Winter gravel racing! 3T Exploro RaceMax at Old Man Winter Rally
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2024
- Old Man Winter Rally is a gravel race in early February in Colorado - where the gamble with the weather is half the fun. This year, I tested the 3T Exploro RaceMax Apex build, and Mother Nature dumped a few inches of snow the night before that turned to slushy mud as the race progressed.
The clean-up to ride time ratio was high on this one!
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These just get better and better. The garage is looking like a high end, hotel lobby...with bikes in it, so you know, heaven!
If you can get your hands on a set of 650b’s you should definitely try them on the 3T with a 2.25” tire on some chonky terrain and have some cushy fun.
holy fenders that looks like type II fun
Not even a clip-on fender for the rear?
Great to see you on a 3T Ben! …I ride a 3T Exploro Ultra, which I reckon is the sweetspot 3T gravel bike, between the Racemax and the new Extrema (which is really intended as bikepacking geo). I run 40mm Schwalbe G-One RS gravel race tyres on 700c, but 45mm would fit too. And for chunkier adventures, 650b’s with 47mm Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres.
It seems many are forgetting the versatility of 650b wheels, with tyres up to 60mm as you note.
The massive rolling diameter of 700c / 29er mtb wheels and tyres on gravel bikes is heavy! 650b’s with 47-60mm mtb tyres are lighter and basically the same overall diameter as 700c wheels with 28-35mm tyres
It looks like we’re a similar size too Ben, I ride a size 56 in the 3T Ultra, with a 110mm stem. Classic race geo, but with a taller stack than a road race bike. Perfect for fast gravel. Also note that the Ultra (like the Extrema) has a round seat post, which is much more compliant and the seat clamp is much improved over the old clamp for the aero seatpost on the Racemax. With the round seatpost I don't find the Ultra too stiff at all. + The wide down tube does not make the bike heavy, it makes it strong yet light in the most important part of the frame (between head tube and bb).
...If you can get your hands of a 3T Exploro Ultra, I reckon you might like it.
Congrats Ben on this ride and excellent video and Silca sponsorship - well deserved. Tubeless setup 100%, and next time as per Josh’s recent video, putting some Silca synergetic on the valve and core will help this excellent sealant not stick - something I’ll be trying soon. Lots of excellent tips in this video. Also Ben, If you are interested in connecting on the medical aspects of fitness for your channel, I’ll reach out on LinkedIn, congrats again 🎉
Have fun in Colombia. Great climate, food and people. Has some amazing geography sandwiched in between the Carribean sea and the pacific ocean with tall mountains separting them.
I've got an Exploro Team and maybe it's because I'm on 45mm tires but the complaints about a harsh ride are overstated or guys needing a couch ! Paint chipping is another non-issue maybe it was on an older version ,as is the seatpost slipping-none here but the seatpost does have a rough surface near the entry to the frame, maybe that was a fix.
My bike was glad I rode the course on Thursday when it was 60° and sunny
Loving the new studio setup, it's coming together.
Getting there!
So many mechanicals and dead bikes with the mud this year. Good stuff!
Oh $hit. Your covered in it my dude. Your a trooper. Good stuff 💪
I've had a 3T Exploro Ultra for a year and half and overall its a pretty good bike, like there isn't another gravel bike I would choose other than maybe an Italia version.
I'm set up with the 3T Discus 45|40s and use Tufo Swampero 40s for pretty much everything - theyd be perfect for that course. Those stock Fulcrum Reds are trash wheels if I'm being honest, had freehub issues with it.
It does feel a bit short length wise, but as you mention its my most comfortable bike, road or gravel, to ride in the drops.
Pretty happy with my Force/XX1 setup, 42-10/52.
Read tire clearance did screw me once at Chino Grinder in AZ, the clay mud built up and got stuck-had to use a stick to get it out. But in thr Northeast on the gravel here it is a non-issue even when I hit mud on singletrack.
Seigla (say-glah)
Please, you’re a smart guy, this gets me every time
Loved this. Good job Ben 👍
Thanks Ben
The Racemax with 650b MTB tyres, mullet (xx1/Force) is a killer bike...I am tall (6'3) and heavy (207 pounds) and the frame is just perfect for me, other frames flex too much under stress, this one is solid (I do 95% of all tracks I'd normally only do with my fully)....and it is super fast!
That's useful info. I'm a similar size and I'm choosing between an Exploro and a Roadmachine. How comfortable are you on your bike? Does it feel more aggressive or more relaxed?
@@shawnfowler4660 It feels aggressive but because of the great fit (geometry) I feel extremely comfortable (I also have an aero bike which feels a lot less comfortable)...I owned many bikes and for my body shape, fitness and flexibility, the geometry feels perfect...
@@ole5703 Than you. That's exactly the info I was looking for. I keep reading reviews that say it's aggressive, but the stack and reach look pretty relaxed. Way more relaxed than something like the Lauf Seigla or the Aspero. I think it might be the bike for me.
what size frame did you go with?
@@gabespartan I ended up getting a Specialized Roubaix. But the 58cm in the Exploro would have definitely been the right size for me.
You like a giant on that bike Ben 😂😂😂
Nice event - gotta love crud over thawing hardpack! I'd be very interested to see you review an Exploro Italia. I had a Racemax and upsized to get more top tube, but still found it a bit sketchy at the rear end - it would swap around under power at speed and always felt a bit nervous full gas downhill over deeper gravel.. A shame, because it was otherwise a very fast, comfortable bike, ahead of its time. I ran 650b - the bike was never really meant for 700c beyond 'Italian gravel!'
Muckiest conditions I've raced in yet, it was good fun!
I’ve been riding one of these for the past year. Took it to bwr ca, and SBT. Other than failing as a 2x (1x mullet works just fine). I wonder if they changed the layup because I find my 51 to be extremely stiff. Not quite as stiff as my old chamois Hagar, but stiff. About to bring the rig to rock cobbler so hopefully it behaves as well in the mud as it did for you.
Glad to see you liked the bike as it’s served me very well. For a smaller person this geo is excellent, just worth mentioning
That's what I've heard pretty much everywhere, I was wondering the same thing.
I mean, my wife really likes the looks of these 3Ts and we all know that is a ++. But I am not into a stiff ride ... Also, I need a 2x.
Re: “failing as a 2x” is this the chain suck problem when dropping from big to small in the front? I really want this frame to work for me, but I’m committed to 2x, so have been afraid of pulling the trigger based on chain suck issues reported on the WW CX/Gravel forum. I know Ben likes 2x, I was hoping he’d have comments on 2x use 😢
Yes this was the chain suck issue. I got an Obed GVR that has very similar geo that works much better as a 2x. I wonder if the time adhx 45 would behave itself with 2x.
As a 1x it’s dead reliable and has enough range for the hilly San Diego rides I do.
To clarify, I was running an unsupported sram 2x setup with an xplr rear derailleur and cassette, it absolutely contributed to the chain suck issue. However it did happen once with the stock RD and cassette. Maybe it works better with shimano? I’ll never know haha
I have the Strada and I can attest that the seat clamp is the worst I've ever used. It uses a pinch principle, which is a terrible way to support weight (the advantage is that you can adjust the seat angle independently) and requires a T27 wrench, so I had to special order that size bit for my torque wrench, since it is basically never supplied in kits.
Oh good, it wasn’t just me! I heard riders had to replace entire drivetrains and brake set ups.
Warrior...
lol and at the end lol got to love ya
Has no one there heard of this great invention called fenders? A clip-on set front/rear would've done wonders. Love the SKS Speedrockers for this stuff. Still would've dealt with muck from wheels in front of you, but I'm sure it would've made a big difference.
At least something like a Crudcatcher up front and Raceguard out back?
What is this black magic you speak of?
Ben that upbeat outro music can't fool me, I know your fingers were cold as fudge when you were hosing that bike off
Hot water from the house - run through the dog door!
Haha yeah after the weather here on Saturday I just couldn’t muster to start the OMWR.
lol i know u have a hose before u got inside , u should be shame lol , but u earned it , nice review thank you
I had to go to 650b in order to run anything larger than 38. I tried a 700x42 setup, which resulted in zero clearance. With mud like this I would have been totally hosed.
Oh, nice, you'll be here in Colombia. I was looking at a SCARAB a few years back. Will be interested as to your thoughts on the bikes and the terrain. Keep in mind that three consecutive years of La Niña weather phenomenon (relentless rains) have turned the once somewhat softer "gravel" roads (those don't really exist here) into mini boulder fields, exposing every jagged, sharp rock looking to make a mess out of your sidewalls...
Yeah, I have been told that the gravel riding is really more mountain biking. 😁 I am very much looking forward to the visit though as it looks so beautiful - and warm!
It's been my experience that there's no more special way to see Colombia than on a bicycle and the SCARAB crew have put together something really special. Enjoy! @@TheRidewithBenDelaney
Hi Ben, I’m heading to Tucson too next month. Can’t to see where you ride.
I built one of these for my friend. Pretty wild frame. If it had downtube storage it would be killer.
I'm glad you mentioned that, as I wish I had. With such a massive down tube, you could get some SUV-like storage in there.
I have the swat box in my MTB--and while I don't go in there that much, it's awesome to be able to use that space. You could fit like 3 burritos end-to-end in the 3T! Or a giant Baguette. @@TheRidewithBenDelaney
Hard to believe this bike is so old now, but I've heard from people that have ridden it, it is a harsh ride.
The frame and fork are plenty stiff, but I find the post to have a decent amount of flex. That could well be because I'm 185lb/84kg and some of my friends who don't like it are much lighter.
Considering making the jump from 40T SRAM Rival to 42T on my Ventum GS1. Easy enough yes? Thanks Ben. By the way, the new shop looks great!
Gotta wonder about mud clearance for the rear wheel on that bike. It was probably one of the bikes that got destroyed at Unbound this year. How much of an aero gain is had for that tradeoff. Gotta be very limited.
It will fit approximately a 44mm tire depending on the internal rim width.
Woh Epic 🤙
You really need to test the new 3T RaceMax Italia (integrate cables). Made my last Crux (2022), appeared slow.
Hopefully soon.
This is the type of ride people that pay for their bikes themselves should skip. That gritty mud will never be completely removed.
People do worse with significantly more expensive cars(that they pay for). The mass majority of the people in this race paid for their bikes😂
C'mon! These things are for riding, not to admire hanging on a wall.
a clean gravel bike, i never heard of it
Preach, Larry.
I did this event. My bike is definitely screwed and I still think it was worth it. It's just an opportunity to break my bike down and give it a good spring clean8ng. 😅
Are the cables long enough to remove the bars easily for packing in an Evoke style bag for travel? This IMHO should be a question answered in reviews as some of us fly with our bikes . It is the one single question that I'm in the dark about from so many youtube bike reviews, and so I still haven't pulled the trigger for a gravel bike because I don't know, and I live, ride and compete on the other side of the planet half the year.
On this one, yes. In my experience, pretty much any bike with a standard stem and bar works for putting in bag. The ones that route through the headset have less hose length to play with, but are still doable. It's when you get into the integrated cockpits that you get hosed - and have to go with the baby-elephant bags that let you leave the bars on, or remove the calipers so you can pull more hose for clearance.
Informative video so thank you. Have you ever done a video on the Giant Revolt Advanced Pro?
th-cam.com/video/e4wGjeNyadY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney
th-cam.com/video/65Sla-cIz98/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney
There's more
i've owned my 3T exploro race max for little over 2 years with a 2x sram force set up. The first 6 months the bike was perfect but after that the bottom bracket would constantly make knocking sounds when putting power down. I had it checked out multiple time and one time the bottom bracket got so loose it broke my front derailleur off the frame. After that I put a 1x sram force xplr setup on it hoping it would fix the bottom bracket issue. Unfortunately the knocking still happens and i literally just got it out of the bike shop 3 days ago. I've never been more bummed about a bike than this bike.
I have a ceramicspeed bb which so far has been flawless in really dusty but dry conditions typically.
Hi! For this kind of ride with aerobar what grx gear dontou use front and rear?
Thx
That cable coming out of the top tube.... would that negate being able to us a top tube bag? The best on your trip to Colombia! Jealous you get to ride in my birth country.
No, it doesn’t. There are bolts on the top tube, although you might end up with the bag a little further back than might be ideal.
I actually prefer the cable entering the top tube on my 3T Exploro Ultra, than into the downtube. It looks unusual, but in fact it’s neater IMO. No problems at all with a top tube bag either, as Ben says it just sits slightly further back.
Clogging in the 10 might have been wax sitting between the 10&11 from when it was run in (which takes longer in the cold). Scrape the wax out the gap both sides of the 10?..
That is a good shout, and might have been it. I mean, I removed the chain to wax it, but perhaps there was a bit on the outside of the links that was only noticeable when wrapped on that tiny cog. 🤷♂️
Ben, When you finish a ride in weather/course conditions like this, do you have to replace components like brake pads and rotors, and drivetrain stuff? Love the gravel scene but hate the post-ride maintenance time and cost when conditions are “heroic”.
Hey Steve. I feel you on the post-ride maintenance! And frankly I'm not paying for the equipment, so it's mostly just time for me.
Short answer is it depends. If it's not too terrible and maintenance is done quickly, then no, new stuff isn't needed. But I have done a few rides that completely nuked new brake pads - like down to the metal, gone, done-zo. And extracting grit from the bb and hubs isn't standard maintenance for me. So that sucks.
Funkwerks is where it's at
What kind of bike will fit a 750D OMG
A steel mule WTB had built to test this size.
I've seen some people spray wd40 all over the frame to prevent mud from sticking. Have you tried that?
Hi Ben
Have you did a review on the TIME 45 Gravel bike yet ? Ready to purchase but value your input prior to pressing the button
I have one lined up to test starting in May. On paper, err, the web, it looks great in terms of geo and construction and paint.
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney couldn’t wait 😂 pressed the button and picked it up on Saturday!!! I think you’ll love what you see
This is why I can’t get into gravel riding, every one ends up with more hours washing and servicing the bike than riding 😂. Cyclocross is bad enough sometimes.
I'm curious why they had you test the older model when the new model has eliminated that horrendous cable routing behind the stem. I would be curious to have you compare the old model vs. new one. Keep up the solid content!!
Good question. Alberto at 3T asked me if I wanted to test the new one soon but also test the old one since I had not ridden it. So I opted for both. And yeah, I will compare when I get my paws on the new one. Cheers.
Ben, always enjoyable videos; I do have a question for you. I owned the Exploro Ultra and noticed a lot of vibration of the waterbottle cage on the downtube. I figured it was due to how thin the carbon is in that area, but it was bad enough I worried about how long the rivnuts (inserts) were going to stay put in the frame. Any issues of that nature?
I’ve been riding an Ultra for a year now, no such issues. I love it. More tyre clearance than the Racemax too.
Hmm, no, haven't noticed that.
@@3TZZZthe Racemax and Ultra frames from the past year or two have the same chainstay length and fork (ie same tyre clearance), only difference is the round seatpost, downtube width and join at bb area on the Ultra.
Interesting thanks, yes it looks like Racemax increased chainstay length to match Ultra. The round seat post makes a big difference re comfort/compliance, as well as better clamp. I had the original 3T with aero seat post and the difference is very noticeable. Love my Ultra! Cheers @@SJ-tk4ri
I have the seigla rigid! (Your review absolutely influenced my decision somewhat.) Did you swap out the cassette? I have an 11-44 on mine with the apex?
Also great content as always!!
I just tested the stock out of the box.
what is the largest cassette the Apex RD will shift?
How much performance difference do you notice between the Apex group and other bikes that you test with, say Force? Thanks!
The most noticeable difference when riding - or just hefting the bike - is weight. That's not necessarily a performance difference, but a tangible one, and w/kg is performance, right? I'm not sure the brakes are as good. Certainly lower quality/cost materials. The shifting is pretty darn similar; if there's a difference I couldn't give you a quantitative or qualitative analysis.
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney thanks so much for the reply!!
Hey Ben, are you coming out to Barry Roubaix this year?
I wish I was! But no, dang it. Have fun!
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney all damn
How did the wax lube hold up in those conditions? No chain drops?
Great. No chain drops, and very little muck accumulation on the chain.
Awesome. I've been waxing for a bit over a year now, but haven't had to ride in such conditions yet. In the past with dry or oil based lube it was always horrible when it rained during a gravel race.@@TheRidewithBenDelaney
Apex AXS doesn’t look like ‘4th tier’ to me, especially not on that nice bike. Looks more like ‘other tier’… 1X only, simpler finish, marginally heavier, but same electronics as ‘higher’ tiers. Compelling value. Perhaps SRAM should have named it something else.
When I bought my 3T Ultra, I thought it was the bike of my dreams. I was so excited for the massive tire clearance and sleek looking frame. A short list of complaints so that any viewers of this video understand how awful this bike really is:
- paint chips with the smallest of gravel rocks
- Had to warranty an entire frame because of seatpost creak,
- cable routing is beyond stupid and gets in the way of race tags on the handlebars
- that aero tucked tire means that there is NO clearance for rocks, if one gets lodged in your tire it is going to carve up your frame
- 3T support made my bike shop do over 10 hours of unpaid shop
Time to try to fix my bike
- this bike and the Racemax are so stiff I had to move from 42mm pathfinders to 55mm Conti Race kings. Bike would literally shake you into another dimension on descents sometimes
I would recommend SO many other bikes compared to this one. The bike is on the verge of greatness, and in doing so, it’s just not worth riding or buying
Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you mind if I ask how much you weight? My theory for some bikes is that a heavier rider like me gets more flex out of a seatpost than lighter riders.
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney I weigh around 85-88 kg’s depending on the season. The seatpost wasn’t flexing too much (given how stiff the bike is that would’ve been welcome), the seatpost actually wore a hole in the side of the seatpost tube (unsure of exact name). Thus causing the seatpost to rock constantly in an unsafe manner, hence the warranty
@chrissheldon2681 doh! Sorry to hear it.
Summer gravel riding is crap never mind winter
Seems a bit dumb to do a race like this on a non-gearbox bike to be honest
i don't think I would ever buy a bike from a company owned by Gerard Vroomen. He isn't a licensed engineer that attended any accredited engineering school. Not sure why he calls himself an engineer when he really isn't. He's a skilled manipulator and sketchy character at best.
PT Barnum of cycling...but he's far from the only one!
Hi Ben, Would you prefer 58 on that bike?TY
That ugly cable routing would be enough to make me not buy that bike. It would irritate me every time I looked at it, and I wouldn't be excited to ride it. Maybe that seems silly, but aesthetics matter, especially when something stands out as a negative.