The Masi Bike Company was founded by famed Italian cyclist Faliero Masi.  In the 1930s, Masi had a reputation for building some of the finest Italian bikes which were ridden by renowned cycling champions such as Eddie Merckx.  He continued building race specific road bikes until 1972, when Faliero made a deal with American businessman Roland Sahm.  Masi packed up and moved to San Diego where his tradition of exceptional bike building continued.  Now, most of the bikes are built in Asia, like so many of Masi competitors, but the quality remains.

Commutebybike.com got a sneak peek at the 2009 Masi commuter bike lineup. The 2008 Soulville and Speciale had an exceptional year, and Masi hopes to keep that momentum going with a modest upgrade to both bikes.  The Soulville is getting a 10-speed option with SRAM shifting, and both bikes are getting some new paint options (love the Soulville red).

Masi also showed off their new Randonneur, which is a more fully loaded touring bike.  The MSRP for the Soulville (10-speed) and Randonneur is just under $1200.

Click here for the full rundown, and some more photos at commutebybike.com.