Rizoma's new 77|011 urban bike

Wow! The new 77|011 metropolitan bike from Italian brand Rizoma is a bit of a head turner.

With the lack of a seat tube and a down tube that morphs right into the chainstays, it’s one of the most distinctive bikes we’ve seen on road.cc in ages, and Rizoma are up-front about the fact that this bike is as much about style as it is about technology.

They say, “Elegance and harmony make the metropolitan bike more than just a means of travel, but rather a work of design and a declaration of an esthetic and existential philosophy.”

Blimey!

The frame is carbon fibre – you could have guessed that, right? – while much of the rest of the bike is machined from billet aluminium. That handlebar/stem, for example, is billet aluminium while the saddle is a combination of billet aluminium and carbon.

The 77|011 uses a belt-drive system rather than a traditional chain, and you can run it either fixed or as a singlespeed (with a freewheel) – it’s a flip-flop hub so you can swap between them. It comes with mounts for the optional brakes that are included but not fitted.

The bike is available in just one size. The saddle is adjustable between 91cm and 96cm – from the ground rather than from the bottom bracket, obviously – and that’s yer lot. If the best height for you isn’t in that 5cm band, hard luck, you have to like it or lump it. Rizoma aren’t claiming this is the most adjustable bike in the world because... well, it just ain’t, is it?

The handlebar width is 54cm and the wheelbase is 97cm. Rizoma reckon it weighs in at 8kg (17.6lb).

We haven’t got a clue what the 77|011 rides like – we’ve not been near one. We just thought you might like a look at the pretty pictures when you should be working.

The 77|011 is made in Italy and it’s available in both shiny carbon and matt white at a cost of €3,700 (about £2,970 on today’s exchange rate).

That mirror on the end of the handlebar, by the way, is called the Spy-R and it’s available in both silver and black to buy as an accessory for €79 (around £63). You can fit it to the opposite end of the handlebar for riding in the UK. Again, it’s made from billet aluminium, and you can fold it in if you need to.

For more info go to www.rizoma77011.com.