Basso Venta R 105 review

The Venta R 105 is Basso’s latest endurance road bike, with a slightly more aggressive geometry that promises a livelier ride – a promise that it delivers on.

Much of the Basso’s componentry comes courtesy of Microtech, which is owned by the Italian Basso company.

At £2,999, the Basso Venta R is a pound cheaper than the Specialized Roubaix SL8 Sport I tested it alongside. However, it's a chunk of change more expensive than the £2,250 Merida Scultura Endurance 4000 that completes my three-way test.

All three have a full complement of the latest Shimano R7100 mechanical 105 with hydraulic brakes and decent-quality finishing kit.

Basso Venta R frame details

The Basso Venta R has had a tweak or two since Warren Rossiter reviewed its Venta Disc 105 predecessor back in 2021 – and it’s almost as if Basso’s designers took heed of one of his few very criticisms.

At first glance, the bike hasn’t changed that much – it has a near-horizontal top tube and some pretty chunky aero tube profiles, including a cut-away seat tube to accommodate the rear wheel.

Get Sherlock’s magnifier out, though, and there are a fair few differences. The cables no longer enter the frame through the top of the down tube, but are routed neatly underneath the stem and through the headset in a proprietary fashion.

The frame has also lost the little triangle of material (the ‘carbon bulge’ or ‘bulking knot’ as Basso has called it) in the angle between the top tube and seat tube.

This used to house the integrated seat clamp, which featured a bolt head that was angled towards the seatpost, more or less necessitating the use of a hex-headed key – in a component you’d really want to be using your torque wrench on for obvious reasons. Warren wasn’t impressed.

This has been replaced by the not-so-niftily named ‘3B Clamp System Gen 2’, which Basso describes as “a totally hidden seatpost fixing solution that is invisible on the frame, intertwining technological and aesthetic innovation”.

Leaving the lofty description aside, it’s an effective, neat and very easy-to-use solution. There are three hex bolts at the back of the seat tube – the top and bottom of which are tightened to only 5Nm, with the third acting as a grub screw.

In theory, with this system, there’s no danger of wrecking the bike or seatpost – provided you wield your torque wrench accurately.

Their position means the hex bolt heads could fill with thrown-up road grit, but keep them clean and all should be well.

A deftly cut strip of black electrical tape would keep muck out and prove virtually invisible. After all, it’s not as if you have to adjust the seatpost that often.

Inside the clamp, there’s a rubber layer that according to Basso acts as an anti-vibration feature.

The bottom bracket is a BB86.5 press-fit model.

Basso Venta R geometry

Not for the first time for an Italian bike brand, the Basso's geometry is just that little bit more racy than you’ll find on a lot of other manufacturers' machines, in spite of its noticeably tall 179mm head tube.

The same-size Basso Diamante road bike’s head tube, for example, is a much lower 155mm.

The wheelbase is less than a metre, with the chainstays measuring a tight 406mm. By contrast, an equivalent-size Roubaix has a 1,005mm wheelbase and much longer 420mm chainstays.

These not-so-lazy numbers are matched by reasonably aggressive frame angles, with both the head and seat angles a pretty steep 73.5 degrees.

That said, neither the Merida nor the Specialized I tested alongside the Basso have especially relaxed angles, either, showing something of a trend towards racier handling without the punishing position.

Basso Venta R specification

The Basso's groupset is full Shimano 105 R7100 with a compact (50/34T) crankset and 11-34t cassette. The newest R7100 incarnation of 105 really is as good as most of us need, and is the first 12-speed Shimano groupset with mechanical shifting – and the best it currently offers.

The result is impeccable braking, great shifting and, even with an 11-34t cassette, no excessively large jumps between gears.

It’s a case of own-brand tubeless-ready aluminium rims, paired with Continental’s 28mm clincher Ultra Sport rubber.

The tyres are mid-range training options and aren’t the equal of the Specialized’s S-Works Mondos, although the Mondo is much more expensive at retail. If you want to go tubeless, you’ll have to make an additional investment.

I got on very well with the bike’s contact points.

The Italian-made Selle Italia X saddle is a fairly short seat with a pressure-relieving cutaway and, interestingly, Selle Italia says it’s made using an eco-friendly ‘Greentech’ process.

The Microtech bar is wrapped in plush tape and has a slightly unusual shape.

It doesn’t boast a gravel-bike style flare, but while measuring 40cm across the tops, the drops spread out a little to 44cm (both measured centre to centre).

The narrower tops enable you to ride in a narrower, slightly more aero position when you’re on the tops, while the extra width comes into its own when you want more control on variable surfaces.

It’s a very good compromise, stopping short of a very wide-flaring handlebar.

The stem is a super-chunky affair that promises stiffness if its looks are anything to go by, and it sits neatly above Microtech’s Integrated Cables Headset, which does pretty much as it says.

It’s very neat, certainly a tidier design than on the Basso Venta that Warren tested, and it’ll have a moderate aero advantage too. However, it’s a dedicated Basso design, so you’re not able to switch out for a third-party cockpit.

Unless the headset is incorporating some unique tech, such as the Roubaix’s Future Shock suspension, I’d prefer a standard stem, headset and handlebar combo rather than a dedicated all-in-one unit or a brand-specific component such as this.

Basso Venta R ride impressions

The Basso Venta R is a little heavier than the Merida, although frankly when I’m carrying a few excess kilos myself, the 300g difference is neither here nor there. It's a mere trifle, which might be one of my issues…

The extra mass and the slightly weighty wheels hampered acceleration and acted against me a little when gravity wasn't my friend, but once up to speed I didn’t notice it at all.

The handling, as you’d expect from the geometry, is slightly aggressive for what is nominally an endurance bike – it’s none the worse for that.

The head tube and that striking-looking stem are as stiff and uncompromising as I thought they might be, but even with quite narrow 28mm tyres, the ride is firm rather than uncomfortable.

There’s no lack of stiffness through the bottom bracket either, which combines with the front end to deliver impressively prompt and controlled changes of direction.

If you like balancing comfort with a lot of feedback from the road, the Basso’s ride has a lot to commend it. However, should you want a little more cushioning, you’ll be pleased to hear tyre clearances have gone up and up over the last few years – from 30mm when Warren tested its forebear to 35mm here.

The difference in the volume of air between a 28mm and 35mm tyre is huge – more than 50 per cent greater. That, combined with lower tyre pressures – especially if you go tubeless, will be a difference you can feel.

It’s worth pointing out that while I didn’t experience any toe overlap, the fairly tight wheelbase meant there wasn’t that much clearance between my size EU42s and the front wheel.

If I’d tested a smaller frame, which I could also have fit, it would have been closer still, while those with longer feet should take note.

I don’t think it’s much of an issue, because it’s more of a concern for slower, urban riding than the sort of cycling this bike is designed for.

Basso Venta R bottom line

I really enjoyed riding Basso’s Venta R – one could reasonably describe it as a stylish Italian endurance bike with a slightly racy edge.

The integrated front end is incredibly neat, tidy and with the undoubted marginal aero gain, although you have to put up with the proprietary nature of the system.

The ride is firm without being uncomfortable, and the ability to fit much wider tyres is always welcome – although the fitted tyres would bear an upgrade.

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