Posted on June 28, 2022 by Zach Overholt
In the titanium bicycle realm, T-Lab frames already stand out for their shapely, cold-worked tubes. But it seems that the Montreal-based builder has gone back to the drawing board for their latest R3 Omni.
The R3 Omni has occupied that space between road and gravel, often called All-Road. With clearance for up to 700c x 35mm tires and a fast-but-comfortable build philosophy, the R3 Omni could be a great option for those who want road bike speed, but added versatility.
Now, T-Lab tells us the R3 Omni is getting even better and it starts with a new top tube. While the previous version already had a shaped top tube, the new tube looks to be a larger diameter with more aggressive sculpting to increase torsional stiffness.
The changes continue back to the T-Bone Seat Stay which is said to once again increase torsional stiffness of the rear triangle, but in a way that optimizes vertical compliance at the seat tube. T-Lab mentions that this will have a positive impact on accessory mount integration as well.
And since 2x is definitely still alive in the road world, T-Lab has gone with a new front derailleur hanger which allowed the use of a “straighter, even stiffer seat tube design, enhancing responsiveness and shifting accuracy for 2x builds.”
Finally, the bike gets a new RD2 full carbon fork that has been designed with an optimized downtube profile to smooth out the transition between the fork and frame.
All of this combines to form a titanium bike with “up to 30% more lateral rigidity than conventional round tube Ti bikes.” Made in-house in Quebec, T-Lab offers a number of options including standard or custom sizing, finish colors, and personalization with prices starting at $3,975 for the frame or $5,475 for complete bikes.
Zach Overholt is the Editor in Chief of Bikerumor. He has been writing about what’s new in the bicycle world for 12+ years. Prior to that, Zach spent many years in the back of a bicycle shop building and repairing nearly every type of bike, while figuring out how to (occasionally) ride them.
Based in Ohio, Zach is now slowly introducing a new generation to cycling and still trying to figure out how to fit the most rides into a busy schedule as a new dad.
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“Cold worked tubes” so it must be 3/2.5 Ti. Nothing else rides as smooth and comfortable as titanium. Try before you die people. Props for the domestic production, eh!
Make a square tube rather than a round tube put the point up on the square edge connect the upright with the connecting points touching then weld the titanium on all four sides much stronger this way.
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