New 3T Strada ICR claimed to be world’s most comfortable aero bike
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Launched in November 2022, 3T’s Strada ICR has arrived at BikeRadar Towers for testing.
An update to the original 3T Strada, the Strada ICR is an aero road bike optimised around wider 30mm tyres.
3T says the front end of the bike prioritises aerodynamics, whereas the rear end is built around delivering comfort.
As a result, 3T claims the Strada ICR is “the world’s most comfortable aero bike”.
With aero bikes having an historic tendency to not be as comfortable as race bikes, could 3T be onto something? Let’s take a closer look.
At the centre of the 3T Strada ICR is its high-modulus carbon frame. The head tube is particularly striking, with a bulbous leading edge at its base paired with a skinnier fork.
Interestingly, the crown of the 3T Fundi Integrale fork doesn’t match the base of the head tube’s profile, but 3T says this is by design. The brand claims this improves the fork’s aerodynamics, because the front wheel could be moved closer to the down tube, creating a more optimal transition for airflow.
The down tube features truncated aerofoil profiles, with a wide section at its base to shield the bottle cage from the airflow.
The leading edge of the down tube also narrows to match the profile of the front tyre, as does the curved seat tube for the rear.
3T says it engineers comfort into the frame with the compact design of the frame and curved seat tube, which allows for a greater length of exposed seatpost, as well as the pencil-thin seatstays.
3T broke convention when it launched its original 1x-specific Strada in 2017, which was used by the Aqua Blue Sport team.
The new Strada ICR is designed for a 2x crankset, although 3T will also offer two 1x drivetrain builds.
On the 1x-specific builds, though, 3T doesn’t include inserts to accept a front derailleur hanger.
This means there’s no option to convert a 1x 3T Strada ICR to a 2x setup later, should you change your mind.
There are no ports to accept mechanical cables, either, so the Strada ICR is only compatible with electronic groupsets.
There’s a proprietary D-shaped carbon seatpost with a Ritchey seat clamp. The integrated seat wedge is said to use a self-aligning design to offer a higher clamping force for less torque.
Finally, the Strada ICR uses a BB386 press-fit bottom bracket, with 3T speccing a thread-together option to help reduce the likelihood of any annoying creaks.
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This is our chance to introduce the bike and everything that makes it unique before hitting the road or trails.
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Like most modern aero bikes, the Strada ICR is fully integrated. In contrast, the previous-generation bike routed gear cables and brake hoses into a port behind the stem.
The hydraulic hoses run through the brand’s Superergo Integrale LTD handlebar into the 3T Apto 3TICR stem. The stem’s design is based on the previous 3T Apto stem but with new internal cable guides.
The size-large Strada ICR Force AXS 2×12 we have in to test typically retails for £6,199.
However, our bike has arrived with a wheel upgrade, which ups the price to £7,398 / $7,398.
Our bike has the ‘Chrome’ colourway, but this build is available in ‘Red/Black’ too.
The range starts at £5,199 for a SRAM Rival XPLR eTap AXS 1×12 build and peaks at £7,499 for a SRAM Red eTap AXS 1×12 build.
This bike uses a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset, albeit with a deviation to the 10-36t cassette, which is Rival. 3T specs 46/33-tooth chainrings with a 172.5mm crank length, and the disc brake rotors are 160mm front and rear.
As stock, this build would come with a Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 wheelset. However, 3T has supplied its Discus 45 | 32 Ltd wheelset, which typically costs £1,799.
The wheels have a 45mm-deep hooked carbon rim with a 25mm internal and 32mm external rim width.
They are shod with Pirelli P-Zero Velo tyres, which are interestingly supplied in a 25mm width. 3T says it would typically spec the 30mm equivalent of these tyres, but hasn’t on our test bike due to lack of availability.
Either way, when measuring the tyre width with a vernier caliper, the actual width is 29.46mm.
The stem length is 110mm and the handlebars are 42cm wide.
We’ve weighed the bike in at 8.02kg without pedals on our scales of truth.
Oscar Huckle is a technical writer at BikeRadar. He has been an avid cyclist since his teenage years, initially catching the road cycling bug and riding for a local club. He’s since been indoctrinated into gravel riding and more recently has taken to the dark art of mountain biking. His favourite rides are epic road or gravel routes, and he has also caught the bikepacking bug hard after completing the King Alfred’s Way. Oscar has close to a decade of cycling industry experience, initially working in a variety of roles at Evans Cycles before joining Carbon Bike Repair. He is particularly fond of workshop tool exotica and is a proponent of Campagnolo groupsets. Oscar prefers lightweight road and gravel frames with simple tube shapes, rather than the latest trend for aerodynamics and full integration. He is obsessed with keeping up to date with all the latest tech, is fixated with the smallest details and is known for his unique opinions.
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