During the development of Magma, both Contador and Basso spent countless hours testing different prototypes. This was a necessary exercise to confirm the numbers drawn for the geometry, for both the handling and fitting, and, even more importantly, to fine-tune the bike’s riding characteristics.

These characteristics are defined not only by the shape and size of the tubes of the frame and fork, but very crucially by the materials used to mold them.

Alberto and Ivan test-rode different frame prototypes made of various grades of carbon fiber materials, with different fiber orientations and layups. Of course, the carbon fiber engineers at AURUM already had a good idea of the frame’s behaviour by design, thanks to their experience and data collected in the test lab and the stiffness bench.

By the time the two ex-pro’s threw their legs over the saddle of the Magma, the frame and fork had already gone through rigorous lab testing, exceeding the usual bike industry standards and European norms, to ensure the safety and solidity of the structure. But beyond that, what differentiates a great bike from a good bike is the riding feel, the sublime balance of riding characteristics (stiffness, comfort, light weight and aerodynamics all working in unison) that were set as the main goal for the project – and that, in fact, was the primary motivation for Contador and Basso to embark upon this entrepreneurial venture.

Over the period of a year, Contador and Basso have taken their Magma prototypes, sometimes stealthy black without brand name logos and other times decorated with a feature-disguising “zebra” paint job, to a variety of roads and riding terrains.

The test bikes have been fitted with different brands of components and wheels to isolate the reactions from the frame and to enable the riders to accurately judge and bring valuable feedback to the AURUM engineering team for further development.