The 3T Exploro & How It Compares to the OPEN UP
The 3T Exploro and OPEN U.P. have both established themselves as top-level players in the gravel world. Both bikes are extremely versatile, forward-thinking, and capable, but they take slightly different approaches to reaching the same goal.
We’ve been fortunate enough to spend a good amount of time on both bikes across all kinds of terrain, and we’re big fans of each. The Exploro and U.P. are outstanding examples of bikes that can comfortably cover just about any terrain, and do it quickly.
Whether you’re a full-fledged gravel racer, looking for a road/gravel do-it-all bike, or something in between, both are outstanding options. So which one is right for you? Let’s dive in.
3T Exploro: Gravel With an Aero Focus
Even after a number of years on the market, there’s still a lot to be said about the 3T Exploro. The Exploro we’ve come to know, love, and respect was conceived long before gravel became the popular discipline it is today.
The folks at 3T wanted a bike that could ride further and faster across whatever terrain it encountered. Their approach was to combine on-road speed with mountain-bike durability and toughness.
The result is a bike that can fly through smooth sections while still being capable of seriously rough terrain.
Bringing Aerodynamics to Gravel
3T pioneered the idea of aerodynamics on gravel bikes, and those efforts are immediately apparent in the Exploro’s oversized downtube.
The aero optimization extends well beyond the downtube. 3T has even tested mud-covered bikes in the wind tunnel to better understand how the bike performs in real-world gravel conditions.
The resulting design aims to preserve the kind of speed you expect on the road, even when riding exposed gravel tracks and dealing with crosswinds.
Big Tires, Built for Speed
Beyond aerodynamics, the Exploro lineup can handle a wide range of large tires. While tire clearance is critical to any successful gravel bike, 3T has done a particularly good job of creating bikes that still feel genuinely fast on big rubber.
Whether you’re riding pavement or pounding out a gravel race course, the Exploro carries speed exceptionally well.
To cover a range of riding styles, 3T has offered several versions of the Exploro, each optimized around a slightly different purpose.
The original Exploro Pro and Team models are the jack-of-all-trades options. The Exploro Racemax pushes harder toward outright speed, while the Exploro Ultra is designed around covering rougher terrain quickly and confidently.
Depending on the model and setup, the Exploro platform can accommodate extremely high-volume tires, giving riders plenty of room to tune the bike around their terrain and riding style.
The Exploro Ultra also combines an aero seat tube with a conventional 27.2mm round seatpost, opening the door to standard, dropper, and suspension seatposts.
Italian Carbon Production
Always innovating and pushing boundaries, 3T has also begun bringing more of its carbon production home to Italy.
Models including the Exploro Racemax Italia and Exploro Extrema Italia are produced at 3T’s Presezzo factory using the company’s proprietary filament-wound carbon and resin transfer molding processes rather than relying solely on conventional pre-preg carbon construction.
It’s another example of 3T taking a less conventional approach to gravel-bike design and manufacturing.
OPEN U.P.: Simplicity and Versatility
With all of the out-of-the-box thinking happening at 3T, it’s not surprising to find bike-industry innovator Gerard Vroomen involved.
It’s also no surprise that Vroomen, along with Andy Kessler, is directly responsible for the increasingly legendary OPEN U.P.
Much like the Exploro, the U.P. was born from the desire for a bike that could go nearly anywhere, do it quickly and comfortably, and come back in one piece.
More specifically, OPEN has always focused on building the bikes Gerard and Andy themselves want to ride.
The U.P. was the first product to come from that philosophy and helped shape what we now think of as the fast-gravel category by combining road-bike speed with high-volume tires and mixed-terrain geometry.
One Bike for Almost Everything
In the years since its introduction, the OPEN U.P. has established itself as a true “one bike for just about everything” platform.
Some owners use the U.P. for virtually everything outside of a four-corner criterium.
It prioritizes versatility, capability, and comfort, but does so with a more traditional aesthetic and without the pronounced aero shaping of the 3T Exploro.
Like the Exploro, the U.P. can accommodate a wide range of tire sizes while maintaining much of the feel of a road bike.
No matter the surface or tire setup, the U.P. remains agile, responsive, and predictable. The confidence it provides on pavement carries over naturally when the road turns to dirt.
Thoughtful Details Under the Surface
Much of the beauty of the U.P. lies in what you don’t immediately see.
Given the design pedigrees of OPEN’s founders, it’s no surprise that the frame uses different types of carbon depending on what each area needs to accomplish.
Areas such as the main tubes make greater use of high- and ultra-high-modulus carbon, while areas such as the head tube incorporate tougher, lower-modulus material.
The goal is a frame that remains both light and durable.
Other subtle details include adapter-free front brake mounting for 160mm rotors, OPEN’s “Flat Out” downtube design, and the “Thru-thread” rear dropout, which helps secure the derailleur hanger through the same threaded interface used by the rear thru axle.
A Groundbreaker That Still Holds Up
OPEN’s focus on thoughtful details without unnecessary complexity has helped the U.P. maintain its reputation for performance, comfort, and versatility.
Years ago, OPEN recognized where tire, wheel, and frame technology were heading and built around that future.
In an increasingly crowded gravel and all-road market, the U.P. remains exceptional and will always be remembered as one of the bikes that helped define the category.
3T Exploro vs. OPEN U.P.: Which One Is Right for You?
So which should you choose?
While it sounds cliché, you really can’t go wrong with either the Exploro or the U.P.
If you’re focused primarily on speed, gravel racing, and aerodynamics, the stiffer, aero-optimized Exploro makes a lot of sense.
If your riding leans more toward long mixed-terrain days, all-day adventures, and getting the most out of every point-A-to-point-B ride, the U.P. offers a little more emphasis on comfort and versatility while maintaining a quick, nimble feel.
The bottom line is that both bikes excel at making mixed-terrain riding feel fast, capable, and exciting. They simply get there in slightly different ways.