Bikes, Frames & Forks

The bike itself is a work of art. I have owned several different gravel bikes and I've never felt as comfortable and confident so quickly as I did on this bike. It has sharp, confident handling like a road bike, but can handle the trails as well as any rigid gravel bike I've ridden. It has that amazing distinctive Pinarello panache. The two areas I'd have preferred something different were the cassette/rear derailleur which didn't have the range I need for steep climbs, so swapped out to an AXS Eagle derailleur and MTB-range cassette. The wheelset is a great wheelset but I prefer riding lighter carbon wheels so those came off as soon as I got the bike.

Of the carbon gravel frames which I have owned and put miles on, the 3T Ultra is my favorite. Currently riding with 650b x 57 mm tires, and have plenty of clearance. The flex characteristic feel perfectly dialed. Unlike other carbon frames I've ridden, the 3T Ultra feels in sync with my pedal strokes and does not wear me down as I ride. I cannot overstate how important this is in a frame. 3T seems to understand the materials and construction better than other manufacturers who's bikes I've ridden. Also, the aero design I probably don't benefit much from, however, I have noticed my speed when descending is far faster than it used to be. I think that's where I notice the aero design the most. That and my average speed on familiar routes has increased, and without a big increase in my fitness level. Another thing I appreciate about the 3T Ultra is the reach and stack figures for my size are a better fit than 90% of the frames on the market. Pinarello and a few companies are working with more reasonable reach and stack figures, but would love to see more of the industry follow suit. The 3T Ultra's aesthetics are not really my own, but the look has grown on me, and the color is quite nice. My value rating is based on having purchased the frame while it was on sale.

This remarkable frameset builds into one incredible gravel bike. It's amazingly comfortable...the frame really dampens vibrations from the road/trail...but yet is incredibly stiff. Sound like a paradox? It's not...whatever LOOK did with this bike, it must be magic. Power transfer is instantaneous. The best part about this bike is its handling. It is so easy to ride, it's predicable, it carves through a corner and holds a line like it's on rails, all without you thinking about it. It just does whatever you want it to do...and does it very well...no arguments. If you never felt the biomechanical connection of bike and rider before, this bike will let you experience that feeling. It truly becomes an extension of you.

This bike is a gamechanger. The primary reason I wanted an e-bike was to reduce car trips even more than I already had by bicycling. The Benno Boost 10D Performance Speed gives me the ability to combine trips with confidence where before I might have bailed on the idea because of time, fatigue, or carrying capacity.

Now, a couple notes:

(1) The headlight mount isn't great. Mine was basically stripped when I receivedi it so that the headlight could not be secured and began flailing around on the fender by the time I finished my first real commute on Nashville's rough pavement. Gorilla tape holds it on the fender now, but I'm still not pleased with the angle of the light. It is pointed upward too much and this is annoying for people on foot in greenway sections that I have to use because Nashville is murderously car-centric.

(2) The front fender assembly instructions are lacking important details. The bracket which is affixed to the forks has a *convex washer* that you must back out almost entirely in order for the front and rear fender struts to fit as shown in the Benno "Front Fender Struts Installation" document. I had backed them out a reasonable amount, or so I thought at the time, only to find that the struts would go about half-way through the bracket holes, at which point I would tighten the mounting bolt. This resulted in a fair amount of frustration when the struts would spring out of the holes and rattle and scratch the finish on the forks. My main concern was that the left sided struts would find their way into the disc brake rotor. The kind people at Benno answered my emails with the all-important info about the convex washer and I was able to insert the struts correctly and torque down the bolt. All is well.

(3) Performance-wise this thing is a beast. I haven't found anything to complain about with the motor, the handling with a load, or with climbing steep hills around here. Gearing is fairly intuitive and I'm getting accustomed to the feel and sound of the motor engagement so that I am maximizing the pedal assist. At first, I did have a little tendency to fight it. I'm used to pedaling pretty hard.

(4) Last thing is the fit. I am 6'3" with long legs. I got a 400mm seatpost and also replaced the Benno saddle with a less robust one for myself. My wife is about 5'7" so the Benno saddle and seatpost go on it for her. It's a cinch to switch the seatposts with saddles already mounted for either of us.

Get one. You won't regret it. Just follow my heads up about the fender struts to avoid being frustrated with them springing out of the mounts in the middle of a ride at the worst possible time.