Basso Diamante SV Disc Record Hydro Shamal Enigma

With the Basso Diamante SV, the company went back to the drawing board, and this is the result: an ultra-smooth, sleek aero machine, thanks to full internal cable routing and an exercise in hiding pretty much anything that pokes its head out into the wind. Some may mourn the ditching of the rim brake version, though.

If you're in the market for a £7,000 machine, check out our guide to the best road bikes – from £300 to over £13,000…

Back in 2020, Jack reviewed the Diamante SV and was impressed, although he did say it was showing its age a little compared with the current crop of aero race bikes on the market.

> Buy now: Basso Diamante SV Disc Record Hydro Shamal Enigma for £7,499 from Chicken Cyclekit

Basso must have noticed that too, as what you see in this latest version of the Diamante SV is a focus on making it more aero, with tweaks throughout the frame, such as the fully integrated cabling for a very clean front end and the shape of the tubing.

It's not just wind tunnel speed that Basso has been chasing, though. It's also focused on making the bike faster in the real world thanks to larger tyre clearances so it can be ridden faster on typical less-than-perfect road surfaces, adding more compliance in the frame for less rider fatigue, and easing the geometry just a touch, making it easier to handle for the non-racers among us.

Don't go thinking that the Diamante SV has been dumbed down, though. Not at all. This is still very much a performance machine.

Ride

First things first, for this kind of money this SV isn't exactly light compared with some of the competition. Canyon's Ultimate CF SLX 8 Di2 (£6,199) weighed in at 7.27kg on our scales – that's almost a kilo lighter than the Basso and it's got an electronic groupset that adds weight.

Merida's Scultura Team is also a lot lighter at 7.1kg, fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, for £7,750.

While I often say not to get too hung up on overall weights, an extra kilogram is noticeable when climbing and accelerating, with performance ever so slightly blunted.

That aside, the SV still feels sharp off the line or when launching into a sprint. Basso might have brought in that extra compliance, but it is not noticeable here.

In or out of the saddle, the SV feels responsive, especially around the bottom bracket area where there is no flex to speak of when hammering the pedals around. The chainstays aren't as bulky as I've seen on some aero bikes, but power transfer to the rear wheel is still controlled, with everything feeling tight back there.

Even at high speeds the Diamante SV is easy to ride. The head angle is slackened off a bit compared with many peloton-ready bikes, which makes it less of a handful, but there is still enough precision to cope with the technical stuff and to have some fun in the bends.

Frame stiffness is definitely there but it isn't all shake and rattle, with a decent level of shock absorbance, which also helps make the SV feel planted and boost rider confidence.

This version of the SV has a bigger stack height and less reach than the previous version Jack tested (same size frame), so this one isn't as aggressive in terms of the riding position. I could still get low in the drops, and the overall position felt aero and racy enough, but if you really want that low-slung feel then the SV might have lost that slight edge for you.

Personally, I found the Diamante SV a good compromise between speed machine and comfortable everyday road machine.

Even on rough back lanes or in the wet, the Basso feels stable, and I found it a pleasure to ride for short lunchtime blasts and longer rides at the weekend in equal measure.

The slender seatstays help with the comfort as does the 3B seatpost which absorbs vibrations thanks to a rubber gusset surrounding the seatpost.

Overall, from a rider's point of view I think Basso has been clever with the latest Diamante SV. It's created a bike that is still fast, with great handling and a comfortable ride, without losing the feedback and involvement that make it feel like it is truly in tune with you and the road.

Frame and fork

Basso's bikes are handmade by its own staff in Italy, so the SV isn't some mass-produced frameset from the Far East – not that there is anything wrong with them.

Basso says that what it is creating isn't the lightest or most aerodynamic bike on the marketplace, but a balance of both, along with handling, performance and cycling pleasure.

Having this in-house approach allows Basso to build the SV in more sizes than many brands. Because of the cost of the moulds for the carbon fibre, many limit their line-ups to five sizes, and some as few as three, whereas here there are eight to choose from.

Each frame size has the carbon fibre layup tweaked to provide the best balance of comfort and stiffness.

The biggest change for this current model compared with the previous is the lack of compatibility with rim brakes, going disc only. If you want rim brakes, you'll need to go for the standard Diamante that I reviewed last year.

By doing this Basso has been able to up the tyre clearance to 32mm (rim brakes are limited to 28mm with dual pivot callipers), which has included a new OpenFlow fork design. Basso says this opens up the space around the rim and tyre for increased airflow to cut drag.

Bigger tyres increases comfort too.

As you can see from the photos, all the cables and hoses run internally from the integrated handlebar/stem through the frame and fork, which also means the SV is compatible with both mechanical and electronic/wireless groupsets without any unsightly entry and exits points being left empty.

There are also obvious aero tweaks such as the way the seat tube closes up some of the gap around the rear wheel, and the way the head, top and down tubes all flow into one section at the front.

The seat clamp design is also quite clever. The 3B Gen 2 clamp system uses three screws that go through a steel plate into the back of the frame. This design keeps the seatpost secure and the frame section is completely smooth.

All of this is finished off with a paintjob that incorporates a 3D structure of ceramic nano particles – to create a less porous and more compact finish that is more uniform than conventional paint and less prone to drag, apparently.

The geometry for this 53cm frameset means a 545mm top tube, 138mm head tube and 530mm seat tube. The seat angle sits at 74 degrees while the head angle is 72.3 degrees. The stack figure is 560mm, with 384mm for the reach.

Groupset

The Diamante SV is available in a range of builds at various prices, as well as just a frameset for £3,099.

This model comes with a Campagnolo Record groupset, and very nice it is too.

Before I spent all of my time on test bikes and rode my own, I had them all built up with Campagnolo groupsets, purely because I love the shape of the hoods. Their swoopy nature suits my hands perfectly, and even though all of my shifters were for rim brakes, Campagnolo has managed to maintain the shape on its hydraulic levers too.

The thumbshifters on the inside of the hoods might feel odd at first if you're more used to Shimano or SRAM's shifter systems, but their position is spot on for use on the hoods and from the drops.

The shifting action is light and precise, while the power from the brake callipers and rotors is smooth and easily modulated.

Finishing kit

Basso's stem and handlebar are smart looking, and I got on well with the flat aero top section of the bar. It's very comfortable and can easily be ridden on without tape.

Our review bike came with a Prologo saddle, a short design that just happens to be one of my favourites. I love the shape of it, and its firm but plush padding.

Wheels and tyres

As for the wheels, well Campag has provided some more carbon bling to complement the groupset in the shape of a set of its Shamals.

With a 21mm internal rim width they are well suited to wider road tyres like the 28mm Schwalbe One Performance tubeless tyres fitted, and the 32mm maximum that the Diamante SV will accept.

The front rim is 35mm deep, the rear is 40mm, which gives you a wheelset that is a bit of an all-rounder. Shallow enough for windier days or heading into the mountains, with just enough of an aero edge for those faster sections.

They have a claimed weight of 1,585g, so light, but not competition leading.

Value

This is a big money build at £7,499, but you are getting one of Campagnolo's top-end groupsets, wheels and a handmade carbon fibre frameset.

Cervelo's R5, which we tested fitted with a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset, will set you back £8,599, for comparison.

If you want the Diamante SV with an electronic groupset you are looking at £8,949 for Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, or £7,199 for Ultegra Di2.

Compare that with Pinarello's Dogma F – with Ultegra Di2 it'll cost you £9,500, and that's the cheapest model in the UK line-up.

Conclusion

Overall, the Diamante SV isn't exactly what you call cheap, but when you take everything into consideration and look at some of the opposition it's not a bad price considering the handbuilt quality. I like the geometry too. A few of the measurements might have been made less aggressive than the previous model, but on the whole the SV is still a high-performance road bike with a comfortable edge.

Verdict

Great ride quality and handling from this beautiful piece of Italian craftmanship