After two decades of fantastic performance, ground breaking design and unrivaled craftsmanship, the Venta celebrates its 20th year.
The Venta is Basso's entry point carbon road bike and is available in both rim and disc brake configurations. It is aimed at the rider looking for Basso's signature racy but confident feel that is derived from meticulously considered geometries - a core aspect of the brand - but with a more relaxed position and compliant ride.
With a completely new design that is as technically sound as it is beautiful, the new model is the first that follows a new design principle for Basso, one that offers more coherence in terms of design between all models, regardless of their position within the range.
The Venta is one of the finest looking carbon road bikes at the price point - typical of Italian design. While the aesthetics go a long way into defining the beauty of the Venta, it is the craftsmanship that sets this frame apart from its competition. Like all Basso bikes, the Venta is made in Italy, by hand, by Basso and with the same extreme attention to quality and detail used to make the most premium frames in the range: the Venta represents a fantastic value proposition.
There are many carbon bikes available today so why should you consider a Basso?
Basso was among the first to research, develop and employ carbon in its frames. By not only building with carbon but researching new methods and techniques to continually improve performance, reliability and durability, the Basso Venta frame is an advanced piece of technology that rivals anything else on the market and rides like only a Basso can.
Most carbon bikes - particularly at this price point - are not made entirely of carbon, they are 'mechanised' - in other words, they use inserts or bonded aluminium elements in their construction. If your bike is not regularly and thoroughly cleaned and maintained (as all machines should be) these elements and bonded pieces can ultimately fail or cause issue. Through meticulous research and development the Basso Venta carbon frame is designed and built without the incorporation of alternative, contrasting materials. Advanced carbon technologies allow for all elements of the frame to be constructed without compromise and with incerased integrity, wholly in carbon fibre and completely without the incorporation of alloy or metal components. It is this aspect of construction - rare indeed at this price - that is in part responsible for the continuity of performance of the Venta over time.
The ride.
Fast but smooth, the Venta is built without compromise and deftly balances the stiffness required for a reactive, precise and thrilling ride, with the confidence and comfort for all day adventure.
An oversized bottom bracket and down tube meet with a reinforced head-tube junction to resist torsional stress and result in extremely efficient power transfer. No power loss to flex means more efficient riding, more energy for the final and more speed for equivalent watts. Basso use a tapered headset in the design of the Venta frame too and the 1 ⅛” to 1 ½” headset greatly enhances the manuverability and ride feel of the Venta, delivering precise and confident handling characteristics that let you know where you are and more importantly - where you are going to be.
A more relaxed geometry than the likes of the race-oriented Diamante, gives additional comfort to the meticulously developed carbon layup that has been created to confer both a reactive and comfortable structure. The straight fork and compact rear triangle make for responsive handling performance, so the Venta is agile enough for even the fastest most technical situations.
Like most modern road bikes, the Venta benefits from Basso's Double Fit construction that provides dedicated internal routing that is optimised for either mechanical or electronic groupsets so versatility and future-proofing are ensured. In addition, each and every tube in the construction of the Venta has been made to reduce aerodynamic drag to a minimum, allowing you to move forward faster and with less effort. Basso's aerodynamic approach seeks to develop a versatile design that takes into account the highly variable wind situations and angles that the rider may find themselves in. Aero optimized not for the wind tunnel but rather for the real world.
Ultimately, the fantastic ride quality that is derived from Basso's engineering is permanent, making the Basso frame perform as well after several seasons as it does on the first ride. Invest in Basso composite technology and it will pay dividends for your cycling future.
The 20th anniversary Venta blends head turning and function-driven design with performance, that makes it a more than capable race-ready steed. Sleek lines and minimalist graphics make sure that this frame perhaps one of the most elegant within its segment.
Its beautiful shape and construction meet with advanced features, generally reserved for higher tier offerings, making the Venta 105 an even more appealing option. Internal cable routing and integrated seat post clamp make for a clean aesthetic while the oversized bottom bracket and reinforced head tube junction make for an extremely reactive construction.
The Venta, represents the fantastic design premise of the original model as well as the ethos of the brand. It is testament to the fact that impeccable craftsmanship, performance and design, built to race and built to last are qualities found throughout the entire range of Basso bikes, no matter their price point.
The Basso Venta 105 rim brake bike is available in 2 colour options : Black or Sea Blue. They come with a full Shimano 105, 11 speed groupset and Miche MCT Wheels, finished with Basso's own aluminium finishing kit, Selle Italia saddle and Continental tyres.
The unisex Basso Venta is available in 7 sizes to accommodate all riders.
Basso are rare.
Almost all Italian, indeed European brands, struggle to compete with major bike manufacturers, if not on quality then certainly on price. Take a look at the likes of Pinarello and Colnago and it is difficult to see the value in their lower end models. Their Carbon tech and bike specifications struggle to come close to matching the counterparts offered by the big four : Cannondale, Giant, Specialized and Trek. Pinarello and Colnago are not small players in the game.
So, when a brand like Basso comes onto the radar it would be easy to gloss over it, dismiss it out of hand on the basis that, if the big boys can't compete, how would they?
Factor in that Basso are 100% Made in Italy - not known for cheap labour and mass bicycle production - and they become even more intriguing.
Visit any reasonably sized town in Italy and the chances are there is - or almost certainly was - a frame builder there.
Italians are in love with bike building. In much the same way that there is a frame building renaissance in the UK, with small outfits popping up all over, that approach permeates Italian society.
The beauty of Basso lies in their perfect balance to their approach.
By their own admission, they do not choose to advertise heavily - an approach more the preserve of North American 'manufacturers' (which is quite often a misnomer - I can name a very popular bike brand that doesn't manufacture a single product, they are simply a marketing company....)
Instead Basso choose to plough their passion and capital into producing bikes that do their talking on the road and, like most Italian brands, there's is more an experience; a particular quality of the ride that engages the rider and evokes emotion. Most of us want a bike to inspire us, but it is so easy to be overhemeled, not only with choice but with the sheer volume of marketing in the publications (who get their revenue from said) that are on offer and that are supposed to help guide our decisions. Understandable.
Basso - as I say - balance these elements particularly well. They deliver not only a signature 'Basso' ride quality - of which they are extremely proud, but they also are technologically savvy. They use the best processes and materials and where tech is not available - they develop their own. While many hide the quality of their materials or tech (by omission), Basso are transparent. As you will see in the detail below, they share not only information on the materials they use but go as far as to detail the lay-up schedules of their frames. I can't think of another brand that makes that level of detail readily available - certainly not at the lower end of the market.
This is testament to the quality of Basso frames. A self belief in their product, their production methods and materials that should instill confidence in you as a rider, as it does me as a dealer.
They are refreshing. Moreover - they are competitive.
This is the crux of it. Most large (let alone relatively small) Italian bike producers don't come close to being competitive, even with big companies' production outsourced to the far-east.
Basso are.
100% Handmade. In Italy. With transparency and high quality materials. Competitively priced. With a ride feel and handling designed not only to perform, but to inspire and delight.
Basso make it entirely possible to confidently purchase an handbuilt Italian road bike, without crippling yourself financially.
GEOMETRY QUICK GUIDE:Staring at geometry charts trying to fathom which bike will suit you best can be daunting to the non-geek and boring as much as anything else!
The price of a bike and the apparent position in the range do not necessarily relate to how racy a bike is. So, simply as a quick reference guide, the Basso Road Range is listed out below in GEOMETRY ORDER from most upright to most racy.
SIZING Guide :
XXS = 44
XS = 48
S = 51
M = 53/54
L = 56
XL = 58
XXL = 60/61
**Be aware that geometry doesn't necessarily dictate the type of riding that a bike is aimed at (though it is obviously a pretty good guide) - the Astra and Diamante SV are good examples. Always remember : a geometry that fits you will make you faster than a geometry that doesn't - if the bike is a top-of-the-line race bike but doesn't fit, it is unlikely to make you fast - more likely uncomfortable, distracted and slower as a result!**
Venta / Venta Disc : Endurance Geometry but with signature Basso ride feel that remains exciting despite the 'Endurance' tag. Exciting but comfortable.
Astra : All-Round geometry designed to crush everything. Constructed from high modulus carbon it is a stiff, light and engaging lay-up for a more spritely feel.
Diamante SV : Technically the most advanced frame in the range with a more 'modern' geometry than the Diamante Rim that sits below it. Accommodating, all-round geometry, yet entirely racy.
Diamante Disc : Sharing the same Carbon tech as the SV, the Diamante Disc uses super-light, round tube profiles and a similar but lightly more racy geometry. It is a great all-rounder and ideal for climbing.
Diamante Rim :Pure race geometry, long and low. Ideal for those looking to maximise their aero efficiency and adopt a racing tuck.
The table below details the most common technologies that are employed by Basso in their frames - these will often be referenced in the Technical Specifications of the models.
Not only that but you can see which carbon fibres that Basso are using and the lay-up schedules of each bike, so the differences between models is more apparent - this is also a useful guide as to what makes a specific frame behave a specific way.
Basso Components
Often a brand will have its own range of components to complement their frames and bikes - these are often scoffed at, but as Cannondale and Felt have ably demonstrated in the past, they can also be some of the lightest.
Basso components are also Made in Italy and their MR wheels are made in conjunction with Miche - a long established and forward thinking Italian brand. Basso components are excellent and perfectly complement the Basso brand - they are also key in delivering the Basso ride and keeping the bikes competitive - both in performance and price. They look good too!