Massi Superlight Pro review
Svelte Spanish beauty
GBP £2,716.20 RRP | USD $4,436.00 Skip to view dealsPublished:
At over £2,700 the Massi has to have something to justify the price. And it does. That dosh will get you a frame that tips the scales at less than a kilogram – hence the Superlight name – with Shimano Dura-Ace levers and mechs, and a bike that oozes style and turns heads wherever you go. But will these touches and an all-up weight nudging 7.5kg make you quicker on the road, or just the envy of your more style-conscious friends?
- Frame & fork: A great-looking sub-kilo carbon frame and correspondingly light fork make a great combination (8/10)
- Handling: Smooth as silk ride quality. The Massi offers a great balance of speed and comfort, even over poor road surfaces (9/10)
- Equipment: Shimano’s Dura-Ace is at the heart of a great set of kit. And guess what? It all works absolutely perfectly (9/10)
- Wheels: Smooth running pair of Fulcrums but they’re a bit less than we’d expect on a bike at this price (6/10)
It’s no surprise to see Dura-Ace specced on a bike that costs this much. In fact, Shimano’s top-end groupset – along with Fulcrum’s Ultra Torque chainset – will account for a good chunk of the overall price. Fulcrum – Campag’s spin-off company – not only provides the chainset, the flash-looking carbon Ultra Torque, but also the wheels. Always good to see the big two companies working in tandem.
Massi itself provides a lot of the other componentry, including the headset, stem, bars and a popular leather saddle. The Superlight Pro is also available in different builds with Campag and Shimano groupsets or as a frame alone.
If there’s one area where our test Massi appeared seriously underspecced it was the wheels. The mid-level Fulcrum Racing 5 wheelset is a decent performing set of hoops, but a sub-£200 wheelset is the sort of thing we’d expect to find on a bike costing two grand – not on one at this more rarefied price. If you’re using this bike for fast riding, fitness riding or sportive-type riding they’ll be absolutely fine, but if you’re planning some serious competitive outings this is the one part of the bike we’d consider changing.
Overall, the Massi is fast and the handling is everything you’d expect of a race bike at this price. The genuinely lightweight carbon fibre frame really comes into its own – not only does it offer a serious turn of speed when you put your foot down, with no unwanted flex, but it does it in a way that is supremely comfortable. It sailed over Bath’s rutted road surfaces as if the cracks, bumps and potholes weren’t even there.
Sumptuous is the best word to describe the Massi’s ride quality (any reference to magic carpets is banned); this bike was simply a joy to ride.
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Product Specifications
Product
Name | SL Composite Pro (09) |
Brand | Massi |
Available Sizes | 44cm 48 52 56 |
Weight (kg) | 7.52 |
Rims | Fulcrum Racing 5 Evolution alloy machined rims |
Saddle | Massi padded leather, Ti rails |
Seat Angle | 73.5 |
Seatpost | Massi Carbon with forged alloy single bolt seat clamp, 31.6x 350mm |
Shifters | Shimano Dura-Ace 10-speed STI |
Stem | Massi Carbon wrap alloy, 4-bolt oversized bar clamp, twin-bolt steerer clamp |
Year | 2009 |
Rear Tyre | Lithion |
Weight (lb) | 16.6 |
Bottom Bracket Height (cm) | 27 |
Chainstays (cm) | 41 |
Seat Tube (cm) | 43 |
Standover Height (cm) | 76 |
Top Tube (cm) | 55 |
Rear Tyre Size | 700x23C |
Rear Hub | sealed cartridge alloy |
Bottom Bracket | Fulcrum Ultra-Torq external alloy cups, sealed cartridges |
Frame Weight | 972 |
Brakes | Shimano Dura-Ace forged alloy dual pivot |
Cassette | Shimano Dura-Ace forged alloy dual pivot |
Cranks | Fulcrum Racing R Torq carbon, 172.5mm arms, 135bcd, 53/39 coated alloy rings, two-piece chromoly spindle |
Fork | Carbon, alloy dropouts, 1 1/8in steerer |
Fork Weight | 370 |
Frame Material | Full carbon with alloy inserts in headset, seatpost, BB. Forged alloy dropouts, replaceable gear hanger. |
Front Derailleur | Shimano Dura-Ace s |
Rear Derailleur | Shimano Dura-Ace short cage |
Front Hub | sealed cartridge alloy |
Front Tyre | Lithion |
Front Tyre Size | 700x23C |
Front Wheel Weight | 1135 |
Handlebar | Massi W-Carbon wrap alloy, shallow anatomic 42cm c-c |
Head Angle | 72.5 |
Wheelbase (cm) | 99 |