3T-Made in Italy

Over the last couple of years, 3T has quietly been moving production of frames to Italy. I had the honor of visiting the production facility in Presezzo for a full tour and a chance to test out the Extrema at the Jeroboam Gravel event. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this, so I packed my bags and off to Italy!

Up until now, 3T frames have been made in Asia, and some models still are. But to improve the whole production process, speed things up, and keep their tech safe, they have started switching to being fully Made in Italy. The first models made in Italy are the Race Max Italia, Extrema Italia, and Strada Italia. The way things were done in Asia involved a lot of hands-on work with carbon and epoxy, which was pretty labor-intensive. Sure, they could have just copied that over to Italy, but that wouldn’t be the best move for sustainability. Instead, they decided to revamp the entire process by bringing in new machines for filament winding instead of manual lay-up and using dry fiber and resin injection instead of pre-impregnated carbon. Instead of using sheets of carbon cut into different shapes and sticking them onto a core, filament winding involves spinning a yarn directly onto a mandrel to shape the carbon.

This process of dry filament winding complex shapes is unique to 3T and is currently being patented. Filament winding isn’t super easy since 3T uses dry fiber (which isn’t sticky yet, just to clarify). This dry fiber doesn’t want to stick to the mandrel very well. To make things easier and faster, they decided to use a resin bath. Here, the fiber soaks in resin before it gets spun onto the core. With pre-impregnated carbon, you’ve got to fit the pre-formed frame into a cold mold quickly; otherwise, the resin starts reacting before you’ve even finished placing everything. But with dry fiber, you can pop it into a hot mold without any issues. Then you just close it up and inject the resin, which kicks off the curing process. This way, you can churn out frame after frame without having to cool down and reheat the mold every time. You still with me?!

Along with Italian manufacturing, 3T has also set up WPNT, an Italian paint facility where, alongside the Italian-made frames, they are also painting the Primo and the new Race Max. This is another move in bringing full production back to Italy, reminiscent of the days of the original Tecno Tubo Torino. The move to Italy is by no means a mass production goal. 3T is a small family, and seeing everything firsthand made that even more evident. When you have all the staff from sales to engineering in the same building, it brings a cohesion that few companies have.

It wouldn’t be a complete bike trip if we didn’t ride bikes, and what better place to test out the made in Italy Extrema than at the Jeroboam gravel event put on by 3T. Think of it as an alley-cat style gravel event—vineyards, double track, single track, cobbles, mountains, creek crossings, and lots of mud… lots. It was perfect. My weapon of choice was the Extrema fitted with an a 1x Torno crank and a full mullet setup paired with Conti Race King 700x50 MTB tires. I was unsure about the trend of many pros using MTB-size tires for gravel, but now I’m a convert. Sure, it’s not ideal for every terrain, but on the Jeroboam course, I utilized every mm of that tire and was glad to have the 52 rear cog as well. Aero gravel frames with clearance for 50mm tires are the future, and once again, 3T is two years ahead of everyone else.

The Italians know how to put on a party, and this was no exception. A massive Italian pre-race dinner was followed by a DJ and a lot of wine—maybe too much, but hey, it’s not a race; it’s a big ride with some great people. I love events like this because I get to meet other dealers and industry folks from all over the world, and we get to ride bikes in an amazing place.

Alberto from 3T gave us the full tour of Bergamo and played host all week. I had a chance to sample the region's sparkling wine at one of the top organic wineries, Barone Pizzini. It’s a truly stunning winery in the countryside, showcasing what the region is renowned for. All in all, I packed a lot into four days, and the jet lag was well worth it. Gravel is considered a new segment in cycling but in reality 3T created the first Gravel bike in 2016, way ahead of everyone else. We were one of the first shops in Canada to carry it then and continue to offer one of the largest Gravel bike selections in Western Canada. We didn’t pioneer Gravel but in my mind 3T did.

Thanks to 3t for the opportunity and thanks to my new bike friends Brian, Eugene, Anthony, Bertrand and Jens. We shared some amazing days on and off the bike together. Be sure to check out the gallery below,Bertrand from Velotech was kind enough to share his amazing pics with me. Well I hope this inspires you to grab that gravel rig and choose your own adventure, even better if its on a 3t from PRW. Thanks for reading !