Julian Gammon is the Quebecois co-owner of Bassi Bicycles, run out of C&L Cycles bicycle shop in Montreal. A bicycle mechanic for “as long as I’ve been an adult,” Gammon’s lifelong passion for bicycles involves an interesting story that undergirds the choice of a brand name for his custom bikes.
When questioned about the name’s resemblance to Basso, an Italian brand founded by Marino Basso, Belgian Eddy Merckx’s teammate and the 1972 World Road Race champion, Gammon relates the story of another Italian, Roberto Bassi, mostly a walker but also a cyclist (it’s in the Italian genes). Bassi walked from Rome to Tokyo to raise money to benefit elderly residents of his Italian village homestead, and wrote about it in an Italian language book, Il mio piu lungo viaggio (My Longest Journey).
Gammon uses Bassi’s journey as an allegorical bridge between the longstanding cycling traditions of both Italy and Japan, and named his first bicycle model in 2009, the Roma Tokyo track bike, after Bassi’s Marco Polo-esque trek.
Every Bassi Bike model evokes Roberto Bassi’s spirit of adventure, and each offering is named for something near and dear to a Bassi employee’s heart.
There’s the Coyote for backcountry MTB and bikepacking uses, the Hog’s Back for all-road touring, the Rachel mixte frame for city and touring uses, the randonneur specialist Le Montreal frameset, and the Bloomfield fixie/singlespeed frame.
This year marks Bassi Bikes first as a PBE exhibitor, although Gammon has been attending the show for several years and is a big fan of the City of Brotherly Love. You can learn more about Bassi’s varied and interesting frameset offerings at C&L Cycles’ website.
Photos: Dave LaMay
