3T Strada Italia review: a thoroughbred superbike that defies categorisation, but a tough sell at this price

3T’s Strada Italia looks like an aero road bike but has the geometry of an endurance bike, the tyre clearance for all-road duties and delivers impressive comfort.

It could well be the ideal road bike for most riders.

However, you’ll need to part with a hefty wedge of cash to own one, with the Strada Italia priced at £11,462 / $15,899 / €14,951.

3T Strada Italia frame details

The original Strada debuted in 2017. Back then, it was a radical mix of an aero road bike with wide (for the time) 30mm tyre clearance and a 1x drivetrain. It was (and remains) a genre-disrupting design.

That said, it wasn’t without its critics, with that 1x drivetrain proving especially divisive after pro race team Aqua Blue Sport’s ill-fated experiment with racing the Strada.

This new Strada Italia is a completely fresh design, with 3T describing it as an ‘aero-comfort’ bike. It doesn’t share any of its tube shapes with the Strada and is manufactured using a completely different method.

The Strada Italia frameset is handmade at 3T’s headquarters in the Bergamo region of Italy. Making a carbon fibre frame is very labour-intensive, but 3T’s different approach here brings some automation.

The frame tubes and pieces are all filament-wound as dry fibres, unlike the usual pre-preg carbon most manufacturers use (carbon sheets impregnated with epoxy resin).

The frame is then set using resin-transfer moulding (RTM) – the same process Time uses for its French-made framesets.

3T claims this process offers greater control and tuning of the carbon fibre weave instead of relying on off-the-shelf rolls.

By using this process, 3T says 90 per cent of the total fibre frame weight is automated, with the remaining 10 per cent used for hand-finishing in a more traditional fashion. This is said to create less waste, requires less energy and therefore produces lower CO₂ emissions.

The Strada Italia has 35mm tyre clearance, a SRAM UDH dropout and 2x and 1x drivetrain compatibility – although for electronic groupsets only.

The head tube is deeper and slimmer, with a narrower leading edge than the Strada, while the head tube relies on an oversized headset with a 1.5in lower bearing, which the hydraulic hoses route through.

The down tube is slender where it meets the head tube, then broadens at its midriff to completely shield two standard water bottles, which 3T claims improves aerodynamic efficiency.

The seat tube is bladed before it steps forward and shields the rear wheel, not dissimilar from Colnago’s Y1RS.

3T Strada Italia geometry

The Strada Italia’s geometry is more akin to an endurance bike than an aero bike, with a 72.7-degree head angle and 72.5-degree seat tube angle. This is paired with a 574mm stack and 388mm reach (on my 56cm test frame).

That’s both a bit taller and a little shorter than the original Strada and it reinforces 3T’s claims that the Strada Italia is more of an all-rounder than an elite racer's weapon.

Compared to the similarly pitched Parlee Ouray, the Strada Italia has 5mm less stack and 13mm more reach. Boardman’s all-new SLR has a similar all-rounder focus, with its 577mm stack and 394mm reach in the equivalent large size.

3T Strada Italia build

This Strada Italia is a pure superbike build, mixing a SRAM Red AXS groupset with Zipp’s 353 NSW wheelset and, naturally, components from 3T.

The brand’s Aeroflux Integrale bar is clamped in place by a 3T More carbon stem.

A proprietary carbon seatpost is topped with a Selle San Marco Superleggera saddle.

The Italia makes something of its large tyre clearance from the get-go with Vittoria’s Corsa Pro tubeless tyres in a road-smoothing 30mm width.

3T Strada Italia ride impressions

While the Strada Italia looks like an unforgiving aero bike (albeit with a slightly taller front end), I was surprised and impressed by how the bike rides.

It rolls much more smoothly over poorer road surfaces than a typical race bike, with those plush Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres contributing heavily to the ride quality, balanced by the frame’s stiffness and smoothness.

At the same time, the bike delivers a snappy feel to its steering responses and a solidity through the pedals that gives it a real sense of urgency when sprinting.

The Aeroflux Integrale handlebar has a superb shape with its flattened, deep and aero-profiled tops paired with the ergonomic drops, which encourage you to spend more time there.

The flattened tops offer a comfortable cruising spot for your hands, and the transition between the bar and the SRAM Red shifters is smooth, enabling you to make the most of the comfortable hood shape.

SRAM’s Red AXS continues to impress with its great brake feel and exemplary shifting performance. 3T includes the power meter crankset as standard, which goes a little way to justifying the steep price tag.

The 48/35t rings, combined with a 10-33t cassette, offer a pleasing, speed-orientated range.

The combination of light Zipp wheels and Vittoria tyres shines when heading uphill. The tyres come into their own on descents, with a supple feel and confidence-inspiring grip when cornering.

At the rear, I found the Selle San Marco saddle a comfortable match for the excellent bar – although, as ever, saddle comfort is subjective.

Compared to its rivals, the Strada Italia is marginally cheaper than Giant’s impeccable Defy Advanced SL 0 (£11,499) and £538 less than Specialized’s S-Works Roubaix SL8.

But Trek’s Domane SLR 9 is £163 more expensive and the Pinarello Dogma X commands a £1,838 premium.

Of course, when bikes are this expensive, relative value is a challenge to justify.

3T Strada Italia bottom line

The Strada Italia really surprised me. I was expecting a stiff, fast, unforgiving bike with slightly relaxed geometry – something in the mould of Ribble’s Allroad SL R.

While the bike is fast and stiff, it’s far more forgiving and fun than I expected.

The Strada Italia is a thoroughbred superbike – it’s great looking with a brilliantly considered spec and a joy to ride.

Although the Strada Italia is impossible to categorise, and it’s all the better for that, it might prove a tough sell in reality.

Wannabe pro racers will want a more aggressive position, and mile-munching endurance riders might be put off by its extreme, aero appearance.

But both parties would benefit from this type of Italian exotica.