Following up on their first disc brake road bike this past spring, Italian bike maker Officina Battaglin is back with the new San Luca – a much more affordable modern steel road bike mixing classic & contemporary construction methods. The San Luca takes its name from a race the inspired 1981 Giro-Vuelta winner Giovanni Battaglin to pursue racing himself and mixes a light, custom oversized tubeset, welding & brazing to deliver a modern ride with a classic feel.
Officina Battaglin San Luca modern welded steel road bike
The new San Luca is a modern take on the classic Italian-crafted rim brake steel road bike. As Battaglin puts it, this is a artisanal steel bike that delivers “a comfortable ride that doesn’t make you feel beaten up after a long day in the saddle while allowing you to push harder and faster when you want to.”
Battaglin San Luca, custom fit by the Grand Tour winner
Like every bike that comes out of the Officina Battaglin workshop, the new San Luca is made-to-order. Giovanni Battaglin himself reviews each buyers body measurements before it goes into production, so the five stock sizes are just a starting point, with each rider getting a bike custom sized to fit their real needs.
How many frame makers can say you were professionally fit by a dual Giro & Vuelta winner?
Battaglin San Luca Tech Details
The San Luca is crafted in Italy from a lightweight, oversized Columbus Spirit triple-butted Omnicrom steel tubeset, custom drawn for Battaglin to deliver a modern look and ride. The main triangle is TIG welded, while it still gets a set of brazed-in lugged dropouts. The result is a steel frame with a surprisingly low weight, claimed to be just 1670g for a size medium.
The steel frame features an oversized 44mm headtube to fit the 1.5″ tapered steerer tube of Battaglin’s full carbon monocoque fork. It sticks with classic tech like traditional external cable routing, a threaded BSA bottom bracket, and a 27.2mm seatpost. One more modern touch, the rim brake bike has enough clearance to fit up to 28mm tires.
The new welded San Luca steel frame is also much more affordable than their fillet brazed bikes, with the San Luca frameset retailing for just €1229 / $ 1420 / £ 1090. Get yours now, direct from Officina Battaglin.
