T
here 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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