exploro Flatmount follows the flatmount disc brake standard, although 3T does not consider that to be big news. The company adds that postmount brakes work perfectly well… ‘So there was no reason for the industry to invent a second standard (the whole idea of a standard is that there’s only one). But it’s hard to avoid when Shimano decides to push this.’
(As an alternative to the traditional post-mount disc brake standard, Shimano’s flat-mount standard for disc brakes has aimed to be more aligned with the sleek aesthetics that can be found in carbon framesets.)
3T points out that the bigger story about this new frameset is actually the Fango (Italian for mud) fork, which represents a complete redesign:
- New, more aerodynamic fork legs with elongated Sqaero shapes
- Slimmer, more aero crown without sacrificing tyre clearance
- Fully internal cable routing
- Integrated disc brake bracket for 140 & 160mm discs
- Dedicated 12mm axle dropouts
- Syntace X-12 front axle for maximum stiffness & strength
- Prepared for full fenders (coming in autumn/fall 2018)
The frame also sees some other small upgrades, such as a change of the seatpost wedge collar to use the same principle as the 3T Strada bike, to secure the post in the frame (though the two collars are not interchangeable due to the different geometry of both frames).
The new Exploro Flatmount is available in TEAM (red logo box) and LTD (lighter, matte finish) variants. The original Exploro also remains in the line-up, as the postmount is positioned as being ‘perfect for those who want to set up their bike with mountain bike disc brakes for that little extra braking power.’ The original Exploro is available as a complete bike with a SRAM Rival groupset.
In parallel to the new Exploro, 3T is also introducing the Superghiaia gravel dropbar, which combines a standard hand position on the hoods with a flared position for the drops. This special shape ensures the hoods are positioned vertically, as the manufacturer intended, and not at an angle as is the case with so many gravel bars.
3T is a global company with three regional customer service offices (Italy, Taiwan, North America) and 20+ service centres. Founded in Turin in 1961 as Tecnologia del Tubo Torinese (Turin Tube Technology), 3T has a track record of being ‘first’. It was first to: introduce many modern alloys to cycling; to produce a dedicated aerobar; to win the ID design award; to introduce dedicated gravel wheels; to introduce an aero gravel frame; and introduce a dedicated 1x aero road bike.
In addition, 3T componentry has been first in a number of competitions alongside the great champions of cycling in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, one-day Classics, Olympics, World Championships, national championships, and IRONMAN triathlons.
3T adds that it ‘continues to invest human and financial capital in exploring new ways of making products that excel in quality, simplicity, beauty and sustainability, under the stewardship of co-owners René Wiertz and Gerard Vroomen.
