3T Blog
  • Bikes
  • Parts
  • Gear
  • XPDTN3
  • Blog
Navigation
  • Blog

Categories

  • Made in Italy
  • Ultra
  • Racemax
  • Racemax Italia
  • Boost
  • 3T Travel
  • Exploro
  • New Strada
  • "Get Creative" Ready-To-Paint
  • Gravel Bike Tech
  • XPDTN3
  • My-XPDTN
  • RIMBY
  • City Exploro trips
  • City Strada trips
  • General
  • 3t.bike
  • Bikes
  • Parts
  • Gear
  • Blog
  • Contact us
  • Find a dealer
  • Careers
  • Product Registration
  • Newsletter

Get Creative: Vortex Gold

A max build ready to take on one of the hardest MTB events in the mid-west.

Text by Daniel Walker , photos by Kai Tuominen - 30 July 2021

New bike day is always a great day. But even better than new bike day, is custom new bike day. After painstakingly choosing each component, its specs, the colors, the sizes, when it all comes together just the way you wanted there’s really nothing better.

Kai worked with Minneapolis & St. Paul 3T dealer Now Bikes and Fitness to put together this Max build for the Lutsen 99er MTB race. An event that’s put on by the same organizers as the infamous Leadville 100 and it’s one of the premier endurance MTB events in the country. Kai’s idea was to use his RaceMax in Max mode to take on the rooty, rocky and lumpy course out in Minnesota’s Sawtooth mountains.

Was Kai under biked at times? Probably. But the course takes on fire roads and tarmac as well so on those sections he could take advantage of the aero benefits provided by the RaceMax.

 The Build

 

Starting with the RaceMax frame, the custom paint on the RTP version was done over at Dirt Designs over in Bloomington, MN.  Brad and the team over there helped realize Kai’s vision of a transfixing vortex gold with very stylish mulberry accents.

Attached to the mulberry accents is one of our favorite drivetrains, The Campagnolo Ekar groupset (check out available Exporo Ekar bikes here). It has great range to get over steep hills, but with its 9 tooth cog on the high end, it gives you a great advantage on the road.

No bike is complete without wheels and here the bike was dressed with Enve’s G27 650b rims, laced to i9 hubs with Berd spokes. Complimenting all that was a set of beefy but fast-rolling Schwalbe G-One 57mm wide tires.

Top all that off with the custom painted aero stem from Enve and you’ve got one sweet rig!

 

Kai worked with Now Bikes and Fitness to get this bike put together. If you’re in Minnesota please do drop in and say hi.

◄ Previous Story 3T Demo fleet
Next Story ► SRAM XPLR AXS 1x introduction

Click here

Click here

Other posts - See all

3T brings Gravel to Forte Village Resort

3T brings Gravel to Forte Village Resort

Read story ►
The journey of a fan, as seen through the eyes of one of his fans

The journey of a fan, as seen through the eyes of one of his fans

Read story ►
Introducing the Racemax 418 frame

Introducing the Racemax 418 frame

Read story ►
Pedaling Towards a Greener Future

Pedaling Towards a Greener Future

Read story ►
More than just a bike store

More than just a bike store

Read story ►
Introducing the Ultra Crankbrothers edition gravel bike

Introducing the Ultra Crankbrothers edition gravel bike

Read story ►
Rediscovering Rimini

Rediscovering Rimini

Read story ►
Conquering the Gran Guanche Gravel

Conquering the Gran Guanche Gravel

Read story ►

Comments & Questions

Cancel reply


*

*Your email will not be published

3T Blog

Blog

  • Made in Italy
  • Ultra
  • Racemax
  • Racemax Italia
  • Boost
  • 3T Travel
  • Exploro
  • New Strada
  • "Get Creative" Ready-To-Paint
  • Gravel Bike Tech
  • XPDTN3
  • My-XPDTN
  • RIMBY
  • City Exploro trips
  • City Strada trips
  • General

3T.bike

  • Contact us
  • Find a dealer
  • Careers
  • Product registration
  • Newsletter
  • Copyright and Privacy
  • Cookie Policy

Products

  • Bikes
  • Parts
  • Gear
...