Basso SV is aero and lightweight but optimised for tyres up to 35mm wide
(Image credit: Basso)
Basso has today launched a new bike. Called the SV, it is designed to offer a high performance machine that can be configured for fast riding on tarmac, but also set up for all-road riding.
What does SV stand for? It signifies sempre veloce – ‘always fast’ in Italian - with Basso saying that the new bike is designed to offer racing level performance for all riders and elevate your cycling experience. It claims that the new bike combines cutting edge technology with thoughtful design, ensuring speed and comfort on any road, for every rider.
It says that without the demands of a sponsored WorldTour team, it can design a bike that prioritises the needs of non-elite riders, rather than designing a pro level bike then adapting it to the needs of consumers, which it claims often leaves gaps in comfort and versatility.
Beyond the marketing puff, what does this mean?
Basso says that it started off by assessing the positioning and bike fit requirements of a range of cyclists, as well as discovering the attributes most valued by high-end buyers. That’s led to a design which it says bridges the gap between performance racing bikes and all-road bikes.
There’s clearance for 35mm tyres when mounted on 25mm internal width rims (which will probably add around 3mm to the stated tyre width), so you can set the SV up for all-road riding.
Lightweight and aero
A UCI-troubling weight of 6.7kg is possible with the right build. (Image credit: Basso)
The Basso SV is made of a mix of Torayca T1100 and T1000 carbon fibre, with a claimed raw frame weight of 780g for a size 55, plus 370g for the fork. Other components are low in weight too, with the claimed weight for the seatpost 180g and the two bar/stem options weighing either 300g or 330g.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
A complete size 56 bike with Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, DT Swiss ARC 1100 wheels and Continental GP5000 28mm tyres has a claimed weight of 6.7kg, placing it squarely in the lightweight bike segment of the market.
Basso says that the frame stiffness has been increased over its Diamante and Diamante SV models at the head tube and bottom bracket, while retaining the same rear triangle stiffness numbers. This in turn improves handling precision, especially at high speeds and torque, Basso continues.
Everyone wants their bike to be more aero, so Basso has used Kammtail tube sections throughout the frameset. As with many recent bikes, it’s looked to reduce the frontal area, which it says is 16 percent smaller than for the Diamante SV. The bike’s aerodynamics are tuned for 28mm to 35mm tyres.
Broad sizing options
The sloping geometry increases seatpost extension and an elastomer insert between the seatpost and seat tube adds compliance (Image credit: Basso)
There’s a wide range of fit and sizing options, with seven frame sizes, two seatpost setback choices and 16 different bar/stems with two different designs, so that the ride position and comfort can be fine-tuned to the buyer’s needs.
The seven bike sizes overlap at their boundaries, so that a rider on the cusp between two sizes has a choice of a smaller or larger frame. Basso says that it’s increased the SV frame’s stack, while the sloping geometry exposes around 25mm more seatpost length than its traditional frame shape, adding extra compliance and increasing the rider height range that can be fitted on a specific frame size.
It has updated its 3B clamp system for the seatpost as well. This inserts an anti-vibration layer between the seatpost and the seat tube to enhance saddle comfort. The three clamping bolts are at the rear of the seat tube.
The Basso Fuga bar/stem is flared, backswept and 370mm wide at the tops (Image credit: Basso)
Basso’s two bar/stem options include the on-trend narrow topped Fuga. This is 370mm centre-to-centre across the tops, with a 30mm, 6 degree flare and 115mm drop. There’s a slight backsweep and downsweep which should also help to narrow the arm position. It’s available in six stem lengths.
The alternative Levita bar/stem was already in Basso’s line-up. It has a more traditional shape with 380mm to 440mm width at the tops, a 20mm, 4 degree flare and 120mm drop. It too comes in six stem lengths.
Basso SV specs and prices
This gradient colourway attracts a €450 / $560 premium (Image credit: Basso)
Basso will sell the SV with a range of premium groupsets: Campagnolo's slightly more affordable Super Record Wireless S, Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra, and SRAM Red AXS.
There’s a range of wheelsets to match, including Campagnolo Bora WTO 45, DT Swiss ARC 1100 DB and ERC 1600 and Fulcrum Sharq, so you can adopt a more roadie or an all-road configuration.
Prices range from €7,949 / $8,995 up to €11,999 / $13,295. There’s also a frame kit option, including the seatpost and Fuga bar/stem priced at €4,999 / $5,795. There are four colour options, with the gradient Rosso Vivo colourway attracting a €450 / $560 supplement.
Basso offers a five year warranty on the SV frame, a first for its bikes.
Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.
