New Basso Diamante is longer, disc-brake only and has higher seatstays

By Stan Portus

Published: Thursday, 14 July 2022 at 12:00 am

Basso has launched its latest road bike at Eurobike 2022, the Basso Diamante 8th-gen.

A spokesperson for Basso at Eurobike describes the bike as “exactly how a racing bike should be these days”.

While there aren’t any obvious aero features, which might surprise some for a modern-day race bike, the Diamante 8th-gen bike is disc-brake only and has integrated cables and hosing.

The bike’s geometry has been updated subtly for 2023 and the frame is now lighter.

It is available in three colours: black, ‘Candy Red’ and ‘White Opal’. Pricing starts at €8,299 with Shimano Ultegra Di2 and Basso’s own wheels.

Updated geometry

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The head tube is taller, but still has Basso’s distinctive in-set design.
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Basso has made a number of changes to the eighth generation of the Diamante. Many of these changes are related to the front end of the bike.

The head tube of the new Diamante is 1cm taller than the previous version, across all seven sizes of the bike, and the reach is shorter. This creates a less stretched-out riding position.

Basso has made the front centre of the bike longer by reducing the head tube angle. The brand says this improves handling up and downhill as well as at higher and lower speeds.

The chainstay length remains the same as the previous generation and the bike is said to have enough clearance for 32mm road bike tyres.

Low weight and high seatstays

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The bike has higher seatstays than the previous version.
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Basso has lowered the weight of the Diamante by 200g, with the new frameset weighing a claimed 760g in a size 56cm, according to Basso’s spokesperson.

This low-weight frameset means the Diamante can be built to the UCI’s 6.8kg weight limit. One bike on display at Eurobike is built with SRAM Red eTap AXS and Zipp 353 wheels to a claimed 6.8kg. However, this bike is not commercially available.

In order to make the bike more stable given its reduction in weight, the spokesperson says Basso raised the height of the seatstays – the opposite direction of many other race bikes’ seatstays.

This is said to help make the bike more stable because the larger rear-triangle shape increases strength and rigidity.

New cockpit and seatpost

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The Diamante now comes with a one-piece cockpit.
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For 2023, Basso has given the Diamante a new one-piece cockpit, which has all cables and hoses routed internally.

The cockpit design has a claimed weight of 330g and it is said to help reduce the weight of the new bike compared to its predecessor.

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The seatpost is held in place with two bolts.
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Basso has introduced new seatpost options, too. The post is available with either a 0-degree or 2.5-degree offset.

The D-section post is held in place with Basso’s patented 3B Gen 2 seatpost clamp.

Finer details

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The eight columns represent the eight generations of the Diamante.
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There are several finer details on the Basso Diamante 8th-gen, ranging from practical to aesthetic.

In a move that would seem more at home on a gravel bike or mountain bike than an €8,000 road bike, a tool kit can be stored in the thru-axles.

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Alcide Basso’s signature on the Diamante top tube.
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Elsewhere, the down tube has a graphic with eight columns representing the eight generations of the Diamante in its 22-year history.

The top tube features the signature of Alcide Basso, who founded the brand in 1977.