This new limited edition steel gravel Battaglin Milano might be the most affordable made-in-Italy bike we’ve seen in decades.
Known mostly for their premium custom steel and, more recently, titanium & forged carbon road and gravel bikes, Officina Battaglin is about to drop a price bombshell. Their new in-house TIG-welded steel Milano gravel bike will sell complete, cheaper than their already affordable Matera gravel frameset. From just 2500€ including VAT or less than $3000 delivered in the US, you’ll be able to get the handmade Italian steel frame built complete with a Campagnolo Ekar GT groupset. Plus, two similarly affordable wireless electronic builds will be on offer as well, if that’s your preference…
Truly affordable new Italian steel Battaglin Milano gravel bike
We like to talk a lot about affordable bikes, but that goalpost feels like it keeps moving. When Battaglin launched its fillet-brazed Matera gravel bike last spring, it felt relatively affordable at 2562€ for the handmade-in-Italy frameset. Now, the same northern Italy frame building workshop is back with a complete steel gravel bike for even less money!
With the Cortina already their top-tier gravel bike, and the winter Olympics underway, Battaglin couldn’t resist naming the other end of their gravel pricing spectrum the Milano. Plus, there’s apparently a big new gravel race in Italy also called the Milano-Cortina.
Now, how they built a more affordable Italian steel bike is a big part of this story.
One of Battaglin’s specialties has always been their custom-developed smart jigs that make batch manufacturing steel bikes even more efficient, and there’s certainly more of that at play here. But they also refined a simplified steel tubeset for the Milano based on decades of close cooperation with made-in-Milan steel tubing manufacturer Columbus. Then, Battaglin TIG-welds the new frame in their Marostica, Italy workshop to speed up manufacturing. Stock geometry and simple, fixed builds also keep costs down and efficiencies of scale up. Plus, this new complete bike is offered direct to consumers only, keeping overhead costs to a minimum.
And in the end, it’s the gravel buyers who reap the benefit of those cost savings.
What we do know, so far?
From about thirteen seconds of rapid-fire teaser, we can see that the new Battaglin Milano features fully integrated internal cable routing compatible with mechanical or wireless routing via a semi-integrated Deda S-DCR headset with a separate bar & stem. The Italian steel bike is built up with the same full carbon fork as the rest of the Battaglin gravel family, with 3-pack cage and fender mounts.
This new Milano is officially rated for bikepacking, and will include additional braze-ons to haul all of your gear, including rack & fender mounts. The frameset features a threaded T47 bottom bracket, conventional round seatpost with external clamp, flat mount brakes, 12mm thru-axles, a UDH, and max 50mm tire clearance. All bikes will ship with 45mm tubeless-ready Continental Terra tires and tubeless-ready alloy wheels, with tubes installed, plus a carbon Deda seatpost.
Battaglin Milano – Pricing, options & availability
We expect full details on build kits and more photos of the limited production complete bikes in about one or two weeks, when the new Battaglin Milano officially launches.
Five stock sizes will be on offer. And the Milano will come in three paint jobs – white, grey & gold.
The most affordable bike is a complete Campagnolo Ekar GT 1x 13-speed mechanical build for 2500€, including VAT. Battaglin says they plan to also offer this complete build for the equivalent of 2500€ abroad, including import duties/taxes/fees to US buyers, as well. That comes out to about $2980 based on the current US dollar exchange rate.
For those who prefer electronic shifting, two wireless versions are also on offer. A mixed Shimano GRX Di2 1×12 setup includes the top-tier RX825 derailleur with the new 7-series shifter, selling for just 2999€.
And a full SRAM Rival AXS Xplr 1×12 build will set you back 3499€.
Until the official launch, you can head directly to Battaglin’s Milano preview landing page here to express your interest and sign up for more info as soon as it is ready.
Buying a handmade Italian steel gravel bike just got a lot more affordable!
