Testimonials
Here's what our fellow cyclists said about riding the Officina Battaglin custom steel bikes
Back to the testimonials"The Power+ feels like a magic carpet to me"
“Hi Alex,
as agreed, I will write some reviews on the Power+ frame or better said the complete bike.
Today, I want to give you my first impressions…
First of all some information on the review and the conclusions I am drawing:
I got the bike 10 days ago and rode it for about 260 km and 2760 m of altitude.
I equipped the frame with the new Campagnolo Chorus groupset (that’s the reason why it took so long to get the bike build up) deda zero 100 parts and dt swiss wheels with 350 hubs and rr 411 rims.
When reviewing this bike I mostly compare it with my recent roadbike, which had “just” an aluminum frame (albeit a performance orientated frame made of 7005 aluminum triple butted and hydroformed tubes with smooth welding and anodized finish), equipped with shimano ultegra, syntace parts and dt swiss wheels.
The fit
Even on the first few meters on the bike I immediately felt “at home”.
The size you (and your father) chose is spot-on (you may remember, that I was worrying about that, because this frame is bigger than my old one).
I could ride the bike comfortably with no spacers underneath the stem, however, I will keep two spacers because I plan to ride this frame for many many years and I won’t get younger ;).
The difference in height between the seat and the handlebar is a little less compared to my old bike, however, the reach is slightly longer.
This suits me really well, because as a result of that, the chest feels more “open”, which appears to let me breathe more easily.
The ride
I have to confess after the first ride a was thinking “Oh man, this bike is slow!”
But then I checked the speed recordings and compared them with the rides on my old bike and realized that it was not slow at all, in fact I was faster in mean with the Power+.
I realized, that the bike rides so relaxed and confident, that you just don’t feel the speed that much.
No need for scanning the road for the smoothest line, because the bike “ignores” holes and bumps as if they were not there.
No extreme leaning into curves and sprinting out of the saddle to regain speed afterwards, because the power+ corners as if it rides on rails and keeps much more momentum out of the turn.
Two weeks ago I would have confidently called the ride feeling on my aluminum bike as “lively”. Now, compared to the Power+, I would rather say it is “hectic”.
The Power+ on the other hand, feels like a magic carpet to me.
You are floating on the road, but can do the tightest corners with speed and without stress, as if the bike is doing them almost by itself.
It took me a little while to get used to it, but with every additional km I love it more and more…
The look
Of course you know how your bikes look like.
There is just an anecdote I want to tell you.
When I took the frame to the local shop to build it up, everyone seeing it was quite impressed.
2 days after I took to complete bike home, I was at the bike shop to bring my old bike for maintenance.
One of the guys there asked me, when I will bring the Power+ for first inspection (adjustment of the gears and cutting of the fork shaft).
He told me he was on holiday and did not see the complete bike till now but he really wants to.
I think this is something special because this shop is maybe the best-known bike shops in Innsbruck, selling hundreds of road bikes a year and working with Colnago, Bianchi, De Rosa, Pinarello, Alan and others. The Power+, however, is something special… J
Best regards and thanks again for the lovely frame and the tour in your workshop”
Read more stories:
“My idea to have a custom bike build began with a planned biking trip to Italy. I wanted a traditional lugged steel frame, with all new Campy components. I researched many builders focusing on quality, cost, and flexibility to have the bike finished when I arrived in Italy. Considering that specific criteria, there was no…
“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……
“Alex- My Officina Battaglin Power+ is my fourth steel frame, and first in over 30 years! The first thing that I noticed about the bike when I rode it on the farm roads around the workshop in Marostica was how smooth and quiet it was. I was expecting a jarring and rattling ride when hitting…
“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…
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“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…