Aqua Blue Sport unveil 3T Strada for 2018

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Irish Professional Continental team, Aqua Blue Sport have unveiled their radical team bike for the 2018 season. The revolutionary aerodynamic frame is equipped with the single-chainring SRAM Force 1X groupset and disc brakes.

Aqua Blue Sport made their racing debut this season, with unexpected but celebrated successes in the form of stage wins at the Tour de Suisse and Vuelta a Espana. Larry Warbasse also went on to win the United States national road race title, following his stage win in Switzerland.

Riding on Ridley bikes for the 2017 season, the team announced in September that they would race on 3T Strada bikes for their second season in the sport.

While the 3T Strada, designed by Cervelo founder and acclaimed bicycle design engineer Gerard Vroomen, has drawn plaudits for its future-thinking design, there have also been questions on the drawbacks of larger gear jumps at the highest level of racing in the sport due to the single chainring. However Vroomen and 3T have developed a special 9-32 tooth cassette that helps reduce the gear ratio jumps.

SRAM’s sponsorship director said on the announcement: “With 3T launching the world’s first dedicated 1x road frame and Aqua Blue Sport choosing it as their team bike for 2018, we knew we wanted to be involved in this project. It fits with our product innovations, and both 3T and Aqua Blue Sport will be perfect partners to test our 1x drivetrain options to the extreme.”

The bike is decorated in the blue and gold colours seen on the team throughout this season and further component details are to be announced in the coming weeks.