Basso Diamante and Basso Palta: new race- and gravel- bikes from Italy
With the new Diamante and Palta Italian manufacturer Basso presents two new interesting models. The new, revised version of the Diamante-racebike features disc brakes for the first time and the Palta is the new gravel-rig in Basso’s portfolio. Here you’ll find all the important info you need to know.
With the new Diamante the Italians introduce a bike that reflects the brand’s beliefs: timeless elegance, fine craftsmanship, love for detail and exclusive high-quality materials.
For the new version of the Diamante Basso ‘s development team entirely redesigned the shape of the tubing. This time around the Italians used higher-quality carbon fibres and updated the bike with a set of disc brakes. According to Basso the improvements become clear once you take the Diamante to the lab: the flex in the bottom bracket and head tube has been reduced by up to 50 %.
In addition the new Diamante frame can now take up to 28 mm tires — this should improve both comfort and speed.
Geometry
| Size | 45 | 48 | 51 | 53 | 56 | 58 | 61 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top tube | 505 mm | 515 mm | 525 mm | 545,4 mm | 560 mm | 575 mm | 590 mm |
| Chainstays | 400 mm | 400 mm | 400 mm | 400 mm | 402 mm | 406 mm | 406 mm |
| Head angle | 71,8° | 71,8° | 72,0° | 72,3° | 73,5° | 73,5° | 74° |
| Head tube | 100 mm | 110 mm | 125 mm | 137 mm | 155 mm | 179 mm | 213 mm |
| Seat angle | 76° | 75° | 75° | 74° | 73,5° | 73° | 72,5° |
| Reach | 379,5 mm | 377,5 mm | 383,6 mm | 390,4 mm | 392,2 mm | 394,8 mm | 393,2 mm |
| Stack | 503,4 mm | 513,1 mm | 527,8 mm | 540,3 mm | 566,6 mm | 589,6 mm | 624,2 mm |
The Basso Diamante is available as a frame kit with seat post, stem and a number of spacers in the following finishes: Lunar Blue, Rubin Red, Italia, Selenite Gray and Electric Sky.
The folks at Basso don’t do gravel, they do Palta — which means dirt or mud in certain parts of Italy. Basso is complementing its portfolio with a bike that’s not intended for the road.
The Basso team is particularly proud of the geometry of the new Palta gravel bike — it’s designed to strike a good balance between performance and comfort. To underline this balance even more Basso offers two packages to go along with the Palta: the Endurance-Pack which includes a special 20 mm spacer for a more comfortable ride and the Mudfest-Kit that includes two special mudguards for very wet and mucky days.
The fork and seatpost also follow this philosophy. If needed you can attach two additional bottle holders on the fork and the seat post is cushioned for greater comfort. The frame allows for tires pf up to 700 x 40C.
Geometry
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top tube | 510 mm | 530 mm | 550 mm | 565 mm |
| Chainstays | 430 mm | 430 mm | 430 mm | 430 mm |
| Head angle | 69,5° | 70,0° | 71,0° | 71,0° |
| Head tube | 105 mm | 125 mm | 140 mm | 160 mm |
| Seat angle | 74,5° | 74° | 73,5° | 73° |
| Reach | 365,6 mm | 374,8 mm | 383,7 mm | 388,2 mm |
| Stack | 520,5 mm | 541,2 mm | 559,2 mm | 578,1 mm |
The Basso Palta is available in three colours: Space Blue, Emerald Green and Shadow Grey. The bike is designed to be both technically versatile but also a viable option for lots of different tastes and applications.
With the disc version of the Diamante and the new Palta the fine Italian brand is expanding its portfolio and completing it with two very interesting bikes: above all the large selection of colours and the option of equipment packages for the Palta should make both bikes very attractive. We are looking forward to a first test!
For more information head to bassobikes.com
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Words: Photos: Benjamin Topf
