gravel bike di2 testsieger 3T Ultra 2 Italia GRX Di2 Bike w/Discus 45|40

The 3T Ultra 2 Italia GRX Di2 Bike w/Discus 45|40 Wheels is a gravel bike built for riders who want to go further — not just faster. While much of the current gravel market remains focused on race-course efficiency, 3T took a different approach with the Ultra 2 Italia: a platform engineered for long days in the saddle, remote and technical terrain, bikepacking trips, and the kind of riding where sustained comfort matters as much as pace.

The "Italia" is literal. 3T's Italia-line frames are manufactured at the company's factory in Presezzo, in the Bergamo province of northern Italy, where 3T has been building carbon frames since 2018. The Ultra 2 is the first Ultra-family frame built with Fusion Carbon — 3T's hybrid manufacturing method that combines proprietary dry filament winding and Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) with selected elements of more conventional carbon construction. The result retains much of the structural integrity associated with continuous-fiber design while making the Made-in-Italy production process accessible to a wider build range. For riders who want an Italian-made carbon gravel bike, this is what that level of manufacturing looks like.

Geometry positions the Ultra 2 Italia at the most relaxed end of 3T's gravel lineup. Stack heights run 560mm in a size Small up to 620mm in XL — 10mm taller than the Extrema Italia across all sizes — while reach dimensions are shared between the two frames, producing a more upright and sustainable riding position without altering the handling profile. Head tube angles slope from 69 degrees in Small to 72 in XL, and a consistent 437mm chainstay keeps the bike predictable regardless of size. The 27.2mm seatpost diameter opens compatibility to dropper and suspension posts, and the frame is designed from the ground up to accept a suspension fork if the terrain calls for it. This build runs the rigid 3T Fango Ultra 2 fork, which extends tire clearance to 57mm WAM — room for aggressive trail rubber.

Practical adventure capacity is built into the structure. The downtube carries an internal storage compartment accessed via a Fidlock magnetic closure, lined with a Miss Grape neoprene bag to keep tools and spares stable and silent. Multiple mounting points across the frame and fork accommodate bags, racks, and fenders, and the fork includes triple mounts and internal routing for dynamo cables — a detail that separates bikes genuinely built for bikepacking from those merely tolerating it.

The drivetrain is Shimano GRX Di2 1×12. GRX is Shimano's gravel-specific groupset family, designed for varied terrain and mixed conditions — and the Di2 electronic version brings precise, repeatable shifting to remote roads with no cables to stretch or contaminate. The RX827 rear derailleur and RX825 levers run through a 40t chainring and a Shimano Deore XT M8200 cassette spanning 10-51t — a range that handles steep climbing without gearing out on fast descents or open gravel. Hydraulic disc braking comes from GRX RX820 calipers with 160mm Shimano CL800 rotors at both ends. The 3T Discus 45|40 carbon clinchers roll on 700c and bring wheel performance in line with the rest of the build. Up front, 3T's Superghiaia Integrale LTD bar and More 2 stem route cables internally, keeping the front end clean and unencumbered on narrow singletrack. Bar width runs 40cm at the hoods and 47.8cm at the drops in sizes S and M, expanding to 42cm and 49.9cm in L and XL. A Fizik Vento Argo X5 saddle in 140mm rounds out the contact points. Continental tires — RaceKing/Dubnital or Terra Adventure depending on availability — are fitted from the factory.

Available in four colors — Lavico, Glicine, Avorio, and Bamboo — in sizes Small through XL.