RACEMAX
For the gravel racer who prioritizes speed above all else – now with fully hidden cables.
Designed to be the perfect gravel race machine: The Racemax (Integrale) frameset is fastest with 700c 35-46mm WAM tires. Built like this its top speed rivals the best road bikes out there. Whether you’re on asphalt, easy or tough gravel, you can be confident that you have the fastest setup on the start line.
WPNT = hand-painted in Italy.
"WPNT" stands for "We Paint": a statement that, with the opening of 3T’s new paint facility in Montello (Bergamo province), just a few kilometers from HQ, ideally complements the brand’s slogan: "We Dream We Build We Ride." This strategic investment in painting—3T’s last step to fully control its production process from carbon fiber to a complete, ready-to-ride bike—brings multiple advantages:
Whether riding road or gravel, we love speed. So everything on the RaceMax frame is engineered for that. The end result is a fast gravel bike that:
Best of all, the very same RaceMax frame can be built up with a focus on pure speed with 35-46mm WAM tires in 700c or it can also be turned into an unstoppable machine with very wide 650b tires up to 61mm WAM. Handy for that epic ride or trip abroad. And with two wheelsets, you can switch between the two setups easily. That’s RaceMax.
Running cables internally can be nice and potentially reduce aero drag, but what is the point if you end up with a very wide and bulky headtube with oversized bearings to house the cables?
Our goal was to hide the cables but keep the headtube narrow. Quite the puzzle but the result is stunning.
To top it off, the cables hide inside the 3T Apto Integrale, using the original minimalist Apto shape but with cable guidance. Beauty meets functionality as this gives you full adjustability of the carbon bar (or even the possibility to change the bar with another 3T carbon bar) to find the perfect fit. Because aerodynamics are meaningless if you cannot comfortably hold your aero position.
RaceMax (Integrale) is compatible with SRAM and Shimano electronic drivetrains, both 2x and 1x.
For more information see MANUAL
To make the fastest possible gravel bike, you need to start with the tire. Tire choice determines comfort & grip. But it also determines how you can shape the frame to redirect the airflow.
To aerodynamically engineer the frame around the tires, you need to know what their REAL measurements are. Not what’s on the label, but how they really fit. That’s REALFAST aerodynamics. But it’s not easy, as the tire dimension depends on the rim you use, the pressure and of course how accurate the manufacturer’s claimed size is.
So we took hundreds of measurements to know the real tire widths (which we call WAM - Width As Measured and RAM - Radius As Measured) and use that to engineer the frame around.
Please note that running a front derailleur (especially an electronic version) will limit the tire width you can fit.
The most important dimension is the WAM as that directly correlates to traction, puncture resistance, aerodynamics and rolling resistance. The WAM you need depends on three factors:
The graph on the left indicates the WAM you need, and based on the rim width you use,you can find our favorite tires for each WAM here. Please note that running a front derailleur (especially an electronic version) will limit the tire width you can fit.
Starting from our favorite tires, we then engineered a perfectly fitting rear wheel cutout (with mud clearance of course) and a closely trailing downtube to catch the airflow coming off the front tire. We added a super-narrow headtube (yet with a big steerer inside it), a multi-shape fork and aero details from seatstay to seatpost and from the shielded water bottle to the direct-attachment brake mounts.
Most importantly, we engineered this for realistic riding speeds, wind speeds, tire widths, bottle positions and even for mud. We don’t care if it is theoretically fast in the windtunnel with a fantasy spec. We care if it is fast the way you ride it in real world conditions.
RaceMax and RaceMax Italia share the same geometry, angles, shapes and tire clearance, while production techniques are different: as a result, the ride feel changes between RaceMax and RaceMax Italia. The RaceMax is produced with pre-preg carbon technology, resulting in the perfect race gravel machine. The RaceMax Italia takes performance to the next level, offering even greater reactivity and rider confidence thanks to the 3T proprietary filament winding and RTM technology (delivered straight from our Italian factory).
RaceMax / RaceMax Italia compared to Ultra: similar geometry and fit, different soul. The RaceMax frameset is fastest with 35-46mm WAM tires. Set up like this, its top speed rivals the best road bikes out there (with a little help from the full integrated cables too) while still being compatible with the possibility to use up to 61mm WAM 650b tires. The Ultra is the reverse. It is aerodynamically optimized for 55-61mm WAM 650b tires thanks to its wider downtube near the front tire. If you prefer a smaller tire, you can run a 700c tire up to a 46mm WAM. RaceMax is more about pure speed with dedicated aero seatpost and fully hidden cabels. The Ultra combines its aero seattube with a 27.2mm standard round seatpost and cables are partially routed externally, keeping it simpler when travelling and adventure calls.
The Primo frame features a more road inspired geometry, partially external cables while still allowing for excellent wheel and tire versatility. Ride your faster days with 700c tires then swap to 650b when adventure calls. The perfect all-round bike.
Close-fitting cutout to shield the rear wheel and achieve the most speed.
No oversized gaps between front tire & downtube for better airflow transition and less turbulence.
The original Exploro set today’s standard for up to 54mm tire clearance. The RaceMax has up to 61mm with 650b"!
Lower downtube aero profile is 75mm wide to fully shield water bottle.
Upper downtube necks down to 50mm to pick up the airflow coming off the front tire.
Reduced depth on smaller sizes to keep frame compliant and keep space for bottles.
Headtube is sizes like a road bike for a narrow 1 1/8”- 1 ¼”steerer for optimal aerodynamics.
Inside that narrow headtube is a big 1 1/2” steerer for best strength and stiffness.
To fit this big steerer inside the narrow headtube, we use the custom MinMax headset.
Fork crown shapes haven’t changed much since brakes were attached there. Now that we have disc brakes, we don’t need that bulk of material and can reshape the crown for better strength, stiffness and weight. Plus better aerodynamics.
With the shorter crown, we can make our forks 25mm (1 inch) shorter than other gravel bikes. Exactly the same as a road fork. This offers better stiffness, lower weight, an easier steering geometry and better aerodynamics.
Dropping the drive-side chainstay improves tire & crank clearance. Dropping the other side as well creates a much more efficient structure behind the BB for higher stiffness & strength as well as lower weight.
Most of our complete bikes come with threaded BBs for the best alignment and to avoid any issues. Yet we avoid gluing threaded alloy rings into the carbon (added weight, complexity and debonding risk). Read more here.
Standard frames require an adaptor to use a 160mm brake rotor. We have integrated that into the frame, meaning you don’t need any extra pieces to attach the brake.
Standard forks require a flip-flop adaptor to set the correct brake rotor size. Our direct-mount pre-sets the caliper for 160mm rotors without any extra pieces.
Invisible until you need them. Perfect for our custom fenders.
Self-adjusting bolt angle for higher clamping forces with lower torque.
The new standard for gravel bikes, available for round and oval rails.
Size | XXS | 51 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 61 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rider Height (cm) | 145-160 | 157-171 | 168-180 | 176-186 | 183-195 | 192 & up |
Rider Height* (inches) | 4'9"-5'3" | 5'2"-5'7" | 5'6"-5'11" | 5'9"-6'1" | 6'0"-6'5" | 6'3 & up |
Stack | 522 | 544 | 566 | 586 | 606 | 634 |
Reach | 353 | 364 | 374 | 382 | 390 | 401 |
"Road" Headtube | 125 | 147 | 161 | 180 | 201 | 230 |
Headtube angle | 68.7 | 69.2 | 70.7 | 71.7 | 72.2 | 72.2 |
Fork axle-crown | 375 | 375 | 375 | 375 | 375 | 375 |
Front center | 597 | 612 | 607 | 612 | 622 | 642 |
Rear center | 418 | 418 | 418 | 418 | 418 | 418 |
BB drop | 77 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 73 | 73 |
Toptube length | 501 | 518 | 536 | 549 | 563 | 582 |
Seattube length | 463 | 463 | 490 | 518 | 545 | 572 |
Seattube angle | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
* Rider heights are approximations. For more accuracy, compare stack/reach with your current bike or visit your 3T retailer.
** RaceMax FORK length is equal to a standard road bike, so this HEADTUBE length can be compared to road bikes. To compare to gravel bikes with standard gravel forks, deduct 25mm from these “road" headtube lengths for a proper comparison.