3T Strada aero road bike is made for wide tires and 1×12 drivetrains

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lockxchg
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2016 7:35 pm

by lockxchg

What's the deal with that totally unworkable tire clearance in all the press pictures? Feels a bit silly to have all the elaborate shots riding on the cobbles when you are stopping every five minutes to clear some stones from your fork.

SuperDave
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by SuperDave

lockxchg wrote:What's the deal with that totally unworkable tire clearance in all the press pictures? Feels a bit silly to have all the elaborate shots riding on the cobbles when you are stopping every five minutes to clear some stones from your fork.


The tires used in the press pictures were ~31mm. For a cobbled race riders would likely use 26-28mm tubulars. In fact, the tire section on those "continental tires used to win Paris Roubaix will have just slightly more tire clearance on the back of the seat tube and greater tire clearance on the front derailleur area for sure!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 8849933970
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjo8O7jmMjWAhUJ5WMKHWcoBaYQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bikehugger.com%2Fposts%2Fhayman-wins-paris-roubaix-on-a-foil%2F&psig=AFQjCNGlEWaLuTzwVGYl2xuatAuopSBfZQ&ust=1506698849933970

I suspect that riders who will be riding on the cobbles will choose suitable tires. My personal experience having raced the STRADA in a 100km road race with 90km of dirt/gravel roads with 28cm Schwalble tires that measured 29.7mm wide was unencumbered by any contact between the tire and frame. Perhaps my experience (and Backstedt's) was unique. Of course the STRADA owners can elect to run 23c or 25c tires if additional tire clearance is desired. For many road racing frames 30mm section tires are not even an option and for those that do allow 30mm tires to fit, those clearance envelopes often ignore aerodynamics.

Good news however. 3T also makes a road frame that fits 40mm tires. If you prioritize tire clearance or plan to run large section tires on muddy cobbles routinely, I'd suggest the EXPLORO with some 47mm WTB or Panaracer tires or 48mm Compass or 50 Maxxis or even the Schwalbe Big One (60mm) up front for added cushion.

The STRADA isn't a bike for everyone, and that's good. It allows us to create a bike that is ideal for someone instead watering down features and blending in with the dozens of other bikes that populate the current road market's diminishing sales volume.

Regards,
SD

romalor
Posts: 241
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 3:56 pm

by romalor

I can run a 28 mm nominal gp4000S2 with plenty of space on the front of my aero disc road bike : velocite syn
it measures around 30 31 mm

will send a picture
can't put bigger than 25 mm nominal width GP4000S2 at the back

At Paris Roubaix 2017 , most were on 28 mm tubulars
Some on 30 mm tubulars ... like sagan ...

SuperDave
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by SuperDave

romalor wrote:I can run a 28 mm nominal gp4000S2 with plenty of space on the front of my aero disc road bike : velocite syn
it measures around 30 31 mm

will send a picture
can't put bigger than 25 mm nominal width GP4000S2 at the back

At Paris Roubaix 2017 , most were on 28 mm tubulars
Some on 30 mm tubulars ... like sagan ...


I think you'll find the riders using 28mm tires where the find the volume suitable for the conditions.
-SD

Succisa75
Posts: 57
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:06 pm

by Succisa75

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd chime in here since I have ridden the Strada for a bit as the 3T Distributor where I live was kind enough to let me take it out extensively.
This bike is one of their pre-production demos going around so the final product will probable change in some ways, hopefully :)

Build quality: Very nice, much like the Exploro. While the Black color like the Exloro is higher-end version, the red is the star color on this frame.

Gearing: As it is right now it's not as bad as you might think. On paper its one thing, riding is another. The new cassettes will be greatly welcomed but it's still capable as it is now.

Geometry: My main bike is a Cipollini NK1K for reference. The Strada isn't as aggressive as the Cipo up front, especially with a taller headtube, but those that compare it to the S5 wouldn't be far off.

Tire Clearance: Here is where it gets interesting. The Demo bike comes with Continental GP4000SII 28mm but when you pump them up to their max the wheel rubs heavily. I think it's been said here that the tires aren't a true 28mm and more like 29 to 30. Other 28mm do not have this problem.
Because the tire clearance is so minimal, the frame tends to knock any gravel off the tire before it gets jammed between the tire and the frame.
Like SuperDave mentioned, if you are really concerned, going down to a 25mm tire will give you more clearance, but this bike is designed to go with 28mm.

Now my issue with the bike isn't so much with tire clearance, gearing etc., its to do with the brakes and the flex in the frame.
Disc brakes are fantastic for stopping power, aerodynamics etc, but the frame does flex and when that happens the discs rub against the brakes which have minimal clearance, to begin with. The brakes are SRAM btw. Shimano brakes have more clearance between the pads and the disc, thus reduce the risk of rubbing. SRAM brakes leave very little room for frame flex, thus causing some loss of power and rotation while riding.

Hopefully, the production frame will address this by either making the seat stay and chain stay stiffer or work with SRAM on the brakes.

Overall, the bike has grown on me over the couple weeks I have ridden on it. It's a bike you need to ride first before coming to conclusions. From what I read here and heard, excited to see the final production model.

BTW I do not work for 3T or have any financial interest in the company, just in case you are wondering :)

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

Tire Clearance: Here is where it gets interesting. The Demo bike comes with Continental GP4000SII 28mm but when you pump them up to their max the wheel rubs heavily. I think it's been said here that the tires aren't a true 28mm and more like 29 to 30. Other 28mm do not have this problem.
Because the tire clearance is so minimal, the frame tends to knock any gravel off the tire before it gets jammed between the tire and the frame.
Like SuperDave mentioned, if you are really concerned, going down to a 25mm tire will give you more clearance, but this bike is designed to go with 28mm.

See this is where it gets confusing. 3T launched this bike as a rough road, comfortable aero-bike. 3T recognises that the biggest factor in comfort is tyres. 3T have actually provided a bike with less tyre clearance than other dedicated aero race bikes which already exist, and a 3T employee is saying that you should use nominal 25mm tyres if you want to avoid heavy frame rub from the tyres. And how many modern aero bikes are there that can't fit 25mm tyres anyway?

There seems to be a big disconnect between the marketing and the engineering.

Marin
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Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

I don't know any aero bikes that can take 30mm.

It seems the Strada will take true 30mm tires, which is not bad. Their problem is that ppl fit Contis that come out to 32mm.

I wonder how much of a benefit the super tight clearance between frame and front wheel really is in typical low yaw conditions. If it was that critical, you'd lose out by mounting a smaller tire up front, right?

Still, I like 1x, fat tires and good aerodynamics, so I find the bike interesting, but I follow a different design path for my own frames.

wingguy
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

Marin wrote:I don't know any aero bikes that can take 30mm.

The Scott Foil can fit Conti 28s. The Scott Foil disc comes standard with Conti 28s.

It seems the Strada will take true 30mm tires, which is not bad. Their problem is that ppl fit Contis that come out to 32mm.

You mean their problem is that they fitted Conti's that came out to 32mm. Seems like 3T wanted to have a bike that was capable of that, and managed to design one that wasn't.

Marin
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Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

You could put a 2mm spacer under the lower headset bearing and fit the Contis

Delorre
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Joined: Sat May 24, 2014 12:09 pm

by Delorre

Marin wrote:You could put a 2mm spacer under the lower headset bearing and fit the Contis


And what about the rear? Seems like a very tight fit there also :|

Succisa75
Posts: 57
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:06 pm

by Succisa75

wingguy wrote:
Tire Clearance: Here is where it gets interesting. The Demo bike comes with Continental GP4000SII 28mm but when you pump them up to their max the wheel rubs heavily. I think it's been said here that the tires aren't a true 28mm and more like 29 to 30. Other 28mm do not have this problem.
Because the tire clearance is so minimal, the frame tends to knock any gravel off the tire before it gets jammed between the tire and the frame.
Like SuperDave mentioned, if you are really concerned, going down to a 25mm tire will give you more clearance, but this bike is designed to go with 28mm.

See this is where it gets confusing. 3T launched this bike as a rough road, comfortable aero-bike. 3T recognises that the biggest factor in comfort is tyres. 3T have actually provided a bike with less tyre clearance than other dedicated aero race bikes which already exist, and a 3T employee is saying that you should use nominal 25mm tyres if you want to avoid heavy frame rub from the tyres. And how many modern aero bikes are there that can't fit 25mm tyres anyway?

There seems to be a big disconnect between the marketing and the engineering.


From what I understand from the video interviews I watched on the Strada, the bike was designed with 28mm tires in mind for reduced rolling resistance and the little tire cleareance is to keep the bike as aero as possible.

I think what SuperDave was saying that if the little tire clearance really bothers someone, they can go down in tire size, but optimally, this bike was designed for 28mm.
Last edited by Succisa75 on Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lieblingsleguan
Posts: 182
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:47 pm

by Lieblingsleguan

wingguy wrote:
Marin wrote:I don't know any aero bikes that can take 30mm.

The Scott Foil can fit Conti 28s. The Scott Foil disc comes standard with Conti 28s.

It seems the Strada will take true 30mm tires, which is not bad. Their problem is that ppl fit Contis that come out to 32mm.

You mean their problem is that they fitted Conti's that came out to 32mm. Seems like 3T wanted to have a bike that was capable of that, and managed to design one that wasn't.

:thumbup:

Btw., my Fuji Transonic which is an old design now can easily fit 28mm tires with clearance and 30mm should work, too.

jlok
Posts: 2400
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:30 am

by jlok

Effective width 28mm... Not advertised 28mm tire width...
Rikulau V9 DB Custom < BMC TM02 < Litespeed T1sl Disc < Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc 1 < Propel Adv < TCR Adv SL Disc < KTM Revelator Sky < CAAD 12 Disc < Domane S Disc < Alize < CAAD 10

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Hexsense
Posts: 3270
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:41 am
Location: USA

by Hexsense

Succisa75 wrote:
wingguy wrote:
Tire Clearance: Here is where it gets interesting. The Demo bike comes with Continental GP4000SII 28mm but when you pump them up to their max the wheel rubs heavily. I think it's been said here that the tires aren't a true 28mm and more like 29 to 30. Other 28mm do not have this problem.
Because the tire clearance is so minimal, the frame tends to knock any gravel off the tire before it gets jammed between the tire and the frame.
Like SuperDave mentioned, if you are really concerned, going down to a 25mm tire will give you more clearance, but this bike is designed to go with 28mm.

See this is where it gets confusing. 3T launched this bike as a rough road, comfortable aero-bike. 3T recognises that the biggest factor in comfort is tyres. 3T have actually provided a bike with less tyre clearance than other dedicated aero race bikes which already exist, and a 3T employee is saying that you should use nominal 25mm tyres if you want to avoid heavy frame rub from the tyres. And how many modern aero bikes are there that can't fit 25mm tyres anyway?

There seems to be a big disconnect between the marketing and the engineering.


From what I understand from the video interviews I watched on the Strada, the bike was designed with 28mm tires in mind for reduced rolling resistance and the little tire cleareance is to keep the bike as aero as possible.

I think what SuperDave was saying that if the little tire clearance really bothers someone, they can go down in tire size, but optimally, this bike was designed for 28mm.

yes, and 28mm measured width and 28c advertised size is not really the same.
my 23c conti 4000sII on 21mm internal width rim are 27.3mm wide.

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