Vintage 3T (3ttt)

3ttt was a Turin maker of handlebars and stems, founded in 1961 by Mario Dedioniggi after a decade at the Ambrosio factory. Velobase gives the original name as Tecnologia del Tubo Torinese and also lists the maker as Tecno Tubo Torino; either way the name refers to Turin, and the three Ts gave the brand its nickname, Triple T. The company began by bending handlebars and moved early into aluminum, using Ergal alloy for its Superleggero bar in 1975 according to Velobase. Its common vintage road parts are the Competizione drop bar, offered in Merckx, Gimondi and Tour de France bends, the Grand Prix and Record bars, and the Mod. 1 Record Strada quill stem. 3ttt used the 26.0 mm Italian clamp standard rather than Cinelli's 26.4 mm, so mixing the two brands is a common fit problem. Velobase records that in 1985 the business was sold to a group including Antonio Colombo, owner of Columbus and Cinelli, and that the new company was meant to be registered as 3TTT but became 3T after a clerk left off two of the Ts.

2 references tracked.