Testimonials
Here's what our fellow cyclists said about riding the Officina Battaglin custom steel bikes
Back to the testimonials"I rode my Portofino in the the world’s toughest amateur race: it’s the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden"

I’m visiting the Battaglin workshop after racing the Haute Route.
The Haute Route is a 7-day event famous for being the toughest and the highest amateur race.
This time we were 450 riders, and it was just amazing. One of the toughest that we’ve ever done. It was 800 kilometers and almost 22000 meters of climbing..
Throughout the 7 days, I rode my Officina Battaglin Portofino.
A lot of people were asking me “why are you using a steel bike?”… And the reason why is because I was following the recommendations of Alex and Giovanni Battaglin.
The Portofino is basically the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden.
It was super compliant, super fast in the descents, and I was climbing very easily. I didn’t really miss any of my other carbon bikes.
The project started right when the pandemic started, a little bit more than a year ago… I was looking for a very unique bike for me… Because I love cycling.
So, I was doing a lot of research, and then finally I got in contact with Alex and Giovanni… And I found this beauty, the Portofino.
That’s the bike that I really wanted because it’s a classic bike. It’s a bike built with a classic sense, but modern.
It has all the technology of the other bikes, but it’s made out of steel. It’s actually light, it’s 7 kilograms. And it’s super easy to ride it every day.
All the people that I was riding with during the event were just mesmerized by the bike’s color.
They were asking “What type of bike is this? Is this steel? Is this titanium? What kind of material is it?”.
I was speaking about Portofino on the road… It was really interesting, I liked it very much.
Combining the blue cromovelato finish with golden decals was a very good decision.
Portofino, the Italian town in Liguria, is such a beautiful place. I was there just a few days ago.
You have this beautiful deep blue color there, and the sunset and the morning, the golden hour… So the deep blue with golden letters, patterns and my name was the perfect combination.
The finishing kit in matching blue cromovelato was a recommendation of Alex.
Every time that I put my head down while I’m pedaling, I see the cockpit, which looks fantastic. I really love it, it’s a piece of art, definitely.
For the parts of the build, I wanted a bike with no electronics and no disc brakes.
So, I decided to go with the 12-speed Campagnolo Super Record with 52-36 at the front and an 11-32 cassette.
When you’re riding the big cols of the Tour de France crossing the Alps you really need to have high cadence. And that’s the perfect combination for this.
You can ride fast on the descents, you can ride fast on the flat, you can go at a good pace, at a good cadence in the uphill…
For example, this year in the Haute Route we did the Col de la Bonette, which is super long.
We also did the Galibier, which is also super long. And I was perfectly fine with the drivetrain I was using.
For the wheelset, I wanted a light, reliable and strong wheelset. And that’s why I decided to go with Lightweight and tubulars.
While many people say that the time of tubulars is coming to an end… But I don’t think so.
I haven’t had any issue at all riding a bike with this type of technology.
It’s super comfortable, the wheels are super strong and the combination with steel is just perfect for that kind of riding.
The experience with the Officina Battaglin team was just fantastic.
I’m coming all over from Mexico, visiting Officina Battaglin, friends, and now family.
It’s just the best experience I can think of.
I’ve been dreaming about having the best bike in the world: this is my dream come true.
Read more stories:
[Testimonial after the assembly, Ed.] “With no pedals, the Portofino’s final weight is 6.85 kg with Lightweight wheels and 6.90 kg with Mavic wheels. We could have made it even lighter by using KCNC brakes (almost 100 gr) and other specific components. But I must say that what we have achieved is absolutely comparable to…
“I’ve ridden a lot of bikes; some top of the line carbon fiber, some custom aluminum or steel. I’ve spent almost a year on my Battaglin Power Plus and what I liked at the very beginning about it holds true over 3,000 miles later: it has that wonderful, classic ride feel you expect out of…
“Dear Alex & Dario, I have received the Power+ EVO safe and sound, and I’ve just finished assembling it. I put on the Ultra WTO 45 with GP5000 continental 25-mm tires, bike computer mount, carbon bottle cage, and Xpedo pedals. Surprisingly it weighs 8.13kg… Which is not bad at all for a steel bike. Wow……
“WOW !!!!!!!!! Even better than I was expecting Alex. Totally stunning. I’ve owned a lot of bicycle frames since 1981 and this is, without doubt, the most beautiful. Inside the bottom bracket shell you can feel that the tube mitres are just spot on. The attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship are just sublime.…
“I started my wonderful journey with Alex and the other people from Officina Battaglin last year. After submitting my email, Alex arranged an interview and outlined the models and the options. I signed up and submitted my measurements, and agreed on the custom-sized frame measurements. A few weeks later, we had another interview with Alex…
“I have tried to choose modern components that function well so that the bike has a classic look but modern performance (Campagnolo Athena 11s., Cinelli stem, Chris King headset with sealed bearings). At last I have had some time to take the Marosticana out for her maiden ride. And a very enjoyable ride it was…