Basso Bikes are no stranger to Cyclo-Cross, being European they have long had the Fastcross model in their lineup, but with the popularity of gravel grinding adventure bikes they needed to make some changes to its design to better suit the conditions now being ridden off-road.
Not being content with a facelift, they set out to design an entirely new model, new moulds and frame features befitting of the genre. Their expertise in carbon manufacture is nothing new. They boast their own carbon factory in the heart of Italy and all carbon models are still laid up and produced from start to finish in-house. Shadowed in secret, the factory has been somewhat hidden because of the other products developed by them for Formula 1, MotoGP, World Rally Championship, as well as top secret production for the Italian Military. Racing parts like swing arms for Ducatti MotoGP and wings and splitters for F1 to give only a hint of their products are developed alongside those made for you and I. The carbon technology that is learned in F1, directly trickles down into their bikes and components and the same level of perfection, attention to detail and consistency of the carbon product is carried through.
The all-new frame has increased tire clearance to accommodate up to 40c gravel tires or 42c slick tires which was the drawback of the Fastcross frame that was designed specifically for CX racing and the UCI limit of 33c. The new bike will cope with far more rugged terrain while remaining comfortable with the extra volume rubber.
Another key comfort detail is the proprietary seatpost designed in-house with rubber elastomers moulded into the carbon layup to deaden vibrations, from the road or dirt, wherever you choose to ride. The frame is designed to be laterally stiff while offering vertical compliance.
The frame is built for 1x drivetrains only and comes in two spec offerings, either Sram Force1 or Sram Rival1 with an optional carbon wheel upgrade on both. Basso now also use their elegant headset and stem and spacer kit matching their top-end road models, the Diamante and Diamante SV. The stems are super stiff and will easily cope with the demands of off-road riding, while integrating beautifully from the headtube. Paintwork is flawlessly done in their matt eggshell finish, with two superb colourways on offer. “Eggshell” is a technique they developed to be much more hard wearing than traditional matt paint.
