3T Racemax2 Italia review: 3T's fastest gravel bike impresses – but only in the right conditions

The Racemax² Italia takes 3T’s original gravel-racing template and brings fully revised geometry, more tyre clearance and lower drag to the equation.  

3T claims this latest design is the most aerodynamic gravel bike it has ever made. That it’s handmade in Italy using bespoke carbon fibre in its construction increases the appeal, too.  

It results in a bike that’s impressively fast on gravel and tarmac, but flaws in this build hold it back from achieving its full potential.

• Read more: Best gravel bikes in 2026 – top-rated carbon, aluminium, titanium and steel gravel bikes reviewed

3T Racemax² Italia frameset 

3T’s gravel-bike options are extensive. It has both the Primo2 and Ultra occupying the all-road space, while the Racemax is optimised for 35 to 45mm tyres, putting it firmly in the gravel race genre. Then there’s the Extrema Italia, which is built for the toughest races, with 57mm tyre clearance.  

That means the Racemax2 Italia bridges the gap between the Racemax and Extrema Italia with its 51mm tyre clearance and aero design. 3T claims the new Racemax Italia is 1.5% more aerodynamic than its predecessor, which is impressive given the increased tyre clearance.

The frameset is handmade in Italy by 3T, using what it calls 'Jazz carbon’. It consists of a custom filament-wound carbon fibre that’s woven dry, with resin then injected into the mould before the curing process. The resin transfer moulding process is said to bring benefits such as higher accuracy and less material waste. 

The head-tube design combines a pointed nose and elongated tail. It’s a shape more likely to be seen on the latest aero road bikes, such as Cervélo’s S5, Ridley’s Noah Fast 3.0 and Merida’s Reacto. 

Nothing has escaped the aero treatment – even the fork has a cowled thru-axle thread, and there’s a cover over the brake caliper bolts, too. 

The aero-shaped down tube is oversized at 75mm wide, enabling it to fully shield a bottle and cage, and has a cut-out for the front wheel, akin to a time trial bike.  

3T has also added some practicality with the new down-tube storage, which features two positions for the bottle cage and uses a Fidlock magnetic mini-hook locking cover. Inside is a storage bag made for 3T by Miss Grape. 

Moving to the rear end, the aero-profiled seat tube has a wheel cut-out, helping to keep those chainstays very short – 420mm for a bike with 51mm tyre clearance is the shortest I’ve seen.   

The dropped seatstays create a tight rear triangle and meet the seat tube via an aerodynamically sculpted junction. It’s finished with an aerodynamic seatpost that incorporates a clip-in rear light. 

Despite those short stays, the Racemax² Italia is compatible with both 1x and 2x drivetrains, and you can run up to a maximum 52t chainring.  

3T Racemax² Italia geometry 

The new Racemax² Italia brings an all-new geometry, including a steeper head tube angle (counter to current trends) and super-short 420mm chainstays. The increased bottom bracket drop comes about to accommodate the larger tyre sizes.  

My size-large test bike has a very low 589mm stack and 385mm reach, paired with a 71.5-degree head angle and steep 74-degree seat angle. The 1,029mm wheelbase is short for a gravel bike, too. 

3T Racemax² Italia specification 

3T was an original proponent of the 1x drivetrain with the radical 3T Strada. It was therefore something of a surprise when my Racemax² Italia test bike arrived with a 2x Shimano GRX Di2 groupset. 

Outside the groupset is a selection of some smart 3T components. The cockpit combines 3T's aerodynamic More stem and Aeroghiaia handlebar, although 3T says it will also have updated cockpits built to suit the Racemax² Italia later this year.  

3T also provides its Discus 45|40 LTD wheels, weighing 1,438g with a hookless rim and huge 29mm internal width. They're wrapped with Schwalbe’s 45mm G-One RS Pro tyres.  

The bike is finished with a dedicated 3T aero carbon seatpost with integrated rear light, topped by Fizik’s 3D-printed version of the Antares saddle on my test bike (according to the spec list, you’re meant to get a Fizik Vento Argo R1 Light saddle).  

3T Racemax² Italia ride impressions 

The Racemax² Italia is a compellingly quick bike. On my gravel test loop, the first 10km included a mix of towpaths and tarmac, where the 3T was stunningly fast. The handling is very much like a road bike, even more so than the Orbea Terra I tested it alongside.  

Once I got onto proper gravel surfaces, (the wide choppy military byways and roads of Salisbury Plain in my case) I was impressed by how the 3T maintained its speed – it’s very much at its best on smoother, wide-open gravel.

But once I ventured off the beaten track and onto some singletrack with mixed surfaces, rocks and roots, I quickly found the limitations of this configuration.  

Firstly, the Schwalbe G-One RS Pro tyres don’t cope with mud, loose surfaces or even wet grass. The traction just isn’t there – they are simply not tyres for anything but dry hardpack conditions. As such, I’d never choose these tyres for the changeable conditions we have here in the UK.  

I wasn’t a fan of the 2x drivetrain either, despite running the first-generation 2x Shimano GRX Di2 on my Kinesis Tripster ATR. I found it wanting compared to the 1x13 SRAM drivetrains on the Argon 18 and Orbea. 

Although the shifting and braking are up to Shimano’s exemplary standards, I experienced a fair amount of front-derailleur chatter. The chain management over rougher terrain wasn’t as quiet as SRAM’s XPLR AXS systems either.  

I also ran into a few issues with the wire that routes to the front derailleur (the derailleur is powered by the same battery as the rear), where dirt would pull the wire out of it, which left me without front shifting until I’d diagnosed the problem. That said, the 46/30t crankset and 11-34t cassette give ample range for road and gravel riding.  

When it gets to more technical terrain, the Racemax² Italia’s handling is good, and certainly better than other aero-focused gravel bikes I’ve tried from BMC, Cervélo and Factor. That is small praise, however, because it can still be a handful, especially on tight, loose-surfaced turns, steep short drops and off-camber trails.  

The combination of a steeper head angle and low front end makes it akin to riding an aero road bike off-road. I’m a fan of being under-biked, relying more on my wits and dumb luck, but even I have my limits.  

3T Racemax² Italia bottom line

The Racemax2 Italia is a conundrum – the fact it’s brilliant on roads and smooth gravel is perhaps enough of a recommendation if that’s your preferred type of riding. But 3T already has three other bikes in that all-road bike space.

It’s a fun bike off-road, but for more aggressive and technical terrain, the Extrema Italia is the better option. 

All that said, the Racemax² Italia comes with rather generous tyre clearance. With some wider tyres better suited to the season, the bike would be improved immensely. 

I'd recommend the Racemax² Italia, but not in this configuration – I’d opt for the SRAM Force AXS XPLR model available for the same price.