Basso bicycles is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 manufacturer of hand made road bicycle

Racing bicycle

A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike, is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale...

s, founded in 1977 by the three Basso brothers, Marino, Renato and Alcide.

Marino Basso was the world professional road-racing champion in 1972, winning the race in Gap

Gap, Hautes-Alpes

Gap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River...

, in the south of France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Their current line of road machines feature framesets built both of modern materials - carbon fiber

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...

 and aluminum - and traditional steel frame

Bicycle frame

A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, on to which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles, a main triangle and a paired rear triangle...

s.

They started building steel frames in northern Italy.
Although of excellent quality, they didn't sponsor enough pro-teams to become really well known.

Vintage Basso machines from the late '70s and '80s are generally of lugged construction with Columbus steel tubing

Columbus Tubing

Columbus is a manufacturer of steel tubing used in bicycle frames, located in Settala, in the Province of Milan. The company was founded in 1919 by A.L. Columbo and was taken over by Columbo's youngest son, Antonio, in 1977...

.

By the 1990s, Basso brothers also produced frames under the name Pogliaghi

Pogliaghi

Pogliaghi was an Italian racing bicycle manufacturer, based in Milan, Italy.The company was founded by Sante Pogliaghi in 1947. Pogliaghi did much of the work, but had up to six staff by the late 1970s, when production increased from 300 frames a year to 800. Cyclists such as Patrick Sercu and...

. Basso still hold the rights, and in 2011 recommenced making frames under that marque.

External links

• BASSOBIKES corporate site