i loved the bottom bracket gauge moment and the 'perfectly' round comment - clearly a misguided nod to @hambini .....all i have to say is - "3T, prove it ! "
I think this is just the next step in what they started. It goes beyond Time and Festka in the complexity of the frame shape and the speed of production.
"By doing it this way, 3T reckons it can achieve a +/-0.001mm of tolerance" Somewhere in the UK, Hambini is starting to rub his hands together and opens up his little book of expletives.
Love these factory tours. I’m a happy long time customer of 3T bars, stems and seat posts. Great quality. I believe they also own THM? This frame building process is fascinating. Made in Italy too!
After working for a bike manufacturer, I’m always intrigued by all the different ways each company creates their products. Carbon fibers and engineering combined is truly fascinating. Thanks for each episode that showcases this tech!!🤙
Except for the cameraman who's like a kid with his first camera, constantly fiddling with the zoom button. In, out, in, in, out, in, out, out, out, IN!
Have to agree with you there. I've worked with CNC machinery for over 20 years, and those kind of tolerances are difficult enough to maintain in precision grinding. Most lathes and work centres will maintain 0.01 under good conditions. I would expect there to be at least 0.01, probably more, between the mould and the bottom bracket plug otherwise just assembling them would become a very tricky job.
So as for the basic idea of this processing is not so big secret, actually I have a few ideas how it works (It can be air balony, with some ultra stiff elements, or some kind of mechanical device). Too much pathos for me.
@@volodymyrdonets4166 I think its like a plastic bottle with ice in it Frozen you can put preassure on it but after that it melts and you can easily pull it out
Wax. Low melting temp wax... if you are worried about it impregnation the carbon the put it in a bladder or plastic coating ect before install. Melt away the wax and pull out the thin bladder. Done
At least some talk of tolerances and QA but yes, let's see what happens. Also love that my next potential expensive purchase was built using a popstick but if it works then it works!
I think one of the ways it is so obviously an ad is that Oli is talking about all the 3T processes like he's all fully across them because he works for 3T. Obviously he doesn't work for 3T, so it just isn't authentic.
Also 3T have a shed load of reputation to make up after the alleged sponsorship and supply to Team Blue (was that what it was called) with their 'innovative 1x system' 3T Exploro debacle.
@@markzzzsmith what's all this fuss about three quarters of manufacturing companies make silly claims... even vaccine companies do... you like the frame, good you buy it. you don't like it, well don't buy it.
Wow, 3T finally managed to build a good-looking bike frame. Also, Kudos to the factory worker for wearing a T-shirt with the old 3T-Logo from back in the day when 3T (tecno tubi Torino) made the nicest titanium stems and the lightest aluminium handlebars ever.
Yes, if you like kindergarten science mixed with paid ads. Guys whom a proper cyclist should watch are Peak Torque, Hambini, Luetcher Teknik, Oz cycling, Shane Miller - GP Llama, Durian rider, etc. They are the ones who are not paid for advertisments. I think even Ollie is sometimes ashamed for having to jump hoops like a trained dog, instead of being proper reviewer and scientist (as he calls himself).
I love that Europe is starting to switch on the brains again instead of moving every production step to China. There is also an emerging carbon manufacturing industry in Portugal and Spain that is worth a visit. The top secret UV-glue is a clever thing, I guess they can save resin by doing so as well.
It's always been about maximizing profit as it is for any businesses. European labored product cost 8 times over than chinese-made carbon parts in some cases. And the quality difference between higher end chinese-made carbon parts and european made parts is almost unnoticeable. For an average Joe, it's hardly justifiable paying $10,000.00 for an euro carbon bike when you can build one for $4,000 with the same shimano parts & performance.
@@klaytonickinson The quality difference is exactly zero. What you get for the higher labour cost is insurance and human rights. What I still don‘t understand why even things that are 100% machine made still have to be made in China.
What a great video and thanks for making me smile with this beautiful illustration of bike creation, Ollie! Only wished to hear more about your ride. Thanks!
Wow! Italy. My fellow Italians have recovered their dominance in production tool technology; are once again on the cutting edge of innovative bike tech and design aesthetics. I wonder if Lombardy is a hot region for bikes? I just recently purchased a handsome, multi-color Ciöcc bike from Curno there but the company gets its tubes from Taiwan, the ownership openly admitted. I see 3Ts in my local bike shops in California.
Consider that Veneto Lombardia and Piemonte are regions in Italy that produce bike as Bianchi pinarello bottecchia 3t cinelli wilier scarpin colnago kuota etc etc better or not but the passion is hot
Definitely send the frame to Hambini especially being the tolerance of the bottom bracket has been told and now we want to know if it is as such...if not...be prepared for the power point reaming!!!
Stunning frame/bike and great to see they have a nod with Made in Italy on the frame 👌🏻 given the container issues and environmental impact coming to the fore I wonder how many other manufacturers will follow suit 🤞🏻
Let Hambini have a sample frame. If it’s as good as 3t say, it will be the bast advertising for the product. It might even tempt me away from my Columbus airplane aluminium frame........but I doubt it.😉
Nah, dude, watch literally anything from Luescher Teknik. That's THE guy for anything carbon. May be a little boring in his explanation, but nevertheless scientific and practicall especially.
I will never understand the obsession with Hambini's alleged 'finds'. He never presents any hard evidence on his claims and when needed he pulls the secrecy card due to his employment situation. He is a little coward hiding behind a pseudonym slinging mud at people.
Don't forget the UK has its own emerging carbon frame building industry too. Check out Lowe Cycles, Warrington, England. GCN give me a shout, kettle is always on!
They can archive tube shape but weight/compliance is a lot harder this way compared to manual layup where you can play with fiber orientation/thickness.
Thank you for saying this. Filament winding has significant drawbacks to the this type of manufacturing. Specifically, it doesn't allow for optimized fiber orientation. And it has a minimum thickness in order to close out the winding pattern. With prepreg layup, you can optimize the layup in areas that need it and remove material in areas that don't need it. In this way you can create stiffer and lighter frames. And the use of M55J fiber (ultra high modulus fiber) is not necessarily a good thing in a bike frame. It is some of the stiffest fiber available, but it is also very brittle and will fracture much easier than Intermediate modulus fiber. IM fiber is very stiff and has super high tensile strength which makes it stronger in higher loads. And way more comfortable to ride.
Gorgeous and very impressive technology. I wonder if the other Italian bike makers will start having their frames made by 3T instead of going to Taiwan for that work? Would 3T even entertain this idea or keep the benefits of their unique frame building technology to themselves, at least for some years to come?
Interesting video. Apologies were made on a number of occasions for the noisy machines, doing their job. They were very quiet compared to the "music" which was not necessary at all.
@@404nobrakes For those of us who only get a new frame every 5 years and put 100,000 km on it, I'd pick their frame over competitors that have recently been given the Sunday Roast treatment from Hambini.
I seriously doubt it. The marketing department of 3T will probably use that to justify an increase of their prices. Bike manufacturers are always increasing their prices, until people stop buying. When that happens prices will just fall back to normal.
Seems to me 3T are bringing some jobs back to Italy through the cost savings of manufacturing in this manner. Those Italian jobs will then pay Italian taxes. Maybe they could lower the price at some point, but they have a lot of bikes to sell to offset the cost of manufcaturing the machinery used, plua R&D.
@@bronson911s2 italian labours not that expensive now days And they are doin in house manufacturing which further cut and cost As long as QC improves and customer pay same price then it looks like a win win to me
Excellent Infomercial, for a minute I almost thought I could afford a 3T haha then a trip to the website to get the pricing on the 60th year edition Europe: €19,610, USA $19,610 + $750 transatlantic fee (all shipping & duties incl).
“Greater consistency, voids and gaps/ensuring resin adhesion” all these concerns are the farthest thing from my mind when I blasting down a hill at 45-50+ miles on my Litespeed T1SL Titanium frame. Absolute peace of mind, and at 17.5lbs with pedals I’ll absolutely line up next to any of these ultralight Carbo/plastic/composite bikes.
It’s funny people try and make fun of carbon composites when modern aircraft like the Dreamliner is flying millions of people around the world and it’s made of carbon composite. A clear example of a lack of knowledge and feelings taking over. A well made carbon frame will blast down any hill without worry for decades. Colnago is a good example. Their C40, C50, EPS and C59 still blast down any hill and command high resale prices. Titanium is not a superior material to carbon. They are just both materials with different characteristics. There is sound reason it’s not used in bike racing except for chainrings and cassettes whereas carbon composite is preferred for the frame and everything else. When well made, it’s very light, very strong and no other material can currently come close. Goes to say it’s the preferred material for planes, race cars and high performance machines. Titanium used to be that exotic material 30 years ago and as good as it is, it never caught on even then due to the poor cost to performance ratio.
I appreciate you showing the manufacturing process. I ride a Time Alp d’Huez made using a similar technique. I will definitely purchase this TTT bike made using this weaving process.
Looks great, but with all this trouble, why not mold along the rear triangle? Seems doable with two extra parts in the mold. It seems there now are glued weak spots in key heavy-pressure structural areas?
Really cool video and very impressive "layup" and manufacturing technique for carbon (my background is in motorsports) -- would love to see an analogous video of an S-Works Tarmac or analogous frame being manufactured.
this is uk wording, where engineer mean technician. TV engineer, air con engineer, maintenance engineer, service engineer etc. non of the is really engineer 😉
Nice to see some proper innovation, especially that will allow them to work on better tolerances. Something bike manufacturers need to pay better attention to.
If 3T makes a bottom bracket shell that's precise by 0.001mm does that mean it also has to make its own bottom brackets? Because surely mass produced BBs won't fit to such a precise space?
It means your bottom bracket won’t creak, which is usually a fault of the frame. Like when cannonade event a standard that they that themselves cannot manufacture to.
@@likemarksee But won't there now be more clearance, or more chances at least for ill-fitting mass produced BBs? Because mass produced BBs are manufactured with less precise measurements
@@TheSamwhytecombination of both the BB and the shell could cause a poor it. Usually it’s the frame that causes a problem. Tolerance of the BB does not need to be any higher, just because the frame is more accurate. The BB tolerance would need to be within a suitable/specified range. If the frame is accurate, that’s one less variable that could cause a poor fit. I would think most good BB’s are within a suitable tolerance, as that’s much easier to achieve than high tolerance on the frame.
Excellent Presentation Gents! Not university level but not grade school either. Good length. Excellent camera work and production values as well. Good job all! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
I have the Strada Team. A creak once for me ended up being the SRAM dub BB (not my first bike with this issue until torqued correctly) and the next the pedals on the carbon crank arms. Frame has been superb. Always drawers comments does a 3T
Not fun also not secret fact; retail costs are almost never related to production. Marketing sets a target retail and then determines desired profit window. Engineers then design to fit the window. Not the other way around.
@@hectorchavez1807 and China got really good in it apparently. Chinese frames are made better by the day and are also cheaper than ones made by fancy brands. No overhead costs, no marketing BS, less labour costs.
If and when Hambini gets his hands on one I'll know whether or not its good. I'm not a fan of bare carbon anymore. I used to be back in the early 2000's when carbon was still a pre-preg fabric. If I had the money to buy one I'd want it painted Italian red. Thanks.
LOL, If you asked him, he'd tell you he's the only competent engineer on the planet. Meanwhile hambini charges £300 for his bottom bracket - a piece of aluminum tube with 2 bearings XD XD Any machinist can make you one to the same tolerances for like £25. Hambini is a con artist and a piece of garbage.
Truly impressive. It's awesome to hear they have come up with a method to eliminate voids and get the tolerances in the BB area perfect. The sad thing would be what does it cost. Italian bikes cost so much more than bikes made anywhere else in the World. That said this is probably not a bike to be had by the common cyclist. So I'll be happy to stay with my US made custom Ti bike and forget everything you showed us here.
When people think of Italian products, they think high priced luxury brands like Gucci and Prada and Ferrari. In my opinion, Italian bicycle industry and workers view themselves as craftsman first and that mindset sets the cost of their labor which ultimately determines the price of finalized product. Their products just happen to be look good and classy despite the age. That's all. One reason why bicycle collectors still dig old-school steel Bianchi because of that classy look and feel. I like certain American made products (tools and household items) for their durability and toughness, but they tend to overlook refinement and precision which foreign brands are excel at. Depending on how the bicycle is used, Italian bikes are for weekend leisure ride while US made bikes are designed to take beatings and get dirty. LOL
The weave on that down tube looks incredible. I think Giant are another company that has the capability to manufacture bike frames from filament, but there are hardly any others?
My 2008 Specialized Roubaix Elite has beautiful blue clear-coat over the layup, which the Big Red S messed up with way to many decals. Regardless, I'm happy to see that kind of finish again.
The whole point of carbon fibre is the the material has directional characteristics- you can orient the fibre in the direction of the load. Weave the fibre fails to take advantage of the full potential of the material.
I also thought about this. Surprisingly (or not), no mention of this issue in the video. Seems to me however that fibre angle can be changed in the weaving process up to a point.
It does happen, 3T just get the big benefits of it now for being the first who took all the risks of investing in the R&D and tooling up their factory with new custom-made machinery
Sadly there’s nothing special about this. Making a preform using a carbon tow wit a UV activated binder and injection epoxy in a two part tool with internal bladder consolidation has been around for 40 years (Dowty propellers) . When they started I thought it would be novel like may towpreg in a two part tool - They should give that a go!
@@lIIustration I’m thinking they design the tubes with a draft on them, so that they can cut the ends and slide them out. If you look at the tube he handles, it’s got a really fuzzy end that’s been cut.
@@lIIustration The mandrel is only there during the layup. They remove it before cure and replace it with bladder that is pressurised what the mould is closed. It is like an inner tube. This is easily pulled out after cure.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
What do you think of the finished product? Let us know down below👇
Still lust over the top Steel bike over a carbon one.
11:42 80°C? Does it mean spilling a hot espresso can weaken a frame?
Very lovely, but unfortunately outside my budget. Also: if it's 1x only, I think I have to give it a pass. (Edit: doesn't seem to be 1x only actually)
TIME bicycles yawning?!
Looks amazing 👏
10:52 + -0.001mm of tolerance and alignment. Yeah whatever...
The master has spoken 🔥
i loved the bottom bracket gauge moment and the 'perfectly' round comment - clearly a misguided nod to @hambini .....all i have to say is - "3T, prove it ! "
HELLO HAMBINI FANS
bits of it might be lol
Some people have to wear hats...even indoors.
Cool to see manufacturing coming back to Italy.
I agree 100% man. If this is the direction for other Italian brands bring that shit on. 👌
exactly that is what all companies should do
I'm a Mold Enginner and also cyclist this video is very accurate to the process! I was surprised, congratulations!
Carbon woven frames have been a thing for quite some time now-Time and Festka come to mind.Happy that 3T is going this way.
Yeah glad to see some brands are still innovating and not just selling rebranded OEM china frames.
I think this is just the next step in what they started. It goes beyond Time and Festka in the complexity of the frame shape and the speed of production.
"By doing it this way, 3T reckons it can achieve a +/-0.001mm of tolerance"
Somewhere in the UK, Hambini is starting to rub his hands together and opens up his little book of expletives.
...that he authored.
😁 😝 Brilliant as soon as he mentioned bottom bracket.. 😅
When I heard that I thought immediately of the dreaded H.😬
Agreed.
Yes. But I think Hambini likes to review customers bikes and not those sent by the marketing departments as we know they’ll be perfect.
Love these factory tours. I’m a happy long time customer of 3T bars, stems and seat posts. Great quality. I believe they also own THM? This frame building process is fascinating. Made in Italy too!
That was truely fantastic to see a lovely frame like that being built in its home country……
I want-one ♥️
After working for a bike manufacturer, I’m always intrigued by all the different ways each company creates their products. Carbon fibers and engineering combined is truly fascinating. Thanks for each episode that showcases this tech!!🤙
1:41: Hey, props to whoever came up with that editing! Please more videos like this.
That's a special fountain using anti-water. 3T built a robot for that.
Except for the cameraman who's like a kid with his first camera, constantly fiddling with the zoom button. In, out, in, in, out, in, out, out, out, IN!
An Italian company yet Ollie wears a Belgium shirt to the factory
He'll be appropriately fined.
Absolutely great point Chris. He should have borrowed my wool Campi jersey I bought in Rome in 1983.
As a Belgium I feel honored.
@@gielvh Me too
Chris Aldrich well spotted. Ollie should have 'dropped' it! 🤔😝
Fantastic work by 3T. Respect.
I really like these gcn factory tour videos!
1 micron tolerance on bottom bracket? As a toolmaker I doubt that very much!
Have to agree with you there. I've worked with CNC machinery for over 20 years, and those kind of tolerances are difficult enough to maintain in precision grinding. Most lathes and work centres will maintain 0.01 under good conditions. I would expect there to be at least 0.01, probably more, between the mould and the bottom bracket plug otherwise just assembling them would become a very tricky job.
Especially with carbon filaments, I agree 👍
I used to get giddy with lust for guitars.. Still do but now I can add Italian bikes to my gear lust.
"Top secret, we can't show you!" The next two scenes its just casually sat on the table lol
So as for the basic idea of this processing is not so big secret, actually I have a few ideas how it works (It can be air balony, with some ultra stiff elements, or some kind of mechanical device).
Too much pathos for me.
@@volodymyrdonets4166 I think its like a plastic bottle with ice in it
Frozen you can put preassure on it but after that it melts and you can easily pull it out
@@simonkirchweger6090 epoxy is not capible with low temperature and moisture, that's definitely not the case
Wax. Low melting temp wax... if you are worried about it impregnation the carbon the put it in a bladder or plastic coating ect before install. Melt away the wax and pull out the thin bladder. Done
@@volodymyrdonets4166 will be some wedge and a multi part form. Just like any inside form tooling that needs to get removed.
This video has quadrupled the appreciation that I already had for my 3T racemax. So cool!
Fascinating! Thanks Ollie
This is high quality GCN content. Ollie’s 3T factory tour is full of interesting information and is very entertaining.
I want Hambini or Peaktorque to get their hands on one of these frames
Agreed.
It'll happen
@@jonnythelegs2597 it is the same method as with Time frames
@@dietbountyicecream1444 method yes, execution: who knows? 🤷
At least some talk of tolerances and QA but yes, let's see what happens. Also love that my next potential expensive purchase was built using a popstick but if it works then it works!
What a stunning piece of kit
I look forward to seeing the price of 3T bikes drop now as their process for making carbon frames is cheaper and simpler!
LOL
@@moistnugget4019 yeah LOL 😂
I was going to say the same thing, since they're using women, which reduces labor costs to 77c on the dollar.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeh. Not going to happen.
Knowing the industry as it is now they will probably double in price.
Reassuring to see such marvellous and significant developments being achieved back in Italy 🇮🇹 Fortza Italia! Well done!
Another high quality infomercial. Cheers GCN for the great content.
I think one of the ways it is so obviously an ad is that Oli is talking about all the 3T processes like he's all fully across them because he works for 3T.
Obviously he doesn't work for 3T, so it just isn't authentic.
Also 3T have a shed load of reputation to make up after the alleged sponsorship and supply to Team Blue (was that what it was called) with their 'innovative 1x system' 3T Exploro debacle.
@@markzzzsmith what's all this fuss about three quarters of manufacturing companies make silly claims... even vaccine companies do... you like the frame, good you buy it. you don't like it, well don't buy it.
Wow, 3T finally managed to build a good-looking bike frame. Also, Kudos to the factory worker for wearing a T-shirt with the old 3T-Logo from back in the day when 3T (tecno tubi Torino) made the nicest titanium stems and the lightest aluminium handlebars ever.
Thank you Ollie! Great video.
Love this guy he has that great quality of giving us information with I don't know it all presentation. Perfect.
Dr Bridgewood is a treasure. Love his presentations.
Yes, if you like kindergarten science mixed with paid ads. Guys whom a proper cyclist should watch are Peak Torque, Hambini, Luetcher Teknik, Oz cycling, Shane Miller - GP Llama, Durian rider, etc. They are the ones who are not paid for advertisments. I think even Ollie is sometimes ashamed for having to jump hoops like a trained dog, instead of being proper reviewer and scientist (as he calls himself).
Thank you guy’s once again going above and beyond
I love that Europe is starting to switch on the brains again instead of moving every production step to China. There is also an emerging carbon manufacturing industry in Portugal and Spain that is worth a visit. The top secret UV-glue is a clever thing, I guess they can save resin by doing so as well.
It's always been about maximizing profit as it is for any businesses. European labored product cost 8 times over than chinese-made carbon parts in some cases. And the quality difference between higher end chinese-made carbon parts and european made parts is almost unnoticeable. For an average Joe, it's hardly justifiable paying $10,000.00 for an euro carbon bike when you can build one for $4,000 with the same shimano parts & performance.
@@klaytonickinson The quality difference is exactly zero. What you get for the higher labour cost is insurance and human rights. What I still don‘t understand why even things that are 100% machine made still have to be made in China.
@@chrisridesbicycles you probably didn’t understand Chinese styles. Highly efficient auto machine AND human labor made their market competitive
@@chrisridesbicycles It's not just the short term human rights. It's that you aren't funding Xi's warchest and espionage fund.
The increasing cost of energy will
What a great video and thanks for making me smile with this beautiful illustration of bike creation, Ollie! Only wished to hear more about your ride. Thanks!
Wow! Italy. My fellow Italians have recovered their dominance in production tool technology; are once again on the cutting edge of innovative bike tech and design aesthetics. I wonder if Lombardy is a hot region for bikes? I just recently purchased a handsome, multi-color Ciöcc bike from Curno there but the company gets its tubes from Taiwan, the ownership openly admitted. I see 3Ts in my local bike shops in California.
Consider that Veneto Lombardia and Piemonte are regions in Italy that produce bike as Bianchi pinarello bottecchia 3t cinelli wilier scarpin colnago kuota etc etc better or not but the passion is hot
Just carbon looks very pretty 😍
I am absolutely obsessed with my 3T Exploro with Ekar and Shamal wheels! The best bike I’ve ever owned 💯🥂
Fantastic to see a carbon frame made in Italy 🇮🇹 I think I may just get myself one!
Need to send a frame to HAMBINI then I'll be impressed
Agree.
100% see how long it takes him to say its bullshit :)
Was thinking the same.
@@ezquiel700c Or wankers :P
Definitely send the frame to Hambini especially being the tolerance of the bottom bracket has been told and now we want to know if it is as such...if not...be prepared for the power point reaming!!!
One of the BEST episodes !
Thanks for doing a GRAND job in explaining the new technologies being implemented in bicycle manufacturing. 👌🏼
Adaptation of Time Bicycles process. Glad to see this kind of innovation.
Stunning frame/bike and great to see they have a nod with Made in Italy on the frame 👌🏻 given the container issues and environmental impact coming to the fore I wonder how many other manufacturers will follow suit 🤞🏻
at 4k per 40 foot container it costs about $8 per bike, at 20k per container it's only $40 per bike. Shipping is really cheap.
Just bought a 1x Strada and I’m loving it 😍
Let Hambini have a sample frame. If it’s as good as 3t say, it will be the bast advertising for the product. It might even tempt me away from my Columbus airplane aluminium frame........but I doubt it.😉
Hambini is only an hater. For him only his product are good....
Not just a hater but a justified hater. The crap bike companies try to get away with is ridiculous
Only a few cyclists, who buy new frames, watch hambini.
Nah, dude, watch literally anything from Luescher Teknik. That's THE guy for anything carbon. May be a little boring in his explanation, but nevertheless scientific and practicall especially.
I will never understand the obsession with Hambini's alleged 'finds'. He never presents any hard evidence on his claims and when needed he pulls the secrecy card due to his employment situation. He is a little coward hiding behind a pseudonym slinging mud at people.
Don't forget the UK has its own emerging carbon frame building industry too. Check out Lowe Cycles, Warrington, England. GCN give me a shout, kettle is always on!
I thought I really wanted a 3T frame BEFORE I saw this video but now I really have to have one!
They can archive tube shape but weight/compliance is a lot harder this way compared to manual layup where you can play with fiber orientation/thickness.
Thank you for saying this. Filament winding has significant drawbacks to the this type of manufacturing. Specifically, it doesn't allow for optimized fiber orientation. And it has a minimum thickness in order to close out the winding pattern. With prepreg layup, you can optimize the layup in areas that need it and remove material in areas that don't need it. In this way you can create stiffer and lighter frames. And the use of M55J fiber (ultra high modulus fiber) is not necessarily a good thing in a bike frame. It is some of the stiffest fiber available, but it is also very brittle and will fracture much easier than Intermediate modulus fiber. IM fiber is very stiff and has super high tensile strength which makes it stronger in higher loads. And way more comfortable to ride.
This helped make my decision to purchase a 3T Exploro Max.
Gorgeous and very impressive technology. I wonder if the other Italian bike makers will start having their frames made by 3T instead of going to Taiwan for that work? Would 3T even entertain this idea or keep the benefits of their unique frame building technology to themselves, at least for some years to come?
Great video. Makes me want to go buy a 3t.
Time have been making the best carbon frames for years, everybody else is catching up. Can 3T make a round bottom bracket shell?
watch the vid! it’s in there!
Yes.
Now they can !!
You can if you use a mandrel!
@@GCNuser123 just watched your orbea doc on gcn+ Great work that was. Impressive bike. Whats your views on it now?
Interesting video. Apologies were made on a number of occasions for the noisy machines, doing their job. They were very quiet compared to the "music" which was not necessary at all.
A round bottom bracket shell? Truly a manufacturing revolution.
Possible Hambini video?
@@allanfoster6965 if 3T is serious, they'll make it happen. He's the only reason this conversation is even happening.
@@404nobrakes Tru dat😉😁👍
@@404nobrakes For those of us who only get a new frame every 5 years and put 100,000 km on it, I'd pick their frame over competitors that have recently been given the Sunday Roast treatment from Hambini.
And a campag Cork Screw! Oh YESSSSS
nice to see bike making is back in Italy… but are they reducing the price?
More like a price hike for made in italy
I seriously doubt it. The marketing department of 3T will probably use that to justify an increase of their prices.
Bike manufacturers are always increasing their prices, until people stop buying. When that happens prices will just fall back to normal.
filament bikes cost more
Seems to me 3T are bringing some jobs back to Italy through the cost savings of manufacturing in this manner. Those Italian jobs will then pay Italian taxes. Maybe they could lower the price at some point, but they have a lot of bikes to sell to offset the cost of manufcaturing the machinery used, plua R&D.
@@bronson911s2 italian labours not that expensive now days
And they are doin in house manufacturing which further cut and cost
As long as QC improves and customer pay same price then it looks like a win win to me
I think the mandrel is made out of silicon and then pressurised with a fluid so it's hard enough to hold a shape but can be "deflated".
Excellent Infomercial, for a minute I almost thought I could afford a 3T haha then a trip to the website to get the pricing on the 60th year edition Europe: €19,610, USA $19,610 + $750 transatlantic fee (all shipping & duties incl).
It's a special edition. Only weirdos would buy that.
@@mitchellsteindler Weirdos with tons and tons of money.
“Greater consistency, voids and gaps/ensuring resin adhesion” all these concerns are the farthest thing from my mind when I blasting down a hill at 45-50+ miles on my Litespeed T1SL Titanium frame. Absolute peace of mind, and at 17.5lbs with pedals I’ll absolutely line up next to any of these ultralight Carbo/plastic/composite bikes.
Impressive manufacturing all around and glad Italian made vs Asian frames
It’s funny people try and make fun of carbon composites when modern aircraft like the Dreamliner is flying millions of people around the world and it’s made of carbon composite. A clear example of a lack of knowledge and feelings taking over. A well made carbon frame will blast down any hill without worry for decades. Colnago is a good example. Their C40, C50, EPS and C59 still blast down any hill and command high resale prices. Titanium is not a superior material to carbon. They are just both materials with different characteristics. There is sound reason it’s not used in bike racing except for chainrings and cassettes whereas carbon composite is preferred for the frame and everything else. When well made, it’s very light, very strong and no other material can currently come close. Goes to say it’s the preferred material for planes, race cars and high performance machines. Titanium used to be that exotic material 30 years ago and as good as it is, it never caught on even then due to the poor cost to performance ratio.
Итальянцы меня поражают, какие крутые вещи они делают! Авто, мото, вело.🤯🔥🔥🔥🔥👍💪
Let's not forget Italian food.
amazing. bring back the industry.
I appreciate you showing the manufacturing process. I ride a Time Alp d’Huez made using a similar technique. I will definitely purchase this TTT bike made using this weaving process.
Time Alp d’Huez is RTM, not similar technique. Time is almost 20 years ahead of 3T when it comes to RTM.
We need to crowd fund a 3T frame for Raoul to cut up and see if these bold claims are legit!
definitely 3t over German bikes
Looks great, but with all this trouble, why not mold along the rear triangle? Seems doable with two extra parts in the mold. It seems there now are glued weak spots in key heavy-pressure structural areas?
Everyone Should Have One!
Really cool video and very impressive "layup" and manufacturing technique for carbon (my background is in motorsports) -- would love to see an analogous video of an S-Works Tarmac or analogous frame being manufactured.
i'm missing how they joined the tubes together. the ends of the tubes all had frayed carbon fiber strands. how did they join them together???
cut and glue
Engineers assembling?...labor prices just went up.
this is uk wording, where engineer mean technician. TV engineer, air con engineer, maintenance engineer, service engineer etc. non of the is really engineer 😉
9:44 that oldschool 3ttt logo!
I found the legend here
This is why I want to buy a 3T
That is a kick ass bike!
GCN 🇧🇪😍😍
The sexiest frame design out there. No coincidence that it is Italian.
Nice to see some proper innovation, especially that will allow them to work on better tolerances. Something bike manufacturers need to pay better attention to.
Ollie is hands down the best GCN presenter
If 3T makes a bottom bracket shell that's precise by 0.001mm does that mean it also has to make its own bottom brackets? Because surely mass produced BBs won't fit to such a precise space?
It means your bottom bracket won’t creak, which is usually a fault of the frame. Like when cannonade event a standard that they that themselves cannot manufacture to.
@@likemarksee But won't there now be more clearance, or more chances at least for ill-fitting mass produced BBs? Because mass produced BBs are manufactured with less precise measurements
@@TheSamwhytecombination of both the BB and the shell could cause a poor it. Usually it’s the frame that causes a problem. Tolerance of the BB does not need to be any higher, just because the frame is more accurate. The BB tolerance would need to be within a suitable/specified range. If the frame is accurate, that’s one less variable that could cause a poor fit. I would think most good BB’s are within a suitable tolerance, as that’s much easier to achieve than high tolerance on the frame.
Excellent Presentation Gents! Not university level but not grade school either. Good length. Excellent camera work and production values as well. Good job all! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Lucky you, Ollie, that you got to test-ride this fab bike! :-) I wish Bianchi would use 3T-manufactured frames for their road bikes!
the "secret ingredient" is UV epoxy resin, same type they use for sewage liners.
Might even be the similar to what I use to coat my printing too.
Very impressive, proper engineering. Hope they are affordable!
As a current 3t exploro owner i certainly hope moving bak to italy will improve their QC
Love my bike but it does creak once a while
I have the Strada Team. A creak once for me ended up being the SRAM dub BB (not my first bike with this issue until torqued correctly) and the next the pedals on the carbon crank arms. Frame has been superb. Always drawers comments does a 3T
@@chrissinclair6086 um.. I shall give that a try
I am runin sram dub as well
My occasional creaking seemed to stop after about 1,500km. Quite happy with the way it rides now.
That’s one of fhe reasons to start production in Italy
So cool to see how my Strada Due was made!
Less Labour intensive, less time intensive but still the price goes up. Cycling industry is a joke.
RnD costs go up, marginal costs go down.
Its been like that for ever, someones making a fortune
It’s called capitalism.
Not fun also not secret fact; retail costs are almost never related to production. Marketing sets a target retail and then determines desired profit window. Engineers then design to fit the window. Not the other way around.
@@hectorchavez1807 and China got really good in it apparently. Chinese frames are made better by the day and are also cheaper than ones made by fancy brands. No overhead costs, no marketing BS, less labour costs.
Super, super rad!
really fascinating....awesome technology .......
Toray M55J is 2x stiffer than the commonly used T1000 but also more fragile. Applied in the bb area must get an amazingly responsive frame.
I am riding a full Italian handmade frame from Cipollini, too! It rides just amazing!
What a cool video and truly amazing bikes 🤟🏼😜🤟🏼
great video, thanks.
Love the belgium gcn shirt.. Is it availlable in the store?
sure is!
@@GCNuser123 Cant find them in the gcn webshop, only the frenc, spanish and italian ones. i need this home of cyclist hero's belgian shirt ! :D
Wow impressive!!!
I didn't know GCN was belgian like me, cool, I want that shirt please
Awesome & Thanks :)
If and when Hambini gets his hands on one I'll know whether or not its good. I'm not a fan of bare carbon anymore. I used to be back in the early 2000's when carbon was still a pre-preg fabric. If I had the money to buy one I'd want it painted Italian red. Thanks.
LOL, If you asked him, he'd tell you he's the only competent engineer on the planet. Meanwhile hambini charges £300 for his bottom bracket - a piece of aluminum tube with 2 bearings XD XD Any machinist can make you one to the same tolerances for like £25. Hambini is a con artist and a piece of garbage.
GCN editors really like reverse water shots!
Well spotted !
Truly impressive. It's awesome to hear they have come up with a method to eliminate voids and get the tolerances in the BB area perfect. The sad thing would be what does it cost. Italian bikes cost so much more than bikes made anywhere else in the World. That said this is probably not a bike to be had by the common cyclist. So I'll be happy to stay with my US made custom Ti bike and forget everything you showed us here.
When people think of Italian products, they think high priced luxury brands like Gucci and Prada and Ferrari. In my opinion, Italian bicycle industry and workers view themselves as craftsman first and that mindset sets the cost of their labor which ultimately determines the price of finalized product.
Their products just happen to be look good and classy despite the age. That's all. One reason why bicycle collectors still dig old-school steel Bianchi because of that classy look and feel.
I like certain American made products (tools and household items) for their durability and toughness, but they tend to overlook refinement and precision which foreign brands are excel at. Depending on how the bicycle is used, Italian bikes are for weekend leisure ride while US made bikes are designed to take beatings and get dirty. LOL
@@Reanimator999 US made bikes are designed to be passed by this crap when buying a bike.
Almost 500K congrats
The weave on that down tube looks incredible. I think Giant are another company that has the capability to manufacture bike frames from filament, but there are hardly any others?
My 2008 Specialized Roubaix Elite has beautiful blue clear-coat over the layup, which the Big Red S messed up with way to many decals. Regardless, I'm happy to see that kind of finish again.
@@smithpauld1501 probably pre-woven carbon sheet on the Roubaix.
It's just WOW :)
The whole point of carbon fibre is the the material has directional characteristics- you can orient the fibre in the direction of the load. Weave the fibre fails to take advantage of the full potential of the material.
I also thought about this. Surprisingly (or not), no mention of this issue in the video. Seems to me however that fibre angle can be changed in the weaving process up to a point.
Sometimes one right comment!👍🏻👍🏻
I’ll save my excitement for when someone passes the savings in manufacturing to consumers.
It does happen, 3T just get the big benefits of it now for being the first who took all the risks of investing in the R&D and tooling up their factory with new custom-made machinery
16:34 Is that a wine bottle opener? "Everything you could need to go for a ride" 🤣
Actually it is an campagnolo whine bottle opener costs 200€
I figured!
Very interesting visit.Will be megabucks of course.Now needs to be sent to Hambini &Peak Torque for assessment
Sadly there’s nothing special about this. Making a preform using a carbon tow wit a UV activated binder and injection epoxy in a two part tool with internal bladder consolidation has been around for 40 years (Dowty propellers) . When they started I thought it would be novel like may towpreg in a two part tool - They should give that a go!
How do they remove the mandrel from the carbon fiber part after the epoxy’s cured? 5:30
@@lIIustration I’m thinking they design the tubes with a draft on them, so that they can cut the ends and slide them out. If you look at the tube he handles, it’s got a really fuzzy end that’s been cut.
@@lIIustration The mandrel is made from wax.
@@hotelzambia oh that is a great idea! Heat it up and let the wax drip out.
@@lIIustration The mandrel is only there during the layup. They remove it before cure and replace it with bladder that is pressurised what the mould is closed. It is like an inner tube. This is easily pulled out after cure.