Masi: From Italian Racing Workshops to Steel Touring and Carbon Gravel

Masi brings together Italian racing heritage, a California chapter and bicycles built for distinctly different kinds of riding. Its name connects traditional lugged steel road machines with touring bikes and modern carbon gravel designs. Understanding those differences is the most useful way to explore the brand: a classic Masi road bike and an adventure-focused Masi answer very different cycling ambitions.

A framebuilder’s name across two continents

Faliero Masi was a racer who became a framebuilder, working in Italy before taking his craft to California in 1973. The workshop beneath Milan’s Vigorelli velodrome is central to that identity, placing the name within the world of road and track competition. Masi’s manufacturer account of its origins identifies riders including Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx among those for whom Faliero built bicycles.

That background gives the brand a specific framebuilding context. For a present-day buyer, however, the useful question is how an individual model translates that inheritance into construction, controls and intended terrain.

Three different expressions of Masi

Gran Criterium Classico: a deliberate return to tradition

The archived 2020 Gran Criterium Classico makes the historical connection tangible. Masi describes recreating its original lugs through 3D scanning, pairing them with Columbus SL steel tubing. Downtube shifters, non-aero brake levers and cotton handlebar tape complete the period approach. These details matter when comparing it with contemporary road bikes: the controls and construction are part of its appeal, and deserve consideration alongside fit and condition when viewing a used example.

Giramondo: equipment for carrying the journey

The archived 2020 Giramondo 27.5 takes another route. Its chromoly frame, rack and fender mounts, multiple bottle positions and bar-end shifters support Masi’s stated touring and bikepacking purpose. For riders planning luggage and extended travel, those provisions provide concrete comparison points. Both archived models are marked no longer available, so their specifications describe those particular model years.

Oltre Strada: the contemporary gravel direction

The current Oltre Strada uses a carbon frame and is positioned for gravel, singletrack and connecting pavement. Published features include internal storage, generous tire clearance and a suspension-corrected front end. Its emphasis gives mixed-surface riders a different starting point from the Classico’s traditional road equipment or the Giramondo’s touring fittings.

Explore the Masi brand page with your intended terrain, luggage needs and preferred controls in mind. Those choices reveal more about which Masi fits your riding than the badge alone.