The Modena is the first carbon-fiber stock road bike from Titus, a company known for its formidable custom-made machines. That may sound like a come-down, but consider this: For half the cost of most naked frames in the custom line, you get a complete bike (lighter than last year’s debut model) that benefits from Titus’s 15 years of fine workmanship—plus the company’s stunning signature diamond cutouts. The ride is what you’d expect from an aluminum-carbon bike named after the Italian city where Ferraris were born: light, responsive, and blindingly fast. Decked with a reliable Ultegra kit and lively Bontrager wheels, the compact frame would make a terrific midlevel racer.
Bonus: The half wrap on the FSA bars shows off the beautiful carbon weave.
Bummer: It’s the first step down a slippery slope to the company’s custom-builts. 18 lbs, 58 cm; www.titusti.com