Designing our first STEEL GRAVEL BIKE: how we brought the comfort of oversized lugs to gravel

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The Portofino G is Officina Battaglin’s first steel gravel bike. In this video, the company’s CEO, Alex Battaglin, explains what makes it unique and the design approach for developing this project.

As a gravel facet of Officina Battaglin’s flagship road model, the Portofino, the Portofino G embodies the one-of-a-kind concept of oversized lugs, the secret to 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 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. ”

A major change includes the head tube lugs, completely redesigned to fit an enlarged straight head tube, and a new downtube shape, developed in collaboration with Columbus.

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.

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.

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🇮🇹 ABOUT OFFICINA BATTAGLIN

Officina Battaglin is an Italian brand of custom steel road bikes.

Founded by Giovanni Battaglin, the legendary cyclist capable of winning the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana in just 48 days, Officina Battaglin is among the most celebrated names in Italian frame building.

Giovanni has now passed down the torch to his son Alex, who is dedicated to customizing each build down to the last detail.

With exclusive Italian finishes and a unique fitting method, the Officina Battaglin products bear the founder’s signature, bringing their owners the racing expertise that made the history of cycling.

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