3T Bikes – pedalnorth

Who make the best carbon bikes in the world

Pedalnorth Website — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 16:11:05 +0000

Who makes
the best bike

TIME to ask
the question

Who make the best carbon bikes in the world

Road and off-road – where does innovation & excellence come as standard

We recently looked at who makes the best carbon road bike in the world. However, for many cyclists, and especially those addicted to N+1, the wider question is: ‘who makes the best carbon bikes in the world – on road and trail? Is the best bike in the world a road bike, a gravel bike or a mountain bike? That’s a far deeper question, and it relies on us speaking with numerous people, such as Guy Kesteven – the tester man – who knows more about mountain bikes than you can shake a stick. Now, in northern English slang, that’s a whole lot of information.

During 2025, Guy tested many incredible mountain bikes, and one of his favourites was the splendidly engineered race machine from Orbea, the Oiz M-Team. Taking a cue from Guy and adding our own thoughts, the Orbea brand has to be up there, as one of the brands making the best carbon bikes in the world – especially for trail riders. In terms of the Orbea Oiz itself, it’s a lightweight, aggressive geometry and nimble handling trail hugger that wants to fly along the tracks. Add to this the quality of the finishing and the components used by Orbea – along with the size of Guy’s grin factor – and you’ve got a competitor for the best mountain bike. Having used Orbea mountain bikes for many years myself, their quality is renowned; and it’s a brand that has been around for many years, with a rich history of developing high-quality and high-performance mountain bikes (and other bikes) since 1847, when the Orbea brothers opened a small workshop in the heart of the Basque country.

Today, they still design and assemble their frames in this area, whilst their frame manufacturing relies on the expertise in the Far East. Their meticulous attention to detail is legendary, and their latest bikes continue to share this adherence to innovation. The Orbea Oiz is simply a bike that looks quite beautiful, and which rides like an unleashed beast, wanting to devour the trails that you test yourself on.

The Road to Gravel

When we talk about the best gravel bike in the world however, other small artisan brands come to mind. Yes, there’s already a pattern emerging here, as these smaller brands tend to focus on the quality, performance and comfort of their bikes, rather than simply feeding the mass market. And unsurprisingly it’s brands such as 3T and TIME who forge ahead in the context of building the best carbon gravel bikes in the world. Breaking down the gravel biking sector in its constituent parts as it continues to evolve – gravel adventure, gravel leisure and gravel race – it’s around gravel adventure that 3T excel, with bikes such as their 3T Exploro Italia leading the way on innovation, quality and performance. However, when we look closely at the growing gravel leisure sector, we see the TIME ADHX45 taking the lead on the road to gravel arena, as probably the best carbon framed gravel leisure bike in the world.

What both these brands share however, isn’t just an adherence to excellence; it’s innovation and the constant desire to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible in carbon bicycle frame engineering. TIME, based in their European factory near Bratislava have developed and refined the Braided Carbon Structure (BCS) technique of weaving seamless carbon socks that provide the ultimate in lightness and strength, and which are seen by many as being the best carbon bike frames in the world. Utilising internal and external molds to ensure perfect frame composition with their Resin Transfer Molding (RTM), TIME carbon bike frames – on road and gravel – are simply works of engineering art that ride as well as they look.

Gravel adventure requires ultimate engineering

From their own small factory close to the Italian lakes and mountains, 3T have been creating iconic cycling parts and framesets since 1961. Like TIME, their own team of artisans have focused on developing techniques that ensure a 3T carbon frameset is ready for anything. Like the BCS technique, but also different in many ways, 3T use their own technique of Filament Winding (FWT).  Instead of sheets of carbon cut in different shapes and applied on a core, filament winding uses a yarn is spun that is spun onto a core to create a carbon shape. By changing the speeds of the winder, you can change the angle of the yarn on the core. This FWT allows to put each strand of fibre exactly where you want it. Having been at the forefront of the gravel adventure rise, 3T continue to make exceptional carbon framesets such as the 3T Extrema Italia at their home in Italy. And so, we have to rightly ask the question: do they make the best carbon bikes in the world?

Well, in terms of gravel adventure – possibly so. However, it’s time to consider the gravel leisure sector, and that’s a whole new ball game.

Riding the road to innovation & excellence

Going back to TIME and their own industry -leading BCS technique, their forte has always been in designing and creating innovative carbon road bike framesets. Are they the ultimate in carbon bikes for the connoisseur – yes, they very likely are in our humble opinion. When it comes to looking at who makes the best carbon bikes in the world, then TIME must be on the list and towards the top. Every aspect of their process has always been geared towards creating carbon bikes that stand head and shoulders above the rest in quality, performance, comfort and responsiveness. When you buy a TIME carbon frameset, you buy into a lifestyle and culture that exudes excellence. They also allow you to decide on what components your bike should have, so that the TIME bike you ride is your own unique bike.

Ultimately, we all want our own dream bike, and TIME make this possible for everyone. And, whilst they don’t make mountain bikes, as Orbea and the skilled designers and engineers from the Basque region of Spain, TIME do continue to innovate. They never stand still in their pursuit of quality and performance. Launching the TIME SCYLON in 2025, it took the brand to even greater levels of carbon engineering, with TIME testing and using new fibres within their BCS technique, to create an even lighter and stronger carbon road bike. And so I guess, and from a personal perspective ultimately; the best carbon bikes in the world are made by TIME in their factory, tucked away beneath the mountains and rolling hills of Slovakia – and all of us should aspire to ride a TIME machine into our own cycling future.

Fundamentally though, if you’re looking for a carbon mountain bike brand that stands tall above the others, then Orbea should most certainly be on your list. And, when it comes to gravel adventure, then using the 3T Extrema Italia is always going to be a good decision. We do however have to narrow down the final point though, and because of their continued adherence to excellence, their innovation and quality of ride, TIME is always going to be a bike to dream about.

Why… well, because we believe that they make the world’s best carbon bikes, with a passion that is reflected in every quite beautiful frameset.

Read Our Blogs

Is this the best gravel bike brand in the world

Pedalnorth Website — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:09:37 +0000

Riding into Adventure

Which is the best gravel bike

Is this the world’s best gravel bike brand

Ride into adventure

Over recent years, the gravel biking scene has exploded all over Europe and North America… and beyond! Some of the most popular races are now gravel bike events, with former pro peloton riders such as Nico Roche participating and winning UCI World titles in the Masters racing. There’s even been pro peloton UCI gravel bike world championships, with Kasia Niewiadoma becoming the first ever women’s UCI World Gravel Bike Champion. This year, Mathieu van der Poel took the men’s title, whilst all over the world, the number of mass participation gravel bike races has literally exploded: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa.

Cyclists no longer want to simply explore off-road tracks and trails and fascinating places; no, there’s a thirst for going fast too, with a professional gravel biking scene in its infancy and growing yearly. Here in the U.K., former British Cycling Education Lead, Neil Atkinson and team at Focal Events are creating epic weekend gravel bike festivals such as Dirty Reiver in Northumberland, that are already becoming legendary ‘must ride’ gravel races for all-comers.

Gravel biking is changing, innovating and evolving, in the same manner that mountian biking did some 30+ years ago, when the separation between XC and downhill became so pronounced, and more recently when Enduro entered the scene. Yes, there are already defined sub-cultures evolving within gravel biking, with trail riding, bike packing, technical gravel bikes and fast or aero gravel bikes. The gravel bike space is ripe for development for those brands that identify the direction that they want to head in, and brands such as 3T in Italy, and TIME Bikes based in Slovakia are both leading the way in frame technologies and designs – in different areas of this developing tapestry of cycle sport. TIME in particular, are renowned for their innovative engineering and quality of their carbon framesets. Using their innovative ‘Braided Carbon Structures’, their frames are industry leading – and, whilst equal to any brand in the world, their area of concentration is for the growing number of gravel leisure riders rather than the 3T orientated gravel adventure focus.

What is the best gravel bike in the world

All of this then brings us to the question: ‘what is the best gravel bike brand in the world?’ Yes, we know about Kasia and Matthieu and Nico and all those top riders. However, in terms of the mass participation gravel bike races, and the already iconic gravel bike races such as Unbound Gravel XL in America, the Grinduro Race Series for gravel bikes in Europe and North America, Dirty Reiver and of course, Badlands unsupported gravel bike race, taking in 800km of European desert in the Sierra Nevada of Spain, there’s one particular bike that frequently finds itself on the podium – and it isn’t one of the larger brand names. It’s a brand that has a deep understanding and focus on the hardcore gravel scene of adventure seekers, and which has innovation and excellence built into its fabric and dna.

3T have set out their stall as the go to brand in this adventure sector, whilst the gravel race and ‘road to gravel’ sub-culture is still developing, with brands such as Orbea and iconic TIME Bikes making waves and catching the eyes of the speed orientated gravel grinding adventure seekers. This new sub-culture within cycling is seemingly looking for something different, and these iconic brands have found the recipe for success – alongside their renowned engineering excellence.

Ultimately though, as the varying subcultures develop further, it’s interesting to see who will come out top. For now though, the geography is owned by 3T – but the likes of TIME are closing in with their innovative designs and technology, alongside a heritage that brings them worthy recognition.

These images by Ben Thorpe, EuroBike 2024

Yes, 3T Bikes from the north of Italy in particular – that artisan led, specialist bike brand since 1962 – are the most prominent brand that keeps producing some of the very best gravel adventure bikes in the world, as riders excel in these events when riding a 3T gravel bike. Interestingly too, this small but high-quality, highly engineered and beautifully designed bike brand from Italy, were also the first gravel bike brand in the world to look at how a specialist gravel bike could be made more aero for racing. The 3T Exploro was the original fast and furious gravel bike and is still one of the very best choices in the world for off-road racing snakes. The Exploro model pioneered aerodynamics for gravel bikes, including even mud-covered knobby tire wind tunnel testing (much to the chagrin of the wind tunnel staff). The race-proven 3T Exploro range gives you the speed you’re used to on asphalt and an additional advantage on wind-swept gravel tracks.

Others are of course beginning to catch them up and indeed, to overtake them with innovative ways of weaving carbon, and mixing their frames with the best components available. The gravel biking scene is developing fast, at some point, yes, 3T will be caught and maybe left with the gravel adventure sector, whilst brands such as TIME take the lead in gravel leisure. For now though, the 3T products are continuing to catch the eye of the growing community of gravel bike riders. Will this still be the same in 2 years time – who knows. Time will tell

Freedom for all – fast freedom

The 3T philosophy is built on innovation and excellence, and the spirit of adventure for all cyclists who seek freedom in the great outdoors. It’s in the Italian blood; remember the white roads of Strade Bianche – modern day cycling classic. Long before gravel riding became popular, 3T decided that they wanted to ride faster and farther on any terrain than anyone else. The resulting 3T Exploro was the first gravel bike in the cycling world to combine road speed and mountain toughness, so that you, the ordinary adventure loving gravel bike rider, can race through the smooth sections and crush the rough and technical stuff. Total freedom had arrived at last, and some of the very best gravel bikes in the world had arrived on the trails, wrapped in the Italian flag!

The latest 3T PRIMO gravel bikes maintains their badge of exquisitely engineered excellence, and rightly continues the growing status of 3t gravel bikes. The current 3T PRIMO gravel bikes all use the latest generation of the original Exploro gravel bike frame. It’s a great choice for a high-end, highly-versatile gravel bike at an affordable price, and it’s a gravel bike that is suitable for riders at all levels, and for all adventures – weekend trips or epic multi-day gravel bike adventures.

3T Race Max and Race Max Italia

The 3T RACEMAX and RACEMAX ITALIA are renowned across the cycling world as being some of the fastest gravel bikes possible, with an aero optimized frame for 35-42mm WAM (Width as Measured) tires, ready to take on the most technical and toughest of rides, or long trips, as the frame even fits up to 61mm tires. The 3T ULTRA and the EXTREMA ITALIA are designed to go fast on the worst possible terrain, aero optimized for 55-61mm tires (but of course you can spec a narrower tire too). These technical tubes of Italian engineering excellence also combine an aero seat-tube with a round seat-post, so you can use any 27.2 round, dropper or suspension post and add to rider comfort.

Engineering excellence and innovation

Ultimately then and considering the support that 3T put into gravel biking, with their already renowned, annual Jeroboam gravel bike event, 3T are towards the top in the gravel bike league table. The Jeroboam Gravel Series is a gravel cycling event series organized by 3T, and includes a variety of routes and locations, with the original edition taking place in Franciacorta, Italy. Gravel bike riders attend from all over the world, and 3T are always showing the strength of their own bikes as riders cross the line, as they continue to engage with the grassroots cycling community at numerous locations across the globe.

Above images from TIME Bicycles, Europe

TIME for change

However – and it is a very big ‘however’ – as we mentioned earlier in this piece, the landscape of gravel is changing rapidly. Clear sub-cultures are evolving and they’ll be difficult for the smaller brands to keep pace with, unless they define which route they want to take: adventure or high-performance. For me there are 3 clear areas for the future:

Gravel adventure
Gravel leisure
Gravel race

The road to gravel is key for every brand aiming to capture something from the growing community – especially as that growth is beginning to slow with cyclists pausing to reflect and think about their own direction. Brands such as TIME have some success with their TIME ADHX 45 ‘full on’ gravel bike, which kind of slotted between the gravel adventure and gravel leisure categories, whilst wanting to reach out to the grabel race category too. TIME are a brand that has never stood still – pardon the pun – and they’ll no doubt be looking to develop further in one of these categories, making it their own and giving 3T some interesting competion in the gravel race arena as the colors evolve on the gravel biking tapestry.

What does this mean for you as a gravel biker; well, you now need to take that pause and ask youself ‘which of the new gravel sub-cultures do I wnat to fit into?’ N+1 has a whole new meaning these dyas, and consumers want more from each bike. The Road to Gravel is an interesting concept, and this small phrase may well fit most people’s ideal ride. Who takes it on will be interesting.

And so, as the global cycling community heads back onto the rocky and dust-strewn and technical trails, seeking their own new challenges on gravel bikes, the answer to the question: ‘which is the best gravel bike brand in the world’ has a dual answer.

As it stands, entering 2026, 3T will likely still be leading the global off-road gravel adventure peloton, by continuing to design and to create some of the best technical and tough gravel bikes in the world – at the home of gravel biking, along the dusty white roads of Tuscany and Italy… whilst TIME and others focus elsewhere and aim their sights on capturing the evolving gravel leisure area – where comfort, companionship and responsiveness is key, and where speed is your friend.

Ultimately I guess, only TIME will tell – so, let’s wait and see

Gravel Bike Routes

Click Here

3T Bikes at Cycle Store Zurich 2024 UCI World Championships

Pedalnorth Website — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:52:25 +0000

Cycle Store
Zurich

Cycle Store Zürich & 2024 UCI Road Championships

A celebration of cycling and of life

Remembering Muriel Furrer

Before we talk about anything concerning the 2024 Road Cycling World Championships and the surrounding cycling festival at Zurich, let us all pause and take a moment to reflect on the life and tragic loss of 18 years of age Swiss rider, Muriel Furrer. At such a young age, and with her whole life ahead of her, Muriel unfortunately crashed during the racing and subsequently lost her life. It is for all of us within the cycling world to pause and to say a prayer for Muriel; and, as we all ride into our own futures, to remember Muriel and all of those young riders so tragically lost in recent time.

Cycling and the World Championships is, and should be about celebrating our sport. It is an opportunity for all cycling fans to come together and to ride in unison, to enjoy a life on 2-wheels and see who rides to the front of the peloton as our champions. Muriel was undoubtably a young woman who would have graced cycling as a leader, and Zurich 2024 – in her home country, Switzerland, should be for her memory. We should all continue to ride, but to do so safely and to celebrate the freedom and adventure and challenges that cycling brings to us.

Cycling isn’t a sport, nor simply a way of life. It’s a whole sub-culture of like-minded people who exist in a closely knit global community, and Zurich 2024 allowed us all to come together and to celebrate cycling and celebrate life. Having been present in Zurich some months earlier this summer, it is a beautiful, cultured, historic and vibrant place. It is the perfect place to be a fan of life and living.

3T Bikes – Zurich 2024

3T bikes are one of those brands that form the beating heart of our global cycling community. This small brand, whose ethos is based on innovation and excellence, presented themselves and their latest bikes, during the cycling festival that preceded and accompanied the World Championship racing at Zurich. With events based at the partner retailer, Cycle Store Zurich, they and other leading brands hosted several events for the cycling public, mainly with Pas Normal Studios, performance cycle clothing – a like-minded brand, where quality counts. Cycle Store, Zurich is a great place for the best kit and equipment, and 3T were able to showcase the latest bikes, such as the Strada road bike and the Race Max Italia gravel bike.

Paolo Bettini Rides from Cycle Store, Zurich

On Tuesday, 24 September, alongside 3T and Paolo Bettini, Cycle Store Zurich organized three different social rides, to embrace all-comers and to widen participation: one gravel bike, one women’s road ride, and also one men’s road ride. The rides were planned by Phillip from Cycle Store Zurich, who also arranged the necessary guides to take people on the best routes.

Former Olympic and World Champion for Italy, Paolo, known as one of the strongest riders in history, joined the men’s – or better styled, the unisex – road ride, giving ordinary cyclists the opportunity to cycle with one of the all-time greats from our sport. The routes went up into the hills that surround Zurich and the beautiful Lake, before returning to the store, where Paolo spoke with as many people as possible and signed autographs.

The Apre-ride food and drinks were typically Italian, with Paolo himself bringing some amazing Salami and Salsiccia from his home in Tuscany. It was all rounded up with excellent Italian red wine, cheese – of course – and some grapes, to add the necessary fruit! What was evident during the event was how we are all simply cyclists when we gather together – whoever we are and whatever our abilities. We all simply love cycling; it’s just that Paolo is better than us all!

Dani, the owner of Cycle Store hosted everyone superbly in his popular and centrally located store, and we were able to share our love of cycling with Dani and his knowledgeable team, and to show the global cycling community how 3T continues to innovate and design some of the best high-performance cycles in the world, for riders at every level. Ultimately, it’s about celebrating life and adventure when we cycle, and seeking new challenges. Let’s remember this as we ride into the future; and let’s remember Muriel Furrer and the other young riders who have so tragically left us too soon – and let us continue to celebrate cycling in their memory, remembering that every day we cycle is a privilege.

written by Robert Thorpe & Kolja Grischa Keetman

In memory of Murial Furrer

1st July 2006 to 27th September 2024

Read Our Blogs

3T Bikes – Innovation and Excellence

Pedalnorth Website — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 20:12:37 +0000

Innovation & Excellence

3T Bikes

Innovation & Excellence in Cycling

By Robert Thorpe, and images by Ben Thorpe

Since its inception in 1961, over 60 years ago, when Mario Dedioniggi founded 3T in Torino, this eclectic brand of artisan cycle makers have produced exceptional bikes for riders all over the world. Now located at Bergamo near Milan, the company continue to innovate and to design and produce cycling components and complete bikes, that define the Italian stamp of engineering excellence, alongside the unrivalled Italian passion for cycling. Yes, Italy is the beating heart of cycling, and it has the history of cycling deeply woven into its national culture. From Moser and his Time Trial low pro machines of the golden era, to Fabian Cancellara in the pro peloton in the early years of the 21st century, 3T have continued to innovate and to evolve, alongside some of the most legendary riders of all time.

One great benefit of being a smaller global brand, is the opportunity to remain free-thinking and passionate. After all, the management structure is smaller and is usually more closely related to ordinary cyclists – which 3T is, supporting many within the Italian cycling community, such as the renowned adventure riders of ‘Rolling Dreamers’ and their gravel bike escapades.

The Passion of Cycling

Here at Pedalnorth, we believe in a similar approach to the cycling community. Our passion is also cycling, and we set out each and every day to remain connected to grassroots cyclists, and to write and produce real and meaningful content without restraint. After all, cycling is a sub-culture and way of life, and never simply a sport. Pedalnorth for us means to pedal north of wherever you may be – and to ride with adventure and smiles along those adventure-laden miles.

A few years ago, we reviewed some 3T finishing kit, when we carried out a bike build build project. We’ve been so I impressed with 3T for so many years, that our recent trip to Euro Bike at Frankfurt had to involve a meeting with this amazing group of talented and passionate people. After all, we try at Pedalnorth to tell you our readers, only about the kit and products that we love ourselves; and, as we feel truly passionate about the excellence of 3T, we wanted to put ourselves in a position to be able to write more about their continual drive for innovation, and their design passion and engineering excellence on 2 wheels – yes, the current range of 3T bikes on show at Euro Bike 2024 isn’t just a display of bikes; it was art on 2-wheels.

A Unique Approach to Carbon Frames

3T is one of those bike brands that, when a friend asks you “what bike do you have,” you simply respond by saying “3T.”

You don’t need to mention the model or anything else. Your cycling friend instinctively knows that you’ve chosen one of the world best bike brands. Made 100% in their state of the art Italian factory, with that artisan attention to detail, 3T have been innovative with their carbon filament weave production techniques, producing a range of modern, sleek and stylish, super light, super strong, performance bikes that have that unique appeal – performance, quality and style in perfect balance.

The Torno crankset was shown to Ben, as we talked bikes with 3T, and the level of finishing was so defined, that you’d happily place the crank on the wall as home, as an art piece. Yes, the Torno harks back to when the great products were created with craftsmanship attention to detail and a desire to innovate. The Torno is the lightest and fastest crank on the market, and it looks magnificent. We can’t wait to see how it performs.

We’re going to be writing more about their carbon production and frame techniques in a future blog, sharing the detailed processes that take place in creating the range of shining performance bikes that graced Euro Bike this year.

Love at First Bike

Most cyclists, whether we admit it or not, fall in love with a bike at first sight. Seeing the latest bikes from 3T in the Euro Bike halls of Frankfurt, was like visiting Disney for cyclists – it was love at first sight. That feeling you had as a child, walking past the windows of a bike shop. The quality is unsurpassed, and the performance speaks for itself, as many of the world’s best riders trust on 3T engineering and design. As for style… well, first of all, it’s Italian, and secondly, it’s 3T, and their latest 3T Race Max Italia road bike simply oozed style when we saw it at Frankfurt.

Talking with the team on the 3T stand, we shared a joint love of cycling, of engineering, and our own images of some vintage 3T bikes and components from our own collection. And, over the next few months we’ll be bringing you lots of detailed cycling content, great images, lifestyle blogs and detailed bike reviews of the latest 3T bike range, as we share the brand’s love and passion for cycling and design innovation with you, the cycling public.

Riding Towards an Exciting Future

Ben, from the Pedalnorth team, will be testing and riding the latest 3T gravel bike on our own U.K. gravel bike coast to coast route; and Nadezhda will be riding, racing and exploring the roads of Europe and beyond on the latest 3T road bike. As for now, we need to pause and take a breathe after a hectic time at Euro Bike 2024, where 3T shone and continued to show the global cycling community what the best gravel bikes in the world look and feel like.

Yes, Euro Bike 2024 showed that this passionate group of Italian artisans continue to follow their long heritage, by designing and creating some of the very best, high-quality, high performance and super-stylish road and gravel bikes in the world; and we’re going to be writing lots more about this amazing brand over the next few months and beyond.

Check Out Our Reviews

Click for Quality Clothing

Italy’s best cycling routes

Pedalnorth Website — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 14:27:05 +0000

Cycling in Italy

Time for adventure

Cycling in style – in Italy

Our selection of the best road, MTB & gravel bike routes in Italy

When we talk about world cycling, Italy has to come up first in terms of the passion for cycling. It’s the heart and soul of the global peloton, and a place that once visited, we return to again and again. We’ve been riding and exploring in Italy for a few years now, and we’re still developing our own selection of the best cycling routes in Italy for road cyclists, mountain bike riders and gravel bikes alike. Whatever your own choice of cycling style, Italy has some of the very cycling routes in the world, and we’re going to try and bring you a selection of the best.

From the Dolomites in the north, to the rolling hills of Tuscany, Italy has some of the best road cycling routes in Europe or elsewhere. Cycling in the alps too, taking the roads from historic Aosta, over the St. Bernard Pass, sweeping down into Switzerland; you can take on some of the best cycling in Italy, and sweep through amazing scenery as you descend towards the valleys and lakes of Switzerland.

For mountain bikers, the north of Italy, around it’s own lakes and mountains, provides some of the best mtb routes in Italy, with longer multi-day mtb adventures across the alps and into Switzerland and Germany too. Gravel bikers are equally catered for, with the famous white roads of Tuscany and Chianti; and we’ll try to capture these place, as we bring you the very best cycling in Italy, riding the routes and choosing the best selection, so that you can create your own Italian cycling adventure!

L’Eroica

All passionate cyclists, on road or gravel bike, know about the l’Eroica. The route of l’Eroica is some 209 km, between the Terre di Siena, through the Chianti, the Crete Senesi and the Val d’Orcia. The Tuscan landscapes are a fabled land for the white roads, with the perfect tracks for touring – and we’ll be bringing them to you. It’s a route of some 3/4/5 days, depending on your pace, and how you want to explore. Thankfully, with fixed and permanent signage will keep you on track, as you ride the white roads of Tuscany that are renowned across the cycling and gravel biking world.

A continuing work of excellence

We’re super pleased to be able to bring you our own selection of the best cycling routes in Italy; helping you to plan your own 2-wheeled gravel bike adventure under the Italian sun. Wherever you’re heading in Italy with your bike, as we develop this new section, we’ll be sure to have a great selection of routes for you to ride, along with maps and GPX files to keep you on track.

Working alongside friends and cyclists in Italy, we want to develop and bring you the some of the world’s best and Italy’s best cycling routes; enabling you to join the adventure revolution – into the rolling hills and mountains of Italy, riding into adventure on a TIME machine, into the Tuscan sunset!

Yes, the road to gravel riding experience is a key theme for us in 2026, as we partner with iconic TIME Bicycles to bring you some of the very best places to ride.

Choice your Ride in Italy

Italy Road Cycling

Italian Road Routes

Italy MTB Routes

Italian MTB Routes

Italy Gravel Routes

Italian Gravel Routes

Read Our Blogs

Click here for award winning blogs

Yorkshire Best Gravel Bike Routes – Dales and the Moors

Pedalnorth Website — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 16:27:55 +0000

Inspiring Adventure

Yorkshire Dales & Moors Gravel

Yorkshire Dales & North Yorks Moors Gravel Bike Routes

Gravel bike adventure’s in Yorkshire’s amazing National Park’s

Gravel biking in Yorkshire is the new ‘Hovis’ bread advert from our childhood! You remember – those days when one bike did it all. The gravel bike is the new , super versatile bike that we all wanted as a kid, and the cycling industry have now given it to us. Add to this, that Yorkshire has some of the best gravel bike trails in the world, and you’ve got a great combination.

Many of the tracks and trails within the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorks Moors National Parks, are ideally suited to tackling as a gravel bike route. With the rocky landscape and gritstone areas of wild and remote moorland, the area is a haven for gravel riders seekers adventure and solitude, riding some of the best dusty and rocky gravel bike trails in the U.K… Routes such as the famed Cam Road, above Wensleydale are epic, with the rock strewn ribbons of technical trail that climb above Wensleydale. Tackling these on a gravel bike allows us to extend the off-road adventure, tackling the tarmac easier as we ride to the best gravel bike routes in Yorkshire.

Over in Swaledale, the opportunities for gravel bike routes are endless, and the dale probably has the best gravel bike routes in Yorkshire – a high accolade.

Find your gravel bike adventure – in Yorkshire

Sutton Bank, and the National Park visitor centre is also a great base for gravel riders; with some of the best facilities, and easy access from all points north, and a selection of the very best tracks, such as the historic Drovers Road to Osmotherley. Riding the world-leading gravel bikes from our partners, we’ll be developing a selection of the best gravel bike routes in Yorkshire for you; with options for all riders at all levels, including some bike-packing gravel bike epics.

The best gravel bike routes in the U.K.

As we look through our already leading selection of the best off-road biking routes in the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorks Moors, we’ll be looking at which of these world class routes are ideally suited to gravel biking. We’ll then be listing them here, to help you to plan your own gravel bike adventure along the tracks and dusty and rocky trails of the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorks Moors. Not all mountain bike routes suit gravel biking. Many are too technical; but those that are suitable, provide some of the best gravel biking routes in Europe. Add to this, the epic scenery here in Yorkshire, and great places to stay; and you’ve got a gravel biking centre of excellence.

Check out the Rides

Click Here for Adventure

Italy’s best gravel bike routes

Pedalnorth Website — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 14:00:04 +0000

Inspiring
Adventure

Italy's best
Gravel Routes

Image by Luca Micheli on Unsplash

TIME to Ride the White Roads

Our selection of the best gravel bike routes in Italy

Coming from a mother who took to the trails on a drop handlebar bike in the 1950s, I should have known that one day, the world would catch up! Italy is also a place close to my heart; after all, my wife believes that she’s Italian, from a century’s old triste that took place with a Roman soldier and her Yorkshire ancestors! Yes, I know. We might all be just a little Italian – how cool is that. Anyway, to important things, and gravel biking.

Strade Bianche, whilst not the oldest bike race in the world, is already a classic. It’s already one of the most exciting bike races in the world, and has been instrumental in leading drop handlebar riders onto the white roads and gravel trails all over the world. And yet, Italy is and will remain the heartland of gravel cycling; this sport , still in its infancy, and which everyone seems to be excited about.

Over the next few months, we’ll be bringing you a selection of the very best gravel bike routes in Italy. Rides across the rolling Tuscan hills, passing vineyards; gravel bike routes that take in Umbria and the historical places such as Assisi, Arezzo and Siena. Gravel bike adventures to take on the Lakes and Mountains, the Dolomites and to sweep you though the majestic Italian meadows and mountains. Yes, we want to bring you the very best gravel bike routes in Italy – with adventure built into every pedal turn!

History, culture & adventure

As we develop our selection of Italy’s best gravel rides, we’ll be focusing in specific areas of this amazing country. In the north of Italy for example, there’s the historic ‘Via degli Dei’ road, that connects Bologna and Florence through the Apennines, and which has been used since Etruscan times. This epic adventure is mostly unpaved – gravel – and starts in the heart of Bologna, climbing steeply to the sanctuary of San Luca, before heading out into the Italian hills. It’s a multi-day gravel biking adventure in Italy, of some 130 km that needs to be taken at a sedate pace; allowing you to take in breath taking Italy.

L’Eroica

A continuing work of excellence

We’re super pleased to be able to bring you the very best gravel biking routes in Italy; helping you to plan your own 2-wheeled gravel bike adventure under the Italian sun. Wherever you’re heading in Italy with your gravel bike, as we develop this new section, we’ll be sure to have a great selection of gravel routes for you to ride, along with maps and GPX files to keep you on track.

Read Our Blogs

Click here for award winning blogs

Italy and the Tremalzo MTB tour

There's history all around Lake Garda, and this legendary route takes you up high to see it in the mountains, as you ride along tracks used by generations, including historic tracks used during the second world war.

September 11, 2025/by Pedalnorth Website

Stelvio Pass gravel and mountain bike route – unpaved

Epic off-road mountain adventure, as Teo and Alex take on the Stelvio Pass and descend on the amazing off-roadd tracks that wind their way down the mountains, visiting isolated lakes and unrivalled scenery, and the opportunity to stay in a mountain refuge by the nearby isolated mountain lake!

September 8, 2025/by Pedalnorth Website

Italy’s best gravel bike routes

Italy has the very best gravel bike routes in the world. Home to the famed Strade Bianche race and these white roads of the world tour, It's the perfect place for a gravel bike vacation, under the Tuscan sun. Here's our growing selection of the best gravel bike routes in Italy - with our partners at 3T Bikes!

Italian Gravel Bike Coast to Coast Route

Italy has some of the best bike brands in the world. The country also has some of the best gravel biking trails in the world too, giving you a great reason to take a bikecation vacation and ride our new Italian Gravel Bike Coast to Coast route.

Tour des Combins

Take on this classic bike packing tour in the Alps. If you're after a real adventure, then this could be for you. There's some bike hike along the way, but the rewards are epic. Either a hardtail MTB or a Gravel Bike is the ideal way to travel this route at speed.

May 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

The Jeroboam Franciacorta 300km

The Jeroboam Franciacorta 300km is Beauty and the Beast, gravel riding redefined between the shores of lake Iseo and Lake Garda. Spectacular riding and views awaited us, but not without earning them via some hefty climbing.

May 1, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Tour du Mont Blanc Cycle Route

This is the Tour du Mont Blanc, so what more needs to be said - it's tough, beautiful and extremely rewarding. Just read the route article below and follow the GPX file, and have an amazing ride!

April 30, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

More Gravel Routes

Click Here for Adventure

3T Bikes – pedalnorth

Who make the best carbon bikes in the world

Who make the best carbon bikes in the world

Road and off-road – where does innovation & excellence come as standard

The Road to Gravel

Gravel adventure requires ultimate engineering

Riding the road to innovation & excellence

Related Content

Is this the best gravel bike brand in the world

Is this the world’s best gravel bike brand

Ride into adventure

What is the best gravel bike in the world

Freedom for all – fast freedom

3T Race Max and Race Max Italia

Engineering excellence and innovation

TIME for change

Related Content

3T Bikes at Cycle Store Zurich 2024 UCI World Championships

Cycle Store Zürich & 2024 UCI Road Championships

A celebration of cycling and of life

Remembering Muriel Furrer

3T Bikes – Zurich 2024

Paolo Bettini Rides from Cycle Store, Zurich

In memory of Murial Furrer

1st July 2006 to 27th September 2024

Related Content

3T Bikes – Innovation and Excellence

3T Bikes

Innovation & Excellence in Cycling

By Robert Thorpe, and images by Ben Thorpe

The Passion of Cycling

A Unique Approach to Carbon Frames

Love at First Bike

Riding Towards an Exciting Future

Related Content

Italy’s best cycling routes

Cycling in style – in Italy

Our selection of the best road, MTB & gravel bike routes in Italy

L’Eroica

A continuing work of excellence

Choice your Ride in Italy

Italian Road Routes

Italian MTB Routes

Italian Gravel Routes

Related Content

Yorkshire Best Gravel Bike Routes – Dales and the Moors

Yorkshire Dales & North Yorks Moors Gravel Bike Routes

Gravel bike adventure’s in Yorkshire’s amazing National Park’s

Find your gravel bike adventure – in Yorkshire

The best gravel bike routes in the U.K.

Masham Moor Gravel Route

Gravel Bike Coast to Coast Moors Section

Gravel Bike Coast to Coast Dales Section

Sutton Bank and Boltby Scar

Wensleydale TrailFest

Around the Howgills

Rievaulx Woods

Drovers Way

Nidderdale Loop

Malham Tarn

Kettlewell Killer Loop

Settle Loop mtb

Related Content

Italy’s best gravel bike routes

TIME to Ride the White Roads

Our selection of the best gravel bike routes in Italy

History, culture & adventure

L’Eroica

A continuing work of excellence

Italy and the Tremalzo MTB tour

Stelvio Pass gravel and mountain bike route – unpaved

Italy’s best gravel bike routes

Italian Gravel Bike Coast to Coast Route

Tour des Combins

The Jeroboam Franciacorta 300km

Tour du Mont Blanc Cycle Route

Related Content