£5,199 Handcrafted in Italy, built for fast gravel Weight 8.67kg (XL) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Campagnolo 13spd Ekar (40t, 9-42t) Brakes Campagnolo Ekar Wheels Campagnolo Shamal C17 carbon Finishing kit Basso Paradigma alloy integrated 110mm stem, Basso Paradigma carbon bar, Basso gravel carbon 46cm seatpost, Selle Italia Model X Boost saddle, Schwalbe G-One All Round 35c tyres
THE BASSO PALTA IS THE BRAND’S third iteration of a fast gravel bike. It sits alongside the more rugged alloy-carbon mix Terra (CP403) that has a pivot-equipped rear triangle. The name Palta comes from the word used in Italy’s Veneto region for the high roads where tarmac turns to gravel.
The Palta’s slender, lightweight and aero-optimised frameset places it firmly in the race-orientated gravel camp. Basso makes its good-looking carbon frames in Italy and the Palta features aero tubes (with an oversized head-tube), a very slender fork with a forward-shifted crown to damp vibrations, and a skinny back end with subtly dropped seatstays. The seat-tube has a cutaway for the rear wheel and there’s a proprietary crescent-shaped seatpost.
Design detail
In fact, there’s a lot of proprietary design going on. Up front, the head-tube is designed for Basso’s ‘Paradigma’ integration system, routing the hoses and mechanical drivetrain cables through a channel on the underside of the stem so you can remove the stem independently of the cabling.
The slender fork integrates smoothly into the head-tube that’s wide and almost flat at the front, to help stabilise a bar bag. At the rear, the crescent seatpost has room to push a wedge into the post, clamping it firmly in place. There’s no provision for mudguards or luggage racks, but you can have three bottles and a top-tube Bento box, while the down-tube has a tough (removable) plastic protector. There’s clearance for 700 x 45c tyres, which is ample for its purposes. Paint and finishing details add a touch of class, and a pair of mini tools for the bars, stem and seatpost push into the front and rear thru axles.
It’s light and, at a claimed 960g for an unpainted Medium frame and 270g for the fork, the Palta could be built up even lighter. My XL-sized test bike weighs 8.67kg, which is very competitive for the price.
Need for speed
The Palta’s geometry points at a fast gravel-biased bike that would get a lot of road use too. My XL test bike comes with a 600mm stack and 402mm reach, which is lower and longer than a classic endurance bike. The seat angle is road bike steep at 73°, but the head angle is a more relaxed 71°. The 1,
