Core values: Art and engineering intersect…
Steve’s Passoni Top Force
This is the third Ti bike I’ve owned, so I knew what to expect……….or so I thought. This bike epitomises understated elegance. The Passoni name is etched into either side of the down tube only. I find this a welcome relief from the decal overkill of many Italian frames. One of things that I find annoying about many otherwise beautiful Ti frames is partly dressed welds. To my (biased) way of thinking, a titanium weld bead should be either:
Left unfinished to highlight the fine motor control of a skilled craftsman,
OR
Removed entirely, which carries its own time consuming burden of painstaking attention.
Passoni have chosen the latter and are in the minority that work to this level of detail.
Another Passoni difference is in the surface finish of the frame. Most Ti manufacturers buff the finished item with fine Scotchbrite type pads or bead blast the frame. That gives the frame a satin semi matte look that glows softly but doesn’t look so good when the bike is dirty from use. Passoni use a rougher surface finish that feels like fine grit to the touch. This creates millions of micro facets which reflect the light and still allow the frame to glow in an ethereal way when coated with road grime.
Then there is the fork, bidon cages and stem which are custom painted. Okay, so it’s a thing of beauty; how does it ride?
Like a true race bike should. It steers very quickly while remaining faultlessly stable on 80+ km/h descents. “Agile” is the word that springs to mind.
Learn about “Mr. Passoni’s” visit with Steve here.
View Passoni’s catalogue here, or read about Passoni’s new Prima in standard sizes here!
Click here for a review that sums up Passoni more accurately than any other material I’ve seen.
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