8 hours ago
Why I fell in love with a beautiful Italian road bike
There are cool bikes, there are nice bikes, there are practical bikes, but there are few bikes so beautiful that even noncyclists look at it and think, wow. The Basso's new SV is one of those — the Italian brand has created a grande bellezza.
The SV stands for Sempre Veloce, meaning always fast, and that is accurate. This bike is rapid. The stiff, light frame makes it feel like there's nothing beneath you. You turn the pedals and the bike goes, there's no delay, no wasted watts, it doesn't feel like you're steering a barge. In fact it often feels like you're steering nothing at all — just your power, directed straight into the tarmac.
But this is also a bike that Basso claims is correct for 95 per cent of people. It is its all-rounder, appealing to the current trend within cycling of having a do-it-all machine rather than an aero bike and a climbing bike and a winter bike. Does it do it all? Yes, and very well.
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With such carbon machines you often trade ride comfort for lightness and stiffness. Pure racing bikes feel as if they'll break your back on any potholes or bumps in the road — and we have the odd one or two of those in the UK. But the SV is a fine ride, stiff in all the right places and softer where it needs to be. I tested it with 32mm Grand Prix 5000 S tyres that were perfect and when I hit our pockmarked Essex roads my back remained intact.
It handles beautifully, even in fast-speed corners. The bike gripped the road, the balance of the ride was perfect. And out of the saddle on the climbs it was a joy.
The only problem was the surroundings in which I rode — the grey sky, the damp road, this is not scenery befitting such a bike. But later on, rolling along a narrow country lane, the sun beginning to peek between the clouds, light twinkling on the bike's frame, I saw galloping deer in the rolling fields alongside me and suddenly everything felt all right.
The components are as high-end as you might expect. While you can configure your bike with your own choices, the Dura Ace di2 groupset is as smooth and reliable as always and the DT Swiss wheels are the perfect companions.
None of this really matters, though, because the bike is just so beautiful. I had the SV in the Viola Galaxy colour, a groovy, sparkly blue-orange. The front fork is subtle and low-profile and the down tube has a slight aero kink in it that gives it character. When I pulled up to a coffee shop for an espresso and a sandwich I left the bike outside to be admired by other cyclists and passers-by. If only we had been in its native Italy, among the ruins of Rome, perhaps, or the vineyards of Tuscany, they would surely have said: 'Che bella!'
Basso SV as ridden £8,889, starting from £6,730;
