If you missed my musings about the (road) bike of the future, consider yourself lucky. If you have twenty minutes to kill, go here.
The gist of it is that the aerodynamics of the Exploro were primarily designed to make you fast on gravel (“go slow faster”). Despite early detractors, that actually makes a lot of sense on the wind-swept routes that tend to attract gravel riders. Of course, those same aerodynamics make the Exploro fast on regular pavement too. That’s handy on many real-life rides that combine asphalt, gravel, dirt and other surfaces all in one big smorgasbord. But it also means the Exploro is a very fast bike when used on a pure road ride, simply by changing the tire or wheels.
Some may call it “two bikes for the price of one”. Some say it’s an N-1 bike (as opposed to “the ideal number of bikes you should own is N+1 with N being the current number of bikes you own”). Maybe you prefer quiver bike, or quiver-killer bike, though the latter doesn’t make sense to me. Isn’t the quiver already the one thing that holds everything (the arrows) together? Were “individually wrapped arrows” once the rage in the Middle Ages? Or is your garage really the quiver, and your bikes the arrows? Questions, questions. But I digress.
Bottomline, here it is: the Exploro Speed.
It features the award-winning Exploro frame in TEAM or LTD level coupled to a speed-focused Force 1 drivetrain with carbon power-ready crank, Discus C35 TEAM carbon aero wheels and, as an option, our super-slippery 3T Torno crank.
Maybe I’m biased, but while the Torno has a following of avid fans, it’s still a fairly unknown to the larger public. I understand it is not a bargain product, but it is such a nice crank that I hope more people will grab a chance to spec it on their bike (which is why we have made the Torno option as affordable as we can on the Exploro Speed, allowing you to get an Exploro with Force 1, carbon wheels and the Torno for under 6,000).
The bladed crank arms, the integrated spider and axle, this crank is a thing of beauty, and not just for engineers. Plus it’s made right here in our factory in Bergamo, in the foothills of the Italian Alps.
We’ve made a limited number of Exploro Speed bikes, just to see what everybody thinks. I think I know the answer, because we have been getting more and more requests for this spec, but as adventurous as we are with product design (“BE FIRST”), as conservative we are when it comes to putting new bikes in our inventory. So if you want one, speak to your 3T store today.
And don’t forget, the Exploro Speed hasn’t lost any of its off-road prowess: switch the tires or throw on 650b wheels and off you go.
All the specs and prices on the Exploro Speed can be found here.
