It’s been a long time since Italian bikes were made in Italy. For countless decades, the knowledge and skills required to build a high-performance road bike were passed down from one skilled artisan to another, hand to hand, from generation to generation. An apprentice’s training, as the savior of the Japanese car industry, W.G Edwards Deming would no doubt approve, was performed by the Master and went on until the apprentice was ready. And with each instruction, the quality of the product endured.
But then everything changed. Along came a new generation of business leaders who saw that off-shoring their product lines would earn them big bucks, and so began the slow demise of the Italian bike industry.
Except, some resisted the change. Pegoretti, naturally, but also some more mainstream companies, like Sarto, who saw the way of the world and went the other way, a brand that made the bold move to invest heavily in composites research and development, spending the next couple of decades refining their product and in-house production capabilities to become a watchword for quality, handmade manufacturing. In Italy.
At Above Category, we’re fanatical about Italian bikes and cycling culture. To us, how, where and why things are made matters. So you can imagine our delight when our friends at Sarto told us they were bringing out a new bike that would capitalize on their decades of materials research and in-house manufacturing and present a fresh perspective on speed and comfort.
The new bike is called Raso, the Italian word for satin; a lightweight aero endurance bike built for blazing speed, with space for 35mm tires to float over any road surface. The name ‘Raso’ reflects the bike’s smooth unidirectional carbon fiber chassis, seamless frame transitions, and ability to meet the air with speed and stability at every angle. It all feels like something genuinely new, a bike that connects speed, comfort and control with timeless artisanship.
We’ll have a ride review up soon, but for now, head over to the Raso product page to learn more. Pre-orders are open, with several slots already taken, so swing by the shop or drop us a line sooner rather than later to reserve yours.
Back to Journal