3T Extrema Italia review: a near-perfect gravel bike for the roughest terrain

3T’s Extrema Italia is intended to take on the chunkiest gravel you can find, with clearance for whopping 57mm tyres.

There’s been no shortage of gravel bikes with mountain bike inspiration in recent years, but the Extrema Italia balances off-road capability with aerodynamic optimisation – a monster aero gravel bike, if you will.

In testing, I’ve found the 3T Extrema Italia to be a seriously impressive performer. It ploughs through terrain where you would typically proceed with caution on a more conventional gravel bike. It should pave the way for how gravel-bike design will develop.

3T Extrema Italia frame details 

The Extrema Italia sticks to 3T’s distinguishing design language, with the frameset full of purposeful aerodynamic details.

The ‘Italia’ in the bike’s name signifies it’s made at 3T’s HQ in Presezzo, Italy, using its proprietary filament-winding process.

In short, this process involves spinning a carbon-fibre yarn onto a core to create a carbon structure. Unlike cutting sheets of carbon fibre to the desired shape, filament winding enables 3T to angle the fibres exactly as desired.

All this results in a claimed 1,099g frame weight for a size 54cm, with the fork coming in at 420g.

3T designs its bikes around a specific tyre-width range, referred to as WAM (Width As Measured). The brand is then able to aerodynamically optimise the frame around a certain tyre-width range – 50mm to 57mm on this bike.

The only other gravel bike that comes to mind with such a wide clearance is the Lauf Seigla, matching the Extrema Italia at 57mm.

By comparison, 3T’s more race-oriented RaceMax Italia is designed for 35mm to 46mm WAM tyres.

3T says the Extrema Italia delivers the same bottom-bracket and head-tube stiffness values as the RaceMax Italia, but is more compliant thanks to an updated carbon layup and the thinner seat tube.

In terms of aerodynamics, the down tube does a lot of the heavy lifting, redirecting the airflow over the frame to shield the water bottles, according to 3T.

It has a ‘neck’ (between the bottle-cage bolts and the head-tube junction) that’s 60mm wide. The down tube then widens to 75mm as it heads towards the BB386 EVO bottom-bracket junction.

The down tube is size-specific for each frame size and the gap between the down tube and front tyre is minimised for less turbulence.

The head tube also plays an important role in redistributing the wind, sporting an elongated profile with an aggressive truncation at its rear.

Elsewhere, 3T’s signature sculpted cut-out on the seat tube is claimed to shield the rear wheel for another aerodynamic advantage.

What 3T calls its ‘DoubleDrop chainstays’ are also striking, with the purported benefits being a stiffer bottom bracket and lower weight.

All in, I think the Extrema Italia has an arresting appearance and that elongated head tube looks particularly purposeful.

The Extrema Italia uses 3T’s Integrale system. This sees the use of a separate handlebar and stem, which allows for more adjustability than a one-piece cockpit.

While you’re locked into using the 3T More stem, you’re free to pick from any of 3T’s three Integrale-compatible handlebars – the Aeroghiaia Integrale, the Aeroflux Integrale and the Superego Integrale.

Kudos to 3T for sparing some thought for the real-world needs of a consumer. You don’t have to disconnect the hydraulic hoses to adjust the handlebar height. You can swap the stem length by +/- 10mm without having to re-route everything or even fully remove the stem for travel.

However, you can only run a wireless or semi-wireless electronic groupset on the Extrema Italia because the bike doesn’t have routing for a mechanical gear cable. While there are plenty of electronic options from Shimano and SRAM, that means you can’t run a Campagnolo gravel bike groupset.

However, the plus side is it removes the unsightly cable guide that lived on the top face of the top tube of 3T bikes (and other Gerard Vroomen-fronted brands, such as Cervélo and Open).

There was nothing more irritating than a gear cable being routed above the stem, as the cable was susceptible to rub when you were giving it the beans out of the saddle.

The Extrema Italia includes mounts for a top tube bag or bento box and integrated mudguard mounts.

The fork has triple cargo mounts. 3T states in its technical documentation that the legs are rated to carry a load of up to 3kg on either side.

The bike uses a 27.2mm round seatpost, bringing compatibility for either a rigid seatpost or a wireless dropper post. While I prefer a round seatpost over a proprietary option, I wish the rubber cover that protects the integrated seat clamp from corrosion was a more secure fit.

The Extrema Italia also specs an on-trend SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) dropout.

A final neat detail is you don’t need adaptors for the brake calipers because 3T has integrated their height into the chainstay and fork’s profiles. That means you have to run a 160mm disc-brake rotor at the front though – but few riders run 140mm rotors on a gravel bike these days.

3T Extrema Italia geometry

3T describes the geometry as offering “increased comfort relative to the RaceMax Italia” while still sitting within what the brand considers its “performance” gravel geometry.

The numbers are certainly interesting, especially compared to other gravel bikes with more of a leaning towards gnarlier terrain.

The 71.5-degree head tube angle, for example, is a degree steeper than the Lauf Seigla and less generous than the 69.5-degree figure of the BMC URS. The 73.5-degree seat tube angle sits in the middle of the Seigla’s 72.5-degree figure and the 74.5 degrees of the URS.

The 437mm chainstays are also significantly longer than the 430 and 425mm measurements of the URS and Seigla, but both the Extrema Italia and Seigla share identical 1,040mm wheelbases.

The Extrema Italia is also significantly shorter in reach at 376mm, compared to the URS’ 420mm and the Seigla’s 394mm.

It’s also pretty upright with a 590mm stack – much more generous than the racy 564mm stack of the Seigla, but the URS takes things further with its 610mm figure.

Furthermore, both BMC and Lauf have opted for shorter 80mm stems, whereas the 3T’s is 10mm longer.

I’m 180cm / 5ft 11in tall and tested a size 56cm – the fit was spot-on for my measurements.

3T Extrema Italia build 

The Extrema Italia I tested is the mid-range offering, setting you back a not inconsiderable £8,941 / $10,699 / €10,349 / AU$13,852.

You get a mullet drivetrain, a sign of the bike’s chunky gravel intent. SRAM's Rival eTap AXS shifters, brakes and crankset are paired with a GX Eagle Transmission chain, cassette and rear derailleur.

The bike was meant to come with the aerodynamically optimised 3T Torno Wide carbon crankset, but production was delayed on these when the bike arrived for review. The crank is now available. 

Keeping things in the SRAM family are a set of Zipp 303S wheels, with a hookless rim profile that measures 23mm internally and 45mm deep. They’re wrapped in beefy 29x2in Continental RaceKing cross-country mountain bike tyres, which measure 50.87mm-wide at 24psi.

A RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper post also signifies the bike’s off-road prowess.

Completing the build is a 3T Aeroghiaia Integrale carbon handlebar in a nominal 42cm width. The tops measure 40cm centre to centre, while the dramatically flared drops measure 48cm-wide.

Although the bike is far from cheap, I think 3T has specced it well and there are no obvious components in need of upgrading immediately.

My 56cm test bike weighs 9.7kg, which – although weighty – is respectable considering the MTB-oriented drivetrain and tyres.

In terms of the rest of the range, you’ll pay £6,677 / $7,999 / €7,240 / AU$11,491 for the ‘entry’ model. It’s the same build as shown here, minus the wireless dropper post and 3T Torno crank.

The top-of-the-range model will set you back £9,605 / $11,599 / €10,414 / AU$15,950. It steps up to a SRAM Force / XX SL Eagle Transmission drivetrain with 3T Discus 45 / 40 wheels.

Alternatively, a frameset (including seatpost, handlebar, stem and headset) retails for £4,574 / $5,499 / €4,959 / AU$7,487. 

3T Extrema Italia ride impressions

I tested the Extrema Italia over three months across a wide range of terrain in the south-east and south-west of England.

With a few spec changes, the Extrema Italia was also my steed of choice for Badlands, a 790km ultra-endurance race in southern Spain with 16,500m of climbing.

Although it took a few rides to get used to the Extrema Italia, I was hooked instantly by its impressive descending performance. The Extrema Italia simply rips its way through terrain you’d typically exercise caution on with the vast majority of gravel bikes.

A lot of the magic comes from the wider Continental RaceKing tyres, which instil an abundance of confidence and enable the bike to boisterously bulldoze its way through singletrack trails.

But the Extrema Italia’s techy-trail slaying ability is also a result of its forward-thinking geometry, with the longer chainstays, taller stack and shorter reach a fantastic foundation. These lend the bike much-needed stability, introducing a sense of calm to the frameset’s inherent ferocity.

A swap to 50mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tyres for Badlands unlocked even more performance. These tyres felt faster-rolling and more supple, but I also wouldn’t rush to upgrade the stock Continental tyres because they’re also excellent in anything short of mud.

Despite its monster-truck appearance, I also appreciated the Extrema Italia’s quick handling especially on the numerous, twisty descents in Badlands, particularly in the ramblas (Spanish for dry riverbed) of the Tabernas desert. The sand there was quite coarse and the descents steep, but I was able to negotiate these with ease aboard the Extrema Italia, despite major sleep deprivation.

I’d suggest one spec change to further liven up proceedings and that is a longer-travel 75mm dropper post than the 50mm variant specced. While your results may differ depending on your fit and how much exposed seatpost you need, a longer-travel post would enable you to slam more of the seatpost away.

With such a focus on descents, I was sceptical the Extrema Italia would feel ponderous when climbing. But it doesn’t.

When you swing a leg over the Extrema Italia, the frame at first feels slightly more rigid than you’d expect. But I think that rigidity is what gives it grunt when ascending, and while the Extrema Italia isn’t as sprightly as a race-oriented gravel race bike with say, 40mm tyres, it still has a solid sense of purpose.

That striking and stout bottom-bracket junction also plays a role, as does the relatively steep 73.5-degree seat tube angle, putting you in an efficient pedalling position.

Moving on to the components, this was my first experience with SRAM Transmission and I came away seriously impressed.

The beefy GX Eagle Transmission rear derailleur mounts directly onto the dropout, saving the need for a derailleur hanger. It’s designed to work with a wide-ranging 10-52t cassette, that 52t particularly welcome for Badlands – you can never run too low a gear when riding a fully loaded bike.

Shifting was precise and crisp, especially when pedalling under load.

It’s a complaint I’ve covered in some of my previous reviews, but the only weak point is the SRAM Rival eTap AXS shifter ergonomics. Their blocky design and the slight ridge at the base of the hood mean my hands find them uncomfortable, with that ridge causing blisters on the edge of both my palms during Badlands.

However, other BikeRadar testers have sung the praises of their design and there's an element of personal preference here.

The Zipp 303S wheels are a strong spec choice too and undoubtedly contribute to the bike’s lively ride quality. Although they are on the rigid side of the gravel bike wheel compliance spectrum, they’re quick accelerators and the wide hookless rim is on-trend.

From past experience, I would recommend regular maintenance of the hub and freehub, though – the bearings are not cheap to replace when they wear out.

Swapping the wheels out to a pair of DT Swiss GRC 1400s boosted the compliance and made the bike feel more lively on descents, a result of the lighter weight and shallower 30mm rim depth.

Although it took me a few rides to get used to the 3T Aeroghiaia Integrale handlebar, I ultimately came away a fan.

The tops have an aero profiling, with the front section curved, enabling you to curl your fingers round them, with a sharper profile around the back of the hoods.

I found I had to learn to not wrap my hands completely around the tops and instead rest my palms on the flat top. Once I got used to this, I found the tops comfortable.

I loved the dramatically flared drops though and although they may look odd on first glance, the position they put you in is one of confidence and control. They may even be my favourite gravel-drop design to date.

The major downside of these bars, though, is there's a minimal section of round bar before they transition to an aero profile. This makes fitting accessories, such as a front light, a royal pain.

My test bike didn’t come supplied with the integrated K-Edge mount, and with careful precision, I was only able to just fit a K-Edge mount on one side of the bar and then mount a Go Pro-style fitting light underneath it.

The ungenerous rounded section also means you’ll struggle to fit modular front bikepacking bags, such as the Tailfin Bar Bag system or the Miss Grape ILCOSO – you’ll need to resort to a strap-on bag.

While there are two other bars (the Aeroflux and Superego Integrale) in 3T’s range, they too use a non-round profile on the tops.

Provided you can compromise on what equipment you want to install on the front end, the plus points are it’s an ergonomic and clean-looking solution.

Finally, it’s difficult to judge the 3T Extrema Italia for value given it occupies a somewhat specific niche.

It’s certainly significantly more expensive than the Lauf Seigla, which tops out at $6,290 for the top-of-the-range SRAM Red AXS XPLR build with e*thirteen Piedmont Race Carbon wheels.

But Lauf has a direct-to-consumer business model, which cuts some of the costs.

I don’t think the Extrema Italia’s unreasonably priced though, given the quality spec and the fact that this bike is anything but mainstream.

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3T Extrema Italia bottom line

The 3T Extrema Italia is a fantastic gravel bike that bridges the gap between gravel riding and light cross-country mountain biking.

Its descending performance is simply phenomenal, but it’s not at the expense of how it climbs.

This is probably not the bike to opt for if the trails around you are tame, or if your gravel rides are mainly road-based. Think of it as a tool for unlocking further potential on the roughest tracks.

If your riding preferences align with the Extrema Italia’s aggressive agenda, I can’t think of a better option.