The newest Basso Astra reshapes the classic Italian carbon road bike into a new disc brake only race bike, inheriting more refined aero touches from it top-tier Diamante siblings. This summer Basso has continued to rework their made-in-Italy carbon road bike family, first introducing the surprisingly affordable Venta, and now this evolved Astra for those looking for a bit higher performance, and more customizable builds.
2020 Basso Astra Disc, Italian carbon all-rounder road bike
The new 2020 Astra is a big update from the previous carbon model which lacked some of the refinement & integration of Basso’s latest premier race bikes. And as this one steps up towards the big leagues, there is less to distinguish it against the much more expensive Diamantes besides a couple hundred extra grams of carbon that probably make it even more comfortable.
The road racing pedigree link to the latest Diamante is clear, but some could even prefer the look of the new Astra, with its thin straight blade fork, extra bit of seatstay drop, and classic stem configuration. There are still some more aerodynamic flourishes like the rib around the headtube that follows the cables as the enter the downtube, the shaped tubes, and the small rear wheel cutout, but the Astra doesn’t take it over the top like many modern all-rounder road bikes.
‘Racer-approved’ Basso geometry
Geometry on the Astra is also quite similar to the top-spec Diamante. But Stack numbers are about 2cm taller and Reach figures about 5mm shorter for a more comfortable, more upright position on the bike. Chainstay length, overall wheelbase, and seat & head angles are pretty much identical though, giving much of that same race-oriented handling feel.
Astra tech details
The new Astra uses a premium full carbon monocoque construction with no structural alloy inserts. The frame & fork are laid up by hand from a three-type mix of Torayca hi-mod carbon fibers (T700 & MR60) in 1K, 3K weaves & UD fibers with an aim to balancing lightweight, impact & vibration damping, and overall headtube/BB/seattube stiffness.
The key smaller details come straight from the modern road catalogue, including a hidden integrated seatpost clamp on the proprietary aero post, a tapered 1.5″ carbon steerer with an integrated headset, and a healthy dose of aero tube shaping from tip to tail. And of course when calling it a road race bike, the Astra Disc is UCI approved.
The Astra is now a disc brake-only carbon race bike, with flat mount calipers, bolt-on 12mm thru-axles, and internal cable routing that is compatible with mechanical or electronic groupsets.
Pricing & availability
The new Basso Astra Disc carbon road bike is handmade in Italy and available now through Basso dealers in the Ice Silver (at top), this Electric Sky blue (above), and a Purple Label version with a touch of rainbow in the logos. Unlike the lower spec Venta, this new Astra Disc is also available as a framekit for 2319€ including: frame, fork, headset, the low-profile and begging to be slammed stem & an aero seatpost.
Three complete builds are also available with Ultegra mechanical starting at 3658€, Ultegra Di2 from 4705€, and the Italian-appropriate Campagnolo Chorus 12-speed mechanical from the silver bike in between starting at 4235€. Basso lets you choose your ideal gearing, and offers a carbon wheel upgrade option, as well.
