Argon chambers, geometry jigs, rotary polishing and more, including a brief look at the brand's history
(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
I'm standing in an unassuming industrial estate on the outskirts of Monza, near Milan, Italy, outside an aged white building that leaves very few clues as to the activity that goes on inside. Aside from the two-wheel logo that sits atop the entrance, there's nothing that says bicycles at all, let alone a manufacturer of such high esteem. That is, of course, until you step inside.
Having recently visited Specialized’s headquarters in Morgan Hill, California, for a similar behind-the-scenes tour, I was keen to see something from the other end of the scale, so I'm at the factory and headquarters of Passoni, one of the most highly revered custom manufacturers of titanium bicycles in the world.
Founded by Luciano Passoni in 1989, the brand claims the title of being the first company to manufacture titanium bicycles in Italy, and nowadays it turns out around 350 bikes per year. Upwards of 80% of those are 'made to measure,' with custom geometry, before being shipped around the world.
With a no-secrets look at the factory, nothing was off-limits as my host, and Passoni's product manager, Matteo Visentini took me on a brief trip through the brand’s history before we entered the factory, met the men and women behind the brand, and I witnessed first hand some of the steps in this millimetre-accurate process.
The history
Starting with a tour of the brand's in-house showroom. While it's not dissimilar to the Specialized showroom in that they were both set up to celebrate key moments in the brands' histories, that's where the similarities end. The Passoni showroom was a small room, complete with no more than 20 bikes, a table strewn with impressive components and collaborations. A walk through time can be completed in mere seconds, but we spent a little longer discussing the details.
This small room is home to some of the brand's range, including a very special customer bike, soon to be delivered (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
In Passoni's early years, titanium was most commonly used in aerospace and military application, where its high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and heat resistance were valued. As such, it was produced almost entirely in sheet form which could be used for larger aircraft components, rather than tubes, for bicycles.
As a result, when creating this time trial frame in the early '90s, Passoni had to shape and fold the sheets accordingly, hence the fold which can be seen on the downtube (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The brand was also creating one-piece handlebars long before they were cool. This piece was one of the many experiments from Passoni in the early '90s. It was used for cyclocross racing and even in MTB races as the brand experimented with new positions and shapes. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This track handlebar was another early one-piece cockpit, but due to the wall thickness of titanium used, they could be known to fail under stronger riders (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Titanium was the brand's start, but the company's founder, Luciano Passoni, was focused on making great bikes, not merely great titanium bikes. As a result, when carbon fibre became the material of choice, he followed suit, developing this prototype (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Its complexity, while no doubt a clear talking point... (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
...was unfortunately too high to produce cost-effectively (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
As a result, Passoni scaled back and created this, the Animus Titanium... (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
...which, when translated from Latin, means 'Titanium Soul'... (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
...referencing the frame's dropouts, bottom bracket shell and head tube, which are all made using titanium parts. The Animus became the brand's first production carbon bike (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The 'Honey Comb Technology' stickers indicate that the interior of the seatstays and chainstays feature a honeycomb structure inside, rather than being hollow (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Later, the brand moved to this frame, which uses carbon tubes for the front triangle, joined by a titanium rear triangle and head tube (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The head tube features carbon inside, and is entirely handmade, no laser-cutting was available at the time (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It was made in this very factory, just outside Monza on the outskirts of Milan (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It was known as the Mito; Italian for 'myth' (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
That design later led to the XXTi, or the 20th-anniversary model, which launched on the brand's 20th birthday in 2009. As you can see, more of the frame has made the switch back to titanium, with only the seat tube and fixed seatpost getting the carbon treatment (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Lasers were available by this point, and were used to form these shapes (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Nowadays, Passoni goes a step further, connecting carbon fibre and titanium right at the source by weaving hair-width strands of titanium into the carbon fibre weave. It's a technology made right here in Milan, and is also found in Pagani supercars. It is said that the titanium strands are able to facilitate greater vibration absorption, and thus the finished product offers a similar final ride quality to a titanium frame, in a lighter and more aero-mouldable product (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
10 years after that model, for the brand's 30th anniversary, Passoni launched the Vinci. Just 30 were made, and this is number 20 (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Each are given a gold-plated head tube badge, plus this gold-plated plaque on the seat tube denoting its number in the limited sequence (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This particular build totals a staggering 30,000 Euros (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It is complete with Passoni-branded THM Clavicula carbon cranks, Carbon-Ti chainrings, and Campagnolo Super-Record EPS (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The intricate detail on the titanium joint with the carbon tube is really neat (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The bar and stem are also made by THM (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
And forget bar tape, these are wrapped using leather... (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
...which is stitched into place by hand, no less (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
There's a leather-covered saddle, complete with the Passoni logo, too (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Even the Elite Fly bottles have been wrapped in a leather finish, because why not? (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The attention to details is truly stunning, as highlighted by the imprint of the Passoni logo on the seatstay bridge (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni's owner's gravel bike, still coated in mud from its last ride, also sits in the showroom (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It's called the Cicloprato, and it launched in 2018 (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni was selected by Shimano to feature among a very select group of manufacturers to be allowed to use the silver GRX gravel groupset(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni offers three different finishes to its frames. This, the premium finish, takes over 30 hours of polishing (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni offers three different finishes to its frames. This, the premium (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Even in the dark indoor factory lighting, this finished frame shines brightly (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The welds, designed to be invisible, were described by product manager Matteo Visentini as looking like "liquid metal" (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The second-tier finish, known as Vinci, as it was introduced alongside the frame of the same name, features 'rough' welding. Rough is an unfair word, though, as it still looks incredibly neat (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The third tier is sandblasted, with a visibly matte finish (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The brand occasionally collaberates on special projects, such as a recent limited edition winter project that paired a gravel bike with a pair of skis, complete with ski binding specialists, ATK (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni as a brand is keen to have its logo on as many of its partners' products as possible... (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It is the only brand to have its own logo on THM cranks, while also featuring on the same brand's caliper brakes and Selle Italia's saddles (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This hub, from aerospace engineers Gosiko, is made using four bearings, pivoting washers, and is absolutely exquisite. They are available to spec on Passoni bikes for a cool £7,000. That's just the hubs (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Into the factory
Out of the showroom and onto the factory floor, there were no secrets here. Unlike my recent trip to Specialized, there were no "do not photograph" requests, nor closed doors - well, there was one, which I'll explain later - and no secrets. I was given total freedom to go wherever and photograph whatever I wanted.
Wooden boxes are an important part of any framebuilder's workshop. Each box represents a customer, and they begin life as a box full of tubes and dropouts, and emerge as a fully-fledged frame ready to fly the nest. These are all finished and waiting to be built (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Sitting next to them is three bikes. Two of which are staff bikes, the third is waiting to be shipped (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Down a short walkway and into the main framebuilding area, I passed this frame, built by one of the employees in 2009. That same employee has been with the company for 30 years (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Titanium is highly reactive and can react with oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases in the air at high temperatures, leading to the formation of brittle and porous welds. In order to prevent this, welding titanium typically requires a highly controlled environment that is free from oxygen and other contaminants.
Such an environment is created in this argon chamber, which replaces the air with inert argon gas. This very one was bought from Alfa Romeo in 1989, and every single one of Passoni's titanium frames in the company's history has passed through it (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The frames cannot be fully welded outside the chamber for reasons already mentioned, but by using a highly-skilled method of welding, known as gas-shielded metal arc welding, the tubes can first be 'tack welded' together into their required shape, making the welder's life easier once the frame is inside the argon chamber (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Due to the cost and time it takes to alter the atmosphere inside the chamber, the welder will typically fill it with three frames at a time. They will then work via these gloves, with nothing more than this six-inch window for visibility. Note the sliding door over the window... (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
...that sliding door is actuated via this pair of brake cables (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This is the view from the other side (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The factory floor, complete with tube mitering machines to the left, three polishing stations to clean up welds, and around the corner to the right, a frame geometry jig and arc welding station (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This, the first of the mitering machines, is used on the larger tubes, such as the down- and top-tubes (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This one is for smaller tubes, such as chain- and seat-stays (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The tube is placed onto this multi-axis adjustable base, which is then poisitioned under the hole saw (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Given titanium's reactivity with oxygen and nitrogen at high temperatures, fluid is ejected from this nozzle during the cut to keep the metal cool (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A close up here shows a recently-cut tube (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
After tubes have been cut at the correct angle, they come over to this area, where this jig is set up with the customer's required geometry (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The joints are checked, and then hand-filed for accuracy if required (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
I returned 30 minutes later to check progress, and what was previously a head tube and a seat tube has now gained chainstays (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This area is also where raw frame parts are kept, including the main tubes, bottom bracket shells and more. Each is cut to measure before being used (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni uses titanium tubes from British brand Reynolds (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The small parts, including internal cable end stops, bottle cage bosses and bag mounting points are kept here (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
These dropouts are the only frame part that Passoni doesn't make, instead importing them from the USA and modifying them. It does make other versions, though. This is just one of a few dropout options available to Passoni customers, as we'll get into later (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
After they've been filed for accuracy, tack welded into shape, and properly welded in the argon chamber, they are left to cool, and then they come to one of the polishing stations, where rotary tools are used to polish away the rough edges (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Here is an example of a raw weld, prior to any polishing (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Dozens of bits are used, with different shapes used for different joints (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Here, one of the team is working on the driveside dropout. Remember this is a process that takes upwards of 30 hours in total (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Smaller-headed bits are used for tight areas, while the bottom bracket uses larger bits for faster and smoother work (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This 18-year-old is an aspiring frame builder, but I'm told he must work his way from this end of the factory to the other. I'm fairly sure this was a half-joke, but it did appear that the tasks became more complicated and intricate as you went on (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
He rides an old Giant TCR, and amusingly, unlike the 2009 Passoni that was proudly propped up against a wall in one of the building's walkways, the Giant was hidden, literally and intentionally, in a back storage room out of sight (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Finished frames are then brought here, to the literal vault at the centre of the brand's HQ (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The vault is unsurprisingly where the expensive stuff is kept, including stock of components, such as Campagnolo groupsets and wheels, as well as half-built bikes (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
As before, boxes equal customers, and here the boxes are filled with not only the frame but the components that will go onto them.
On the front of each is a few sheets of paper, holding the frame serial number, build spec, geometry chart and more. The serial number is coded, T for titanium; 23 for the year 2023; then 001, 002 etc denoting the order in which the purchase came through from the office to the factory.
However, that last part isn't actually entirely true, as in the early part of the year especially, many Passoni customers want to choose their own. In China, for example, the number 8 is deemed lucky, as it sounds similar to the word for 'prosperity,' while 4 is unlucky, as it sounds like the word for 'death' (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Passoni has also begun anodising frames, which is a process that manipulates the oxide layer on the material's surface via electric current and results in this beautiful finish.
In total, the brand builds and sells around 350 bikes per year, and while it does manufacture off-the-peg sizing runs, more than 80% of its customer base seeks custom-made geometry (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It's not all unfinished frames in here, though. Some staff bikes live here, others are here for repair work (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
These days you can't discuss titanium without getting onto the subject of 3D printing the stuff, and naturally, Passoni has started working on this too (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
These dropouts are found on the brand's carbo-titanium frame (using the titanium-blended carbon fibre shown earlier) known as the Fidia Disco. They are made just 10km away from Passoni's HQ (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The early prototypes were first explored by the brand in 2018 (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The printing process has come a long way in the five years since (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Bike fit
You might be wondering how a customer would get a frame that is perfectly suited for them if they didn't know what geometry they need. If you're among the lucky few who can consider Passoni among their next bike, you might even be wondering how you'd go about finding that out. Naturally, Passoni handles that too, so to take this whole gallery back to the chronological beginning of a purchase journey, we need to look at bike fit, and up a metal stairway to a mezzanine floor is an area dedicated to the process.
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The brand also has fit partners all around the world, because not all of its customers are based in Italy, or even Europe, but Passoni would naturally prefer its customers to make the trip to its Milan headquarters so that it can provide the most complete and personal approach possible.
I mentioned earlier that there was one closed door, and now it's time to explain. Among the facilities here is a sauna, dedicated to helping ensure customers are flexible and comfortable as possible. It was behind an inconspicuous closed door that I politely assumed was unimportant, hence no photo.
The first step is measuring the rider, covering things such as overall height and limb length (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The bike fit bike is around 20 years old, but works just as well as ever (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Sit-bone measurement is used for saddle choice, while foot measurement helps with finer details (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
If a rider has a frame they want to replicate, they can bring it along an dhave it measured using this jig, which incidentally, was made by Passoni itself in this very building (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The bike fit area overlooks the room in which completed frames are built up into rideable bikes, before being boxed and shipped around the world (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This work bench is technically devoted to the bike builder, but there are all manner of tools, including a hack saw for reasons I never learned (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This frame will go to its customer as-is, so a quick wipe-down removes any grease and dust from being handled, before it is wrapped and boxed (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
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