Sarto Cima Road Bike
A new Italian road bike, born of the Seta Plus, sharpened by aerodynamics, and quietly dedicated to climbing.
Sarto Cima Road Bike
The Cima is Sarto’s new road bike — the successor to the much-loved Seta Plus, and the first frame from the Venice workshop to bring the brand’s aero know-how into its pure road line without ever forgetting why you ride a Sarto in the first place. Lighter, more reactive, and unmistakably modern, the Cima is a climber’s road bike with all-day comfort and the handmade soul Sarto has been refining for over twenty-five years.
BUILDS FROM $15,999.00
More about the Cima
Say the name out loud — Cima, 'peak' in Italian — and you already know what this bike is for. The Cima steps into the space once occupied by the Seta Plus, Sarto's long-running road endurance frame, and carries its spirit forward with a new silhouette, new materials, and a subtle but serious shift in character. Where the Seta Plus was a classic road bike with a gentle touch, the Cima is something sharper: lighter in the frame, shorter in the chainstays (down to a quick-handling 400mm on many custom geometries), and more reactive when you stand on the pedals and go looking for the top of the hill.
The look is instantly distinct. A broader, flattened head tube meets a diamond-faceted down tube, the two shapes chosen for their aerodynamic benefit but drawn for their presence. These aren't the NACA profiles everyone else is using — Enrico Sarto's instinct was always to design something that belongs to Sarto alone. Elsewhere, the Cima inherits the flat, horizontal top tube that has become a Sarto signature for vibration-absorbing comfort, along with slender seat stays that let the rear wheel breathe, accommodate up to 35mm tyres, and keep weight off a point on the frame that doesn't need reinforcement.
Under the clearcoat, Sarto's engineering has moved on. The Cima uses some of the most advanced composites on the market — which allows wall thicknesses to be reduced across key tubes without compromising strength or ride quality. The weight saved is then spent where it matters: on a wider, more aerodynamic head tube that pays back in drag reduction, and on stiffer chainstays that deliver the immediate, instinctive response Enrico was looking for when he designed this bike. The fork is new too — elegant, non-integrated, and sized at 1.5 inches with a generous 350mm steerer for riders who need a taller head tube.
And then, of course, there's the Sarto signature that can't be drawn on a spec sheet: tube-to-tube construction, hand-wrapped lugs, and the particular resin system Sarto has used since the beginning. Together, these are the reason a Sarto rides quiet, calm, and surefooted in ways a monocoque frame simply cannot match. The Cima is available with UDH compatibility (a first for Sarto on a road bike), three seatpost setbacks (0, 15, and 25mm), and in unidirectional carbon at launch, with a new tri-composite version to follow with fresh colours and a reworked weave pattern. Like every Sarto, it can be built to custom geometry, with the frame lay-up tuned to your riding profile, your goals, and the kind of roads you dream about.
The Finer Details
A climber's instincts, a road bike's soul
The Cima is built to reward riders who love to go up. Short, stiff chainstays — easily brought down to 400mm thanks to a triangular seat tube section — give the frame a snap when you rise out of the saddle. New-generation Toray T1100 carbon keeps the weight low (around 70–80 grams lighter than the Seta Plus in the raw frame), and a carefully tuned tube-to-tube lay-up delivers the lively, reactive feel Enrico wanted this bike to have. The Cima still holds the Sarto handling signature on descents — stable, confidence-inspiring, never nervous — but when the road tilts up, it lets you know it was made for this.
Aero, but not at any cost
Sarto's approach to aerodynamics is, as ever, a thinking rider's one. The Cima's head tube and down tube have been redrawn with a distinctive diamond shape — aerodynamically tuned where it counts, aesthetically resolved where it doesn't. It's an aero road frame by virtue of being smarter, not by chasing a wind-tunnel headline at the expense of weight, comfort or character. Because most of us are not riding alone at 45kph on a pancake-flat motorway, the Cima aims its efficiency gains where they actually reach you: on rolling terrain, on fast group rides, on the kind of days where you want the bike to help, quietly, without asking for credit.
Made the Sarto way — to fit you, and only you
Like every Sarto, the Cima is built by hand at the brand's headquarters west of Venice, tube-to-tube, from fibres sourced from Italian pre-preg producers Sarto has worked with for years. Each frame is available with fully custom geometry, tailored to your fit and your riding goals. Tyre clearance runs up to 35mm, the new Sarto-designed fork is paired with a 350mm steerer for taller head tubes, and three seatpost setbacks (0, 15, 25mm) let the bike adapt as your position evolves. The Cima launches in unidirectional carbon, with a new tri-composite version following a few months later — new colours, new weave, same legendary ride.
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Sarto Bikes
A racing bicycle is a thing of dreams, made from them, built to reach them. It should be fast, elegant, and brutal - a freedom machine that de-mechanizes the mind and allows it to connect to something bigger. Many racing bicycles do this, but few come with the panache of the Italian marque, Sarto Bikes.
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