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The unstoppable gravel racer

Since its first version in 2016, the Exploro lets you be the fastest you can be, whether the terrain is smooth or incredibly rough. Now the only gravel bike fast enough to be a road bike has gone extreme: big aero, big tires and big gears.

Text by Gerard Vroomen - 27 August 2019

The Limited Edition introduced last month provided a sneak preview of the direction for the “tough build” Exploro. That one is now sold out, although you may still be able to find one at a local store (or you can order it on the Exploro page as a custom-paint order).

Now the new Exploro Force/Eagle AXS is here, with a very similar build and the same capabilities. Just a short recap, one of the most interesting features of AXS is the ability to mix road and mountain bike parts. Perfect for an Exploro, where you want gears for fast road sections and slow drags up rocky climbs.

That means you want to combine the Force AXS road shifters and lightweight brakes with the Eagle XX1 AXS wide range rear derailleur.

That setup works with a variety of Eagle cassettes, either the “insane range 10-50T” or the “still very large range 11-50T”. On the Exploro, the 11-50 is usually a better choice, keeping the gears spaced a little closer. but of course you can swap to the 10-50 without a problem.

This drivetrain in combination with the Exploro frameset is really amazing; in fact we had one customer who took the Limited Edition and immediately won his division (and came 6th overall!) at the Mongolia Bike Challenge last week.  Meanwhile, everybody else was on mountain bikes because they thought the terrain was so tough.

So whether your goal is Dirty Kanza, the Mongolia Bike Challenge or your Saturday ride, the Exploro Force/Eagle AXS has you covered.

In comparison to the Limited Edition, the standard version gets the carbon Force crank instead of the Torno (but the latter is available as an upgrade).

Of course the color is new too, it’s almond brown metallic. You know, because most almonds are made of metal, or maybe they taste a bit metallic, I don’t know. But really, the color is quite spectacular, albeit very hard to capture in these photos. So swing by your 3T Experience Center and come check it out!

The full specs and prices you can find here. Any questions, comments? Leave them in the comments section below and I’ll reply as soon as possible.

 

◄ Previous Story Jeroboam Switzerland – 23/24 August 2019
Next Story ► Hottubes for the win

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10 responses to “The unstoppable gravel racer”

  1. K

    Kristoffer says:

    09 December 2019

    Hi,

    Wanted to ask, what would be your recommendations for tires when going on the Road?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      09 December 2019

      These: https://blog.3t.bike/2019/11/12377/gravel-bike-tech-on-off-road-performance-part-1/

      Reply
  2. A

    Anders says:

    23 November 2019

    Hi. I’d like to ask a follow up question regarding this bike. I have the possibility to buy this bike with this setup at a local store, but I’m wondering if its too gravel/off-road oriented, compared to the “Team Force” or the “Pro GRX” (which I’m also considering.) I’m probably planning a approx 50/50 gravel/asphalt use. Of course the etap is tempting, but what is the added weight of derailleur and shifter, compared to those other variants? Appriciate a recommendation!

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      25 November 2019

      Hi Anders, the weight difference is negligible, the electronics make it a bit lighter, the Eagle derailleur a bit heavier (as the cage is bigger, etc). The big advantage of the Force/Eagle bike over the mechanical options is really that 12th gear, and on-road that is especially nice. The only issue to consider is that 11-50T might be more gear range than you need, for a mixed terrain ride I personally think that 380-420% is ideal (i.e. an 11-42 or 10-42 cassette). That doesn’t exist in 12-speed, but you could change to an 11-46T cassette if you try the 11-50 and find it too much of a range. The 11-46 gives you smaller steps.

      Reply
      1. A

        Anders Hansen says:

        25 November 2019

        Sounds good and I really see the benefit of a 12 steps cassette, especially for road use. I briefly tried out the etap shifters on a exploro in a local store, and I have to say it felt pretty great. I’ll definitely go for the explore with this spec, and I also dig the burnt caramel colour. Thanks a lot for your feedback and I have to say one of the (large) benefits of buying a 3T bike is exactly this: Learning the thinking behind the bike and the different variants, and also that you’re open about different ways to personalize and improve the bike further. Great work.

        Reply
  3. O

    Olli says:

    01 September 2019

    Hey, Would you have some size chart based on user measures? I am 186 cm tall and quite amateur judging the bike size based and on bike measures.

    Reply
    1. Rene says:

      02 September 2019

      Hi Olli, you can try out the rigth size by a dealer nearby (https://www.3t.bike/en/dealer-locator), but most people your size will opt for an L size.

      Reply
  4. C

    Christian Borrman says:

    29 August 2019

    stunning bike and great build, but why are almonds so metallic? 🙂

    Reply
  5. T

    Timothy G. Hessinger says:

    28 August 2019

    What does a large weigh?

    Reply
    1. Gerard Vroomen says:

      29 August 2019

      Hi Timothy, the bike with the knobby WTB Venture tires and 11-50 cassette range we just weighed here, and it is 8.9kg. Obviously if you built it up for smoother more mixed terrain that would drop (that said, these Venture tires roll pretty nicely even on asphalt, so you can definitely ride the setup as is for easier mixed surface riding too).

      Reply
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