Assos lays claim to inventing the the first carbon fiber bicycle way back in 1976.
Lately, they’ve been playing with the design of a bike for their own club team use, designing it more as a hobby than a business venture. The result turned out quite nice, so they’re launching the equipe-Campionissimo G731 “Goomah” (Italian for “mistress”).
Born of their desire to create something that suited their tastes in terms of weight, stiffness and geometry, the G731 doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Rather, it uses Assos industry partnerships to create a gorgeous carbon fiber bike that’ll be available as a frame/fork/seatmast/seat clamp for $3,950. The subtle graphics are reflective, and the carbon layup has different modulus depending on the location to fine tune the ride.
It’s made by Goomah SA, which Assos has a minority ownership stake, which also makes carbon components for Moto GP, GT1 and America’s Cup race boats. 329g tapered carbon fork, 947g frame. Available in September, their staff has been racing it and earlier versions for years.
More pics, specs and the official flyer from Assos after the break…
The frame is not just a glamour project. It has an asymmetrical rear end, BB30 bottom bracket, 329g tapered carbon fork, and 947g frame. It’s also Di2 compatible.
To further share the spirit of the brand, Assos is launching the equipeCampionissimo Club for Assos fans. Join up to get a jersey, socks and access to their internal social community to line up rides and get access to special equipment from their team sponsors. You might also get to act as a test athlete and have special invitations to team events, where you’ll receive VIP treatment. More on all that on their special mini-site.
We also got to see some of the new clothing for 2012 at PressCamp and it looks quite nice. Lots of good technical features, we’ll try to get a post up on some of the highlights. In the meantime, here’s the short version of how they got started:
Assos is a family owned business that started in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1976 and created the first carbon fiber bicycle. They had to get permission to use carbon because it was under government control. It was a lugged tube design that placed the bullhorn handlebars on the fork crown to develop an aero bike for the Olympics. After getting in the wind tunnel, they looked at the components and created the first V-shaped aero rim and started drilling out parts to save weight. They also started looking at the clothing to reduce drag and made the decision to move into soft goods, developing the first Lycra bike shorts and skinsuits in 1977 and 1978.
