Officina Battaglin has pulled the curtain off the biggest makeover of the Portofino, their flagship model.
The new Portofino R is a steel road bike that showcases the Portofino’s signature style while embracing all the latest trends in road bike design.
“We had been feeling the need to push the Portofino toward the race side for a while,” said Officina Battaglin’s CEO Alex Battaglin.
“So, when the update project started, we focused on one single goal: increasing frame stiffness without compromising comfort.
We opted for a very different approach to the frame geometry by drastically lowering the seat stays.
This implied redesigning the seat lug, which took a sharp departure from the classic shape accommodating the seat stays.”
A major difference that has come with the seat lug’s new design is the seatpost locking system. The expander bolt clamp allows more clamping pressure with less torque. Moreover, no bolts are in sight, making for a cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing look.
While the seat lug might be the most noticeable change, it’s not the sole component to have been remodeled:
“The new geometry also led to several adaptations on the rear triangle, with new flat chainstays, increased seat stay diameters, and a new proprietary dropout.”
Unlike the Portofino Classic, the Portofino R features a 68-mm T47 bottom bracket, the oversized version of the BSA threaded bottom bracket:
“The idea was to add stiffness to the bottom bracket area, while increasing the space for internal cable routing.
And, of course, sticking to an easily serviceable standard.”
Completely revamped paint scheme
The incredibly elaborate paint scheme in light blue involves setting a smooth transition between two cromovelato colors with a filigree design. Every single logo of the filigree has to be patiently applied by hand.
With polished chrome lugs, the Portofino R combines the best finishes a custom Italian bike has to offer.
It will also be possible to personalize selected parts in matching cromovelato finish. The parts available for further customization include:
- handlebar;
- stem;
- seatpost;
- saddle (on selected models);
- brake levers (on selected groupset models).
Only 99 build slots in 2023
For the Officina Battaglin 2023 range, the racing-oriented Power+ EVO will be discontinued.
Officina Battaglin will make only 99 build slots available, split between the Portofino Classic (whose design and tech features will remain unchanged from the 2022 version) and the Portofino R.
Ordering a Portofino R 2023
The Portofino R 2023 will be available exclusively by ordering at Officina Battaglin.
Owners will enjoy the experience of having a frame or bike tailor-made to their preferences.
Each frame will be custom-made to the owner’s measurements after an individual consultation with Giovanni and Alex Battaglin.
A custom Portofino R 2023 includes:
- custom steel frame built from scratch in the Battaglin workshop;
- carbon fork manufactured in Italy;
- custom cromovelato finishing (one color from the Officina Battaglin cromovelato selection);
- proprietary steel lugs;
- head parts;
- individually numbered plate;
- Certificate of Authenticity.
To learn more about the new Officina Battaglin Portofino R, visit the product page here.