There are dreams, and there the things that dreams are made of. If the sport of cycling runs through your veins, then your dreams beat to the idea of your very own Passoni. You can deny it all you want, but a pursuit for Passoni is inevitable. And to make matters worse, the deeper you dive into the rabbit hole of bespoke bikes, the worse the Passoni fever gets. They are as much a piece of art as they are a performance bicycle.

For simplicity's sake, let’s just get this out of the way. Yes, of course you can count me in the Passoni fan club. But I'll try to stay neutral. When I set out to build my own forever bike, Passoni was the tip top of the list. But the reality of life as a new father brought my feet and my mind back down to solid ground. Don't get me wrong though, that doesn’t mean I still don’t lust for Italian titanium.

When I heard that our friend Ali was building another custom bike with the shop, I immediately knew two things. First, it was going to be another head turner, and second, I’d get the call to photograph it. Then when I found out it was going to be a Passoni, and I really wanted that call to come quickly. It was sure to be a sight to behold. The hype lived up to the delivery because when I walked into Blacksmith and saw it sitting atop its perch, I was awestruck. So let's get into the details.

A brief history of, Passoni

Let’s do a quick level set with a history of who Passoni is, and how they got to where they are today.

Like all great builders, the company was founded by a cyclist and is run by cyclists. In this case, it was Luciano Passoni, an amateur cyclist who was inspired by a chance encounter with a one-off custom built titanium frame set. While admiring this frame set at a rest stop on his local ride, Luciano convinced the builder to make one for him. Rumour has it that it was love at first ride and Luciano that's when Luciano knew he had to share this magic material with the world. Luiciano was unable to convince the builder to go into business with him. Undeterred, he resolved to go it alone and went as far as sending his son to learn the trade and techniques of building with titanium material.

Titanium tube sets as we know them today weren't available. So at the inception of Passoni, they were working with Ti tubes rolled from flat sheets and welded down the seam. Since then, they have moved on to tubes that are sourced from Reynolds UK . To make the frames truly one of a kind they are drawn and triple butted for the perfect characteristics to match each rider.

Now over 30 years later, their workshop outside Milan continues to make dreams come true for customers all around the world. Their reputation and their lineup has only grown with the times to now include steel, carbon fibre and all sorts of combinations. Their bikes have a cult like following both inside and outside the pro Peloton. Like the legends of pros secretly having Assos chamois’ sewn into their sponsor bibs, people speak of tales in which pros in the peloton secretly riding repainted and rebadged Passoni’s on the tour. And many current and former pros have been vocal about their intentions of riding through their retirement atop a custom Passoni frame set.

But if they are serious, they better get in line because the Passoni atelier only produces less than 400 a year. This can lead to long lead times. If you’ve got the patience to wait, you better hope you have the wallet too. The price tag for a Passoni is eye watering to say the least. It’s no exaggeration to say you are going to be looking at >$10k USD to get yourself rolling down the local loop.

Building a Passoni.

What makes a Passoni so different? Why do so many speak of Passoni with such passion like fine art or a great wine? It’s all about the craftsmanship and attention to detail.

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the wonder material that is titanium (you can read that here.) But it’s not just about the materials. A lot of work and love goes into building any frame going out of their doors, however the artisans of Passoni take it to a new level. With their Ti frames, they are first tacked and then Tig welded. They do this in a hermetically sealed chamber using a proprietary mix of gases. The cutting and welding of the tubes takes about 8 hours alone. But that’s just a fraction of the time they will spend getting it right. Each frameset will see another 30 hours of finishing. They sand down all the joints to create a truly fluid and flowing aesthetic. While some builders pride tmesleves on their meticulous ‘stack of dimes’ welding, Passoni puts emphasis on simplicity in beauty. Because you should appreciate the bike as it feels, looks, and rides.

In the end, what gets delivered to the customer is a frameset that shows they are as invested in your enjoyment as you are. There is no doubt that putting your leg over the frame and taking that first pedal stroke is going to bring a smile to your face each and every time.

Why the Titanio Classica?

For Ali’s latest build (which by the way isn’t his first Passoni), he chose the Titanio Classica, a close relative to the Titanio. Differing mainly in the more relaxed angles within its classic geometry and design. This makes the Classica more suited for long rides and gran fondo style adventures. I can see why and where this fits into Ali’s stable. Along side the low and compact Cherubim R2 and the full front attack of his Festka.

So what specifically makes up the Titanio Classica frame set? Here’s a quick rundown

Oversized round and ovalized from a mix of Grade 5 and Grade 9 Reynolds titanium tubing
Internal cable routing
Engraved BSA threaded bottom bracket
In-house custom made dropouts with a replaceable hanger
Tapered seat stays
Ovalized chain stays
Custom painted Columbus Futura SL calliper fork
Passoni branded head tube badge
Passoni seatpost collar.

Final touches

I’d wager a bet that while a stock build going out the door of the Passoni Atelier would make the heart of any cyclist flutter, each is more than likely going to see some bespoke touches and features added. Of course, this one is no different.

No expense seems spared in getting this Titanio Classica on the road. Alis’ new ride is dripping with the top shelf Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12 group set. While that is enough to send most peoples dreams and budget into the stratosphere, it was just the beginning.

The contact points play a pivotal role and thus, require due diligence be paid to them. Without a doubt, Passoni is only more than happy to offer you some incredible accoutrements should you desire. To keep the weight down and the stoke up, Passoni has a custom (and limited) cockpit from THM. This includes their Ulna bar at just 155 grams, and the Tibia stem at only 80 grams. In this case, their stock gold on black paint matches the custom painted fork and bottle cages.

For a man nicknamed, Kingofmtn, you've got to have wheels ready to go up, up, up, and away. So forward momentum is maintained through a set of Lightweight Millenstein wheels ( moved over from a previous build. What goes up must come down and coming down the mountain requires stopping power. For this, they’ve gone with the best, EE brakes from Cane Creek. If you look close you’ll see these are not just any set of EE brakes, they are the stainless steel version which perfectly compliment the naked titanium finish of the fame.

To complete the trifecta of contact points, this build is rounded out by a custom wrapped Selle Italia SLR Tekno and a titanium seatpost, both in the Passoni livery.

While I’d usually have had spent a fair amount of time shooting the up close details of the bike, our time in the studio was limited. Daylight was fading fast and Ali was on his way, eager to get his new steed and take it to its new home. So I’ll hopefully get him back in someday soon so we can get up close and personal to show you the finer points to appreciate because after all, Life Is A Beautiful Detail.