The original handmade, oversized lugged steel Battaglin Portofino was already a beautifully unique road bike with rim brakes. But now, the limited edition custom steel Battaglin Portofino Disc with disc brakes, completes the fusion of new & old… classic Italian craftsmanship updated for a modern era!
Battaglin Portofino Disc oversized lugged steel disc brake road bike
The Portofino is 1981 Giro-Vuelta winner Giovanni Battaglin’s take on a building a modern road bike with classic inspiration, a “natural progression” of the Italian road race bike. And now the addition of disc brakes to Officina Battaglin’s flagship custom steel bike completes its modern evolution.
Battaglin Portofino road bike, custom made for you
Available now with disc, or still rim brakes (for you holdouts), the Portofino is a limited edition bike. Just 70 total numbered frames will be made each year in whatever brake configuration buyers prefer. Once those frames sell, Battaglin says they’ll start offering slots for the next year.
Each Portofino frame is made by hand in the Officina Battaglin workshop in Marostica, a small town in northern Italy. Every buyer gets a personal consultation with the company’s Grand Tour winner to dial in their custom bike fit based on traditional road rad geometry, before the frame is made to order. That means besides choosing the brake setup, you can also fine tune braze-ons for mechanical, electronic or wireless drivetrains. Then the Battaglin team will work with you to create a custom color scheme to suit your style. You can pick from almost limitless options, from solid paint colors with chrome lugs, to the full translucent cromovelato finish in one or more colors, all included in the same price.
Battaglin Portofino Disc – Tech details
The 2020 Portofino Disc is built with a custom set of Columbus Spirit HSS triple-butted tubes made to Officina Battaglin’s spec and unique lugs that Battaglin had crafted in Italy just for this HSS tubeset. Average sized complete frames are said to weigh around 1850g for rim brakes, and now the disc model adds a bit more to just over 2000g, depending on frame size.
The Portofino Disc features flat mount disc brake tabs and 12mm thru-axles, and is designed around real 28mm tire clearance, which Battaglin says can mean it will fit some larger tires depending on the rim/tire combination.
All Portofinos use a standard BSA threaded bottom bracket (not lugged for the disc bike), integrate the seatpost clamp into the seat lug, and get an inset tapered 1.5″ Deda headset
Portofino – Pricing & availability
The Officina Battaglin Portofino is limited to just 70 total framesets, each getting its own engraved number plate. The 2020 Portofino Disc sells for €3600, and the rim brake version for €3500 (US pricing is based on the current exchange rate.) Frameset pricing includes the custom size steel frame, painted-to-match full carbon fork & headset (plus thru-axles for disc bikes). Battaglin is also happy to work with individual customers to build out their complete dream bike, as well.
As of now there are plenty of 2020 Portofino slots still available, but limited edition Battaglin bikes do sell out. So maybe, buy now to be sure? Every bike is made-to-measure & custom-painted – even updating buyers throughout the frame build process. So it usually takes around 6 weeks to custom build your bike, then ship it anywhere in the world.
