New Exploro RaceMax

[eajohnson]

I got my frame today (sand/olive), looks beautiful.

Just a heads up for tall riders on a 56cm frame that the seatpost is pretty short, to get my fit I'm right at the min insert limit and even then I might be 1mm short. There's no way to use a larger frame because of the large headtube stack on these. I'm 99% sure it's going to be fine for me but it's really, really close. There's always alternatives to use a saddle with a larger rail to seat distance as well.

Seat tube bottle bosses are several degrees off so the bottle cage is canted to the left. The other bosses seem fine. I've warrantied frames for this defect before but it is such a PITA it might be less of a pain to custom modify a CF cage so that the cage is permanently canted the other way to compensate. I don't understand why manufacturers don't check this in their QC, it's so easy to do.

Edit: 2020-02-04 I ended up having 3T replace the frame, the canting of the bottle bosses was about as much as I could take out with 1/16" canted shims (I created some with ply just to test it out). They were very very good about it compared to my experience with other brands. Any company can look good when everything goes right, the real character shows in how they handle things when they go wrong. So full marks there.

[Dubadai]

Haha what a coincidence! Small world (and great coach)

Jealous that youre getting the red and white one... thats the one I wanted but unsure of delivery date so got this one instead due to my LBS offering to take a full bike from 3T and dismantel it and sell me just the frameset...

Correct, 48mm Panaracer SK i believe in 650b!

Here are some more photos from today!

That is great looking bike. I am waiting for mine in red/white with Ekar. By these photos I figured out that we have the same coach (Simon). Are those Panaracers 48mm@650b?

[MattMay]

So much for the new seatpost being available to order Jan 8. I see nothing on any site listing availability...

[Miles253]

Haha before readin what you wrote and just looking at the picture, I was thinking that the front end looked really clean...

Not much to do on the 3T's. And having a Venge with full integration I can tell you that I prefer the 3T a biiiiit more, especially if you ever gonna travel wit the bike...

Anyone have any clever ideas for tidying up the front end? It's the only bit I'm not totally satisfied with...cable routing is not a good call

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

I've got a Venge too and perhaps that's why it feels messy!

I should have shrink wrapped the cables, but too late now!

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[Dubadai]

Haha before readin what you wrote and just looking at the picture, I was thinking that the front end looked really clean...

Not much to do on the 3T's. And having a Venge with full integration I can tell you that I prefer the 3T a biiiiit more, especially if you ever gonna travel wit the bike...

Anyone have any clever ideas for tidying up the front end? It's the only bit I'm not totally satisfied with...cable routing is not a good call

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

I've got a Venge too and perhaps that's why it feels messy!

I should have shrink wrapped the cables, but too late now!

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

Looking at a lot of their press photos, it seems that it gets better if you use their own handbars, and then the cables go stright up and then down. Mine go to the side now due to regular cable entrance on the Easton handlebar...

My knee touches the cables with I am climbing outside of the saddle, annoying as *f##k*, but I guess youll just have to live with that...

[Miles253]

Haha before readin what you wrote and just looking at the picture, I was thinking that the front end looked really clean...

Not much to do on the 3T's. And having a Venge with full integration I can tell you that I prefer the 3T a biiiiit more, especially if you ever gonna travel wit the bike...

Anyone have any clever ideas for tidying up the front end? It's the only bit I'm not totally satisfied with...cable routing is not a good call

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

I've got a Venge too and perhaps that's why it feels messy!

I should have shrink wrapped the cables, but too late now!

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

Looking at a lot of their press photos, it seems that it gets better if you use their own handbars, and then the cables go stright up and then down. Mine go to the side now due to regular cable entrance on the Easton handlebar...

My knee touches the cables with I am climbing outside of the saddle, annoying as *f##k*, but I guess youll just have to live with that...

Mine is quite vertical, so I don't come in contact, fortunately

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

[sigma]

Any of you guys ever regret not going with the Open WIDE over the Exploro RaceMax? I know they are very different bikes but just curious if anyone has tried both of them.

[Dubadai]

I haven't tried OPEN, but everyone at my LBS who works there rides OPEN and some put in some orders for the Exploro.

The reason I went with the Exploro was that I wanted a gravel bike at home, and a road bike when travelling.

This meant that I needed 2x up front and that's where there were issues with almost all other gravel bikes. Wanted 50/34 up front!

Any of you guys ever regret not going with the Open WIDE over the Exploro RaceMax? I know they are very different bikes but just curious if anyone has tried both of them.

[AZR3]

So much for the new seatpost being available to order Jan 8. I see nothing on any site listing availability...

I emailed 3T again and it seems it's in stock but just not listed on their website. I placed the order through the email conversation today so hopefully I'll have it in a couple of weeks.

[MattMay]

I’m gonna try that!!

[MattMay]

Hey AZR3, I heard from Scott at 3T. Didn’t realize the Ritchey clampset is purchased separately from the seatpost, and the rail sizes are kinda wonky: 7x7, 7x9.6, and 8x8.5. My rails are 9mm. So not sure it’s going to work. What size are your rails amd what did you order?

[JMeinholdt]

Hey AZR3, I heard from Scott at 3T. Didn’t realize the Ritchey clampset is purchased separately from the seatpost, and the rail sizes are kinda wonky: 7x7, 7x9.6, and 8x8.5. My rails are 9mm. So not sure it’s going to work. What size are your rails amd what did you order?

What saddle do you have? I have the Ritchey one bolt mechanism on my Wilier and I've used a ton of different saddles and rail sizes.

[MattMay]

I have a Cadex Boost Saddle (Giants upper end brand). Height of rail is 9.12mm, width 7.5mm. Just found the drawings for each clamp...looks like the 8x8.5 is actually 9.3mm high, so that’s what I’ll get...others too small or too large.

[JMeinholdt]

I have a Cadex Boost Saddle (Giants upper end brand). Height of rail is 9.12mm, width 7.5mm. Just found the drawings for each clamp...looks like the 8x8.5 is actually 9.3mm high, so that’s what I’ll get...others too small or too large.

I hope that works out for you. I've used a bunch of different saddles and always have been on either the 7x7 or 7x9.6 and never had a problem. I've had Berk, Prologo Nack, Selle Italia Kit Carbonio, and Fizik Carbon all in the 7x9.6 with no issues. I've never used the 8x8.5.

FYI, the Prologo was ~7.7 x 9.7, the Selle Italia is 7x9.3.

[fellie]

Delete please