Just over six months ago, during the Giro d’Italia, we launched the Strada Italia. While it introduced many innovations beyond its Italian manufacturing origins, the Strada Italia remained true to the philosophy that inspired 3T’s first road bike in 2017: aerodynamics and geometry tailored around wide road tires, delivering the comfort real-world riders need to be fast in real-world conditions—not just on the velodrome-smooth roads freshly resurfaced for events like the Tour de France.
The Three Prophecies of the Strada
While global road maintenance hasn’t seen significant improvements over the last decade and we still must deal with rough tarmac and holes in the ground when road riding, some technologies and bike industry trends have evolved rapidly, fulfilling several of the “prophecies” embedded in the original Strada project:
- The demise of rim brakes. The first Strada Team was built exclusively for disc brakes, and over the last eight years, we’ve witnessed the near-total extinction of rim brakes, which are now an extreme niche choice.
- The rise of wide tires. The Strada Team was optimized for “wide” road tires at a time when 28mm tires were considered borderline sacrilegious in the racing world. Today, excellent 32mm and even 35mm road tires are available, and 30mm has become the standard.
- The advent of 1x drivetrains. The original Strada was designed as 1x-only, with no provision for a front derailleur. Yet, the Strada Italia (until now) has been offered exclusively in 2x configurations. What happened to the third prophecy?
Where Does 1x Stand in the Road Bike World Today?
Spoiler alert: it hasn’t fully come to pass—yet. The shift toward 1x drivetrains in the road world has been much slower than the transitions to disc brakes and wider tires. While 1x is now mandatory in MTB and dominates a large segment of the gravel market (even though many still prefer a double chainring), it remains a niche choice in the road world. However, its appearance in professional racing, particularly among SRAM-sponsored teams, is becoming increasingly frequent.
This isn’t surprising! The main issue—gear ratios that couldn’t fully match the range gearing of a 2x setup and its small steps between gears—has largely been resolved. Meanwhile, the undeniable advantages of 1x remain: removing the front derailleur reduces aerodynamic turbulence around the bottom bracket and simplifies maintenance by eliminating a potential failure point.
While we’ve become less radical about 1x since 2017, we couldn’t resist reintroducing it on one of our road bikes. The moment to re-awaken the 1x by story is here.
3T and 1x Road Bikes
Experimenting with off/all-road groupsets (whether CX or gravel) on road bikes has been a core part of our DNA. Each step in this journey has expanded the potential user base:
- 2017: We paired a CX-specific Force1 groupset with the first Strada Team. While this worked well for a select group of riders, the audience grew when we introduced our dedicated 9×32 cassettes—though it remained relatively small.
- Early 2019: SRAM released the first 1×12 electronic groupsets, enabling more riders to forgo a front chainring.
- Late 2020: Campagnolo launched its gravel-specific Ekar groupset with 13 speeds and a smaller 9-tooth cog on two of three cassette options. This eliminated gear ratio concerns for even more Strada users.
Today: enter SRAM XPLR AXS
SRAM’s Red XPLR AXS 1×13 groupset (complementing the 1×12 XPLR family that includes Rival and Force since 2021) removes the last barriers to adopting 1x on road bikes. Offering a gear range nearly identical to 2x setups, it also introduces additional benefits unique to transmission groupsets: effortless shifting without interrupting your pedal stroke and the peace of mind of a derailleur hanger that won’t bend from a minor fall—like a bike tipping over in a café stop breeze.
Although marketed primarily as an all-road groupset and most often paired with gravel frames, we saw its potential for the Strada Italia. The first complete groupset we received went to the Extrema used by Alex Martinez to win Badlands in September. But months before building that bike, we tested an early Red XPLR AXS sample on the new Strada Italia UDH. The result? The final chapter in an 8-year saga brings us closer than ever to fulfilling the third prophecy.
Strada Italia SRAM Red XPLR AXS 1×13
The Strada Italia is now available on our website and through select retailers in two builds:
- With 3T 45|32 wheels: for those prioritizing aerodynamics, priced at EUR 9.836 / GBP 8.852 / USD 11.311 exc. VAT
- With Zipp 353 NSW wheels: for those prioritizing weight, priced at 11.065 / GBP 9.959 / USD 12.725 exc. VAT
