Basso Diamante "MAAP" LTD Frameset

Basso Diamante "MAAP" LTD Frameset Info

The Basso Diamante Frameset is a polished performer where the beauty goes far deeper than the finish. The version you see here is a Limited Edition version painted as part of a collaboration with MAAP  cycling clothing so that the MAAP-Basso Team of Melbourne, Australia has a bike finished to match the bold design of the team kit. It’s a great partnership, mating a hand-crafted Italian stallion with the strong aesthetic of this Australian clothier. The bike is a show-stopper, turning heads on every ride. Bicycling magazine selected it as the bike to buy if you want a ride that stands out.

Basso deploys Torayca T1000 and T800 carbon fiber plies, among other cloths, in the tubing makeup. The high-modulus fibers are aligned in different directions with different grades are utilized to maximize stiffness while still remaining strong. The only aluminum you’ll find in the frame is the derailleur hangers. The result is a 790g frame and 390g fork that is impressively stiff, turning your energy into forward motion.

The geometry is identical to the Diamante SV. It’s because Basso believes these dimensions yield the best ride qualities. Fast, with a light touch all that’s necessary to guide the bike through tight turns, and stable enough to scream down mountains in a full tuck.

The Diamante is slightly more traditional than its SV sibling. There is more emphasis on ride quality than aerodynamics, though there certainly are aero concerns baked into the frame. The head tube is designed with the fork blades to present a minimal front to the wind. The fork crown is sculpted to integrate seamlessly into the downtube. And the seat tube has been sculpted to help hide the rear wheel. At the same time, the tubes have been shaped to maximize torsional stiffness and vertical compliance. You see it in the taper of the top tube, the flattening of the downtube as it moves to the wide BB86 bottom bracket shell. The chainstays taper on their route to the dropouts and the seatstays remain thin, flattened a bit to improve vertical compliance. Basso also utilizes a tapered steerer, with a traditional 1 1/8” upper expanding out to 1 1/2” by the fork crown. This increases torsional rigidity, making hard turns track easier, and keeping you in a straighter line when thrashing out of the saddle. Maximum recommended tire size is 25mm.

To provide the ride characteristics Basso is designing for, they also designed and included the seat post. Featuring a NACA aerodynamic profile, it matches the shape of the seat tube. The post is 350mm long and features 15mm of setback. Naturally, the clamp is included as well.

The bike is set up with internal cable routing, capable of running mechanical or electronic shifting. The requisite stops and plugs come with, and your run the battery for wired electronic systems inside the seat tube.

The frame comes with a Basso stem and a customizable head tube complete with spacers. The stem angle is -11 degrees and the lengths come as follows: size 45 frame comes with a 100mm stem, the 48 a 100, 51 a 110, 53 a 110, 56 a 110, 58 a 120, 61 a 120. Reading the geometry chart, you’ll notice that the head tube is relatively short. That’s assuming you are running your stem slammed or nearly slammed. The frame comes with Basso’s Kit Comfort System, which includes three 5mm spacers and a the Kit Comfort head tube extender, which raises the effective head tube length by 20mm, as it provides you with a taller cup into which you install the upper headset bearing. And with this installed, you can then add the 15mm of spacers. The result is a single frame that has 35mm of flexibility in terms of where your stem sits. You can run the stem slammed to get the head tube length in the spec sheet, and then add spacers up to 15mm. If you want the head tube to be 20mm higher than the spec sheet, add the Kit Comfort. Then you can put up to 15mm of spacers on top of that. This way, the frame works for those who prefer the super-low position of a pro or a more upright position favored by the less-flexible.

The Basso Diamante MAAP LTD Frameset has incredible style and a ride that exceeds its image.