When it comes to superbikes, at times it can be hard to see past the latest sculpted carbon fibre race bike, and the last couple of years or so have certainly given us plenty to look at, from the Colnago Y1RS to the Ridley Noah and the extreme Factor One.
There are also smaller brands out there that offer top-end, handmade bikes with custom geometry and high levels of customisation options that just take things to another level, and Italian titanium specialists Passoni is one such brand. We saw this for ourselves firsthand when we visited the Passoni factory back in 2023.
An OT-01 frameset will set you back €7,020, whilst a framekit including a headset and cockpit, custom SLR saddle, Ti seatpost and leather bar tape will come in at €8,550.
A complete build with, you guessed it, Campagnolo SR13 groupset + Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels (what else?) comes in at €15,230. All prices are subject to VAT, and deliveries are set to take 16-20 weeks for orders, plenty of time to get some training in whilst you wait.
At face value, you could be forgiven for thinking ‘another high-end bike with a monster price tag,’ and you would be right. However, the OT-01 has some interesting technical details worth considering by tech fans.
We reached out to Passoni for a little more detail on the manufacturing process. Its bikes are completely handmade in Italy, so there’s plenty of manufacturing to go over.
As mentioned, this bike represents a refinement of the brand’s existing top-end model, not a complete overhaul. It has made a small overall weight saving, largely thanks to a new, smaller down tube, which is triple butted. There is also a new rear triangle which provides up to 32mm tyre clearances.
One of the biggest talking points is the new headtube and 1.5″ fork steerer tube, not unheard of, but uncommon for road bikes. The new, larger headtube is manufactured from three solid titanium billets, but it’s the new FP-01 fork and steerer that interests me. Passoni has chosen to move away from a non-round…
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