3T Strada Italia Force D2 2x12 2024

Following the launch of the Extrema Italia gravel bike comes the 3T Strada Italia – an all-road machine designed to take the rider across all terrain types in spectacularly fast fashion. Like the Extrema, it's built around the notion of aerodynamics, larger tyres and clearance, and the result is one of the most comfortable bikes I've ridden. A comfortable aero bike may sound like a contradictory statement but the refined aerodynamic tube shapes and ability to run wider tyres and lower pressures have resulted in time-trial-bike-like speed on most road surfaces and conditions.

> Buy now: 3T Strada Italia Force D2 2x12 for £8,414 from 3T

The 3T Strada Italia is a bike for the speed merchant or time triallist who prioritises aerodynamics over everything else. It's fast in all scenarios and just so happens to possess one of the best ride qualities in the segment, too.

3T Strada Italia: Ride

I'll admit I had some reservations about the Strada Italia before taking it out for its first ride. While it's not the heaviest bike around, the 8.1kg weight came as a shock – especially when considering the average aero road bike is 7.3-7.8kg (though the Orbea Orca Aero is also over 8kg). This concern quickly disappeared after just a few pedal strokes as the Strada responds immediately to pedal inputs and picks up momentum rather quickly.

The frame is incredibly stiff around the bottom bracket and head tube, which helps with getting the bike up to speed, and once up there it stays there and slices through the air in a similar fashion to that of a time trial bike, carrying speed over rolling terrain quite effortlessly.

When the road kicks up, you'll need to pedal harder than some lighter road bikes, but this is only the case with gradients of over five per cent – anything less and the Strada Italia can crest them with little fuss.

> Buyer’s Guide: Best aero road bikes

Over the review period, most of my routes comprised rolling hills with several punchy one-minute climbs. On this kind of terrain you'll need to work a bit harder but you will make up any lost speed over the top and down the other side. Our review bike came with a 48/35-tooth chainset and 10-30T cassette, which did help when things got steep, but production models will have a 10-33T cassette – a better option given the bike's weight.

The 3T bar and stem are comfortable and allow for a commanding position over the front end of the bike. I'd have preferred a slightly narrower handlebar, but the 42cm here did allow me to get into a surprisingly more aerodynamic position when it came to resting my forearms.

The bike's handling qualities are exemplary thanks to the sub-metre wheelbase – not only does this make for a communicative front end but the fairly slack 72.5-degree seat tube angle helps balance the weight over both axles. This adds assurance on the descents and improves the predictability of the front end for faster cornering.

The stock wheelset is an in-house affair – carbon Discus 45/32 LTDs – wrapped in 32mm Continental rubber (there's clearance for 35mm), a combination that made for a comfortable and predictable ride. The 32mm tyres allowed lower pressures, and the rim profiles dealt effectively with crosswinds.

I fitted the Strada with another wheelset – the new Fulcrum Sharq all-roads – to see whether this would improve things, but the difference was negligible. The lighter weight of the Sharqs improved climbing efficiency but they felt identical to the Discus LTDs on the descents and flats.

I did try several mild off-road sections, too, and the Strada Italia managed just fine – even on 48/50psi front/rear. Going a tad lower in pressure will no doubt improve ride quality over gravel roads but this might impact overall speed once you hit tarmac again.

3T Strada Italia: Technical details

The 3T Strada Italia cuts a similar facade to the regular Strada and other machines in the company's range – there's no disputing its heritage. Closer examination, however, reveals a new down tube, seat tube, seatstays and top tube.

While the aesthetics won't appeal to all, I like the white 'Bianco' paint and 3T logo stencilled out in raw carbon fibre – it looks superb. If white isn't for you there's also Verde (green) and Rosso (red), and, for £9,604.80, a Project X raw carbon finish.

For 3T, the stiffness-to-compliance ratio was of primary importance when designing the Strada Italia. It's manufactured in the same Bergamo factory as the RaceMax Italia and Extrema Italia and shares the same filament winding and Resin-Transfer-Moulding (RTM) technology.

From the bottom bracket to the headset, the frame is made using single-filament carbon fibre – the continuous fibre is claimed to help with power efficiency, with no impact on comfort and handling. The rest of the frame, from what I can gather, uses regular high modulus fibres.

It was designed specifically for 28-35mm tyres but optimised for 30-35mm wide tyres.

Several of the Strada Italia's attributes resemble time trial bike design, such as the over-accentuated seat tube cutout that encases the rear wheel to maximise aerodynamic drag, and the head tube that is deep and exaggerated in profile.

The geometric down tube is chunky and has been designed this way to hide the bottle cage and bottle from making contact with the wind.

The seatpost is aerodynamically shaped, too, and the bike is finished off with full cable and hose integration.

While it certainly looks aerodynamic, 3T hasn't shared any wind tunnel data.

Like the Extrema Italia, the Strada Italia is compatible with electronic groupsets only, and the front derailleur bracket is removable should you wish to convert to 1x down the line.

The Strada uses a SRAM UDH derailleur hanger. This not only futureproofs the frame but also makes finding a hanger easier. That said, it isn't compatible with SRAM's Transmission, a direct-mount rear mech that obviates the need for a hanger – the chainstay is too short to accommodate it.

There are four frame sizes available – 51, 54, 56 and 58cm. The basic measurements on our size 54cm are as follows: stack is 554mm and reach is 380mm, while the head angle comes in at 72.7 degrees. The wheelbase is 983cm, which is pretty compact when compared with traditional racy road bikes from rival brands, while the seat tube angle of 72.5 degrees is notably slacker than its contemporaries but is almost perfectly parallel with the head angle.

3T Strada Italia: Components

The 3T Strada Italia range is offered in five complete bike models (a new SRAM Red AXS build has recently been added) and three framesets. Regardless of which complete build you opt for, each model is handsomely appointed and will suit the needs of most.

The bike reviewed here is the 3T Strada Italia Force D2 2x12 which, as the name suggests, is built around a SRAM Force AXS groupset. As I said earlier, our pre-launch review model has a compact 48/35T chainset and 10-30T cassette, but production models have a 10-33T cassette.

Production-ready models of this specific bike also come standard with a Quarq power meter, but our pre-launch bike came without.

The Force brakes, with 160mm rotors front and rear, aren't as sharp as the Red equivalents, but they do a commendable job.

I mentioned the 3T Discus 45/32 LTD wheels earlier, wrapped in Continental GP 5000 S TR 32mm tyres. It's not the lightest rolling stock around but complements the bike and rolls efficiently, the rim profiles dealing effectively with crosswinds and the 32mm rubber allowing for comfortable pressures.

The touchpoints are a mix of San Marco's Shortfit saddle, which I found comfortable and supportive, and 3T's Aeroflux Integrale LTD handlebar and More stem.

The two-piece cockpit makes for ease of use and adjustability, but the bar doesn't offer much in the way of compliance, and there's no mount available for a computer.

3T Strada Italia: Value

The 3T Italia Strada range is comprehensive with several premium options available including a £5,488 frameset. Complete bikes start with the £7,227 SRAM Rival AXS build, and move up to £8,414 which will get you either a Shimano Ultegra Di2 2x12 build or the bike reviewed here with SRAM Force AXS. The range tops out with the £9,605 Force AXS Project X and £13,903 Red AXS/Zipp builds.

How it compares with rivals is quite difficult to judge, as the 3T Strada Italia is pretty unusual in that there's nothing really directly comparable.

The closest option is the Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD that Stu reviewed, though it's not an all-road bike. Stu did say it was incredibly fast – also touching on its time-trial-like speed, looks and feel. It's also an 8kg bike. At £11,499, that model is a lot pricier, with a higher spec (Shimano Dura-Ace); the Orca Aero M21eLTD is more comparable in terms of componentry, for £6,899.

The Scott Foil is another aero bike with incredible speed and handling, but again it's not directly comparable as it's not an all-road bike. In RC Pro guise it's much lighter than the 3T Italia Strada, dipping well below the 8kg marker at 7.3kg. It's also significantly more expensive at £10,499 (though Scott had it discounted to £8,899).

3T Strada Italia: Conclusion

3T has created a superb aero road bike with promising versatility and all-round comfort – which is unusual for an aero machine. Despite its weight, it's an incredibly fast bike that corners and descends like it's on rails. The Strada Italia range is pricey, but it is worth considering the impressive spec level and overall performance before making a decision.

> Buy now: 3T Strada Italia Force D2 2x12 for £8,414 from 3T

Verdict

Fast and comfortable, with enough tyre clearance to mix and match terrain as you please