IS THIS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROAD BIKE THE WORLD HAS SEEN?

Beauty, as we all know, is certainly a subjective thing. Still, what self-described road geek would not take one look at the Battaglin Portofino R and not feel their breath taken away!?

While much of of what we of hear of bikes coming out of Italy most often focuses on the competing “O-brands” in Cambiago and Treviso, the country is full of smaller, family run brands who, despite not being found in the WorldTour peloton, still make some incredibly beautiful bicycles.

Take this Battaglin Portofino R that recently came across our laptops.  No, you won’t find a Battaglin fighting for a sprint finish in this year’s Spring Classics, but not so long ago the Battaglin name was winning Grand Tours, not as a bike, but as a rider in the form of Giovanni Battaglin.

In 1981 Giovanni won both the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d’ Italy, incredibly with the latter win coming just days after the former.

Like a handful of others who “took up the torch” following their racing careers, eventually Battaglin’s name would evolve from being a bike racer to a bike brand. The evolution of the brand started with steel and of course dabbled with aluminum and carbon fiber over the years before coming back to steel. In addition to a catalog of standard tubed steel frames available,  Giovanni has also seen fit to create a limited number of Portofino frames that use proprietary oversized lugs and tubes for a truly unique look.

BATTAGLIN PORTOFINO R

Though rim brake versions are available,  in addition to the new dropped seatstay design, the revised Portofino is now disc brake friendly with fully internal cable routing.

PORTOFINO SPECS
Columbus GB81 tubing (Custom Officina Battaglin specifications)
Proprietary carbon fork manufactured in Italy
Proprietary steel lugs
1”⅛ 1”¼ tapered head tube
T47 bottom bracket
Custom geometry

A custom Portofino R frame includes:
* Custom steel frame built to your measurements in the Battaglin workshop
* Custom paint or custom cromovelato finishing (one color from the Officina Battaglin cromovelato selection)
* Individually numbered plate
* A certificate of authenticity signed by Giovanni Battaglin

The price for a Portofino R 2023 frame custom-made for you in the Battaglin workshop starts at $8.000 €.

For more:  Officina Battaglin