I bought this Basso Gap frame and fork last year from a Basso bike shop, paying
full retail asking price because it was such a stunningly beautiful frameset and
because new vintage lugged Basso steel frames are so hard to find.
While there are some more well-known "name" frames like Colnago, Merckx, DeRosa,
Gios, Pinarello, etc., I have never seen a more consistent builder of quality
framesets than Basso. Their selection of high-end customized steel tubing,
quality of the brazing and lug work, durability and beauty of the paint jobs,
and the smooth and stable ride of the assembled bike all are signatures of the
Basso brand. This frame was prepped for me (bottom bracket threads chased and
seat tube honed) and I put it away, safely stored in my garage until I could
build it up.

I decided get the Basso out today to start the process of getting it ready to
build up. It is just as beautiful as I remember it! This Basso still has the
Basso inventory tag on it (warehouse date 4-8-94) and the paint still looks wet
some thirteen plus years later.

I knew the frame was 2cm smaller than what I am now riding (I have been riding a
56cm Schwinn Paramount for over a year now and really like the larger frame),
but what I didn't remember was the Basso head tube being 122mm. I have my 3T
stem in the Paramount raised all the way to the minimum insertion line, but if I
do the same to the Basso the handlebars will be 2cm lower than they are now on
the Paramount (that head tube is also 2cm bigger than the Basso head tube) and
that will be too low for me.

This Basso Gap measures 54cm from the center of the bottom bracket to the center
of the top tube with a 54.5cm top tube length. The seat tube angle is 73.5. The
head tube measures 122mm and the uncut threaded steerer tube is 185mm long, with
the top 55mm threaded. Rear spacing on the horizontal rear dropouts (no screws
included) is 130mm.

This Basso Gap frame is painted in a rich and wet racing red and competition
yellow paint scheme, with white decals outlined in black. The head tube and
majority of the top tube and down tube are competition yellow, with a defined
transition to racing red for the rest of the top tube and down tube and rear
triangle. The matching 1" threaded steel fork has an engraved sloping crown and
is painted racing red.

The frame has two sets of water bottle bosses, a braze-on derailleur tab, down
tube shifter bosses, and the rear brake cable housing is routed at 7 o'clock on
the top tube. The tubing is steel proprietary Basso Tube Concept Super Light
steel tubing designed and manufactured especially for Basso. An Italian threaded
Campagnolo bottom bracket spins in by hand, and all of the tubes have been
treated with Boeshield T9 rust prevention spray.

Several pictures available. $450 picked up in McAlester.

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