Officina Battaglin, the Italian steel bike brand founded by the former Giro-Vuelta winner Giovanni Battaglin and his son Alex, has revealed a new facet of their flagship Portofino.
The new Portofino G is a gravel variant that embodies the Portofino’s one-of-a-kind design concept of oversized lugs, capable of delivering an unparalleled riding experience:
“If there’s one thing the Portofino is renowned for, it’s the supreme riding comfort. Reimagining it as a gravel machine that would bring this smooth ride on unforgiving roads had always seemed like the natural evolution,” said Officina Battaglin’s CEO Alex Battaglin.
But to ensure the Portofino’s ride characteristics would remain consistent on back country roads and treacherous tarmac, Alex and his father knew the frame would require more than a few adaptations.
“We felt like a proper gravel version of the Portofino had to maintain the company’s distinct road racing DNA. So, we went back to the closest thing to gravel racing our company had done: the custom bikes we developed for pro riders in the late 80s and early 90s for the Paris-Roubaix. At the time, the Paris-Roubaix was the professional competition that brought lugged steel bikes to be raced on unpaved roads. Those geometries were the starting point for developing a gravel-specific frame geometry.”
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A major change includes the head tube lugs, completely redesigned to fit a straight head tube and a new downtube shape, developed in collaboration with Columbus. Obviously, the fork has been broadened to allow for wider tires. However, with a maximum clearance of 700 x 40mm, the Portofino G leans more toward the road end of the gravel spectrum:
“While gravel is booming, we have to consider there are multiple niches and needs within it. We didn’t want a bike that resembled a drop-bar mountain bike, or a relaxed geometry for bike packing. We wanted a gravel bike with the reactive handling of a road bike. That’s why we also borrowed several elements from the Portofino’s most advanced version, the Portofino R.”
With its road counterpart, the Portofino G shares the modern seat lug for a rear triangle with aggressively dropped seatstays, tube profiles, a new proprietary dropout, and the 68-mm T47 bottom bracket shell. Combined with the wider head tube, the T47 shell allows routing the cables internally even when the frame is equipped with a 1x mechanical setup.
A Completely New Paint Scheme
The Portofino G features a model-specific paint scheme with polished chrome that fades to a cromovelato color through a chrome filigree. Owners will have access to Officina Battaglin’s Premium Cromovelato selection to personalize the color of the frame’s upper section. To further elevate the bike’s look, it will also be possible to personalize selected parts in matching cromovelato finish.
Ordering a Portofino G 2023
The Portofino G comes as a full custom frame with only 70 build slots available in 2023.
Each frame will be designed and built from scratch to the owner’s measurements after an individual consultation with Giovanni and Alex Battaglin.
A custom Portofino G 2023 includes:
- Custom steel frame built from scratch in the Battaglin workshop
- Carbon fork
- Custom cromovelato finishing (one color from the Officina Battaglin cromovelato selection)
- Proprietary steel lugs
- Headset parts
- Individually numbered plate
- Certificate of Authenticity
The price for a Portofino G 2023 frameset starts at 5.000 €.
Review Sample
In the near future, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew may be working directly with Battaglin, to document the ordering, building and delivery process of the Portofino G, followed by an extensive long-term review. Watch this space for developments!
To learn more about the new Officina Battaglin Portofino G, visit https://officinabattaglin.com/products/custom-steel-bikes/portofino -g/
