“Hello Alessandro from chilly New York!   

As beautiful as your online pictures are, they really do injustice to your frames.  

Finally seeing my Portofino in person was a surreal experience. 

I was simply dumbfounded. 

The depth of the chromovelato color, the perfect chrome and clear coat, the lettering that did some typographer proud, even the highly engineered seatpost bolt — I sat there in an ocean of bubble wrap, admiring the marriage of an artist’s passion, a craftsman’s skill, and an engineer’s mind.  

Endless pride and expertise were clearly poured into this frame.

As you know, Alessandro, I had the misfortune of ordering my Portofino right before all of Europe shuts down for the month of August, but you still worked with me patiently while we sorted out the details of the order.  

As a result, I timed this bike perfectly for the very end of the 2019 cycling season. Nevertheless, I finally completed the build today and took it out for a hard spin.

It felt so right. The geometry was delightful, and I am sure I will come to appreciate it more as the miles pile on. The comfort was excellent, although that can also be tweaked easily with tires and pressures. 

Very important (to me), the powertrain was plenty stiff for my 195#/89kg weight under sprints, with instant responsiveness and no discernible loss of power. 

But most of all, this Portofino is ALIVE. 

Each of my previous carbon Cervelo S2, carbon Ridley, 2 Lynskey titaniums, and even the Sarto Seta (now my second best bike, from your neighbor) was good, or even great in its own right, but left me wanting a certain something. 

They felt somehow muted and dead.  This Portofino frame simply SINGS. It provides greater feedback than any of my prior frames, yet road irregularities are still dispatched casually. 

Despite its visual elegance, this Portofino feels tight and muscular, and it hunkers down eagerly when it needs to. 

It may not be as light as my carbon frames, but you would never guess so by how easily it flicks and changes direction.

Simply, this Portofino is a boxer wearing a tuxedo.

I am still struggling to find the words, but I can say that I have finally found it.

A few details for whoever else may be reading this. 

I know I am gushing, and I don’t gush. Whenever I hear people gush, they lose some credibility in my mind. Sorry I can’t help it.

My roughly 56cm bike weighed 7817gm without cages or pedals. I could easily take off over 250gm if I wanted to. SR 12 does shift beautifully, but it is over 100g heavier and somewhat less attractive (IMO) than SR 11. 

I really hope Campagnolo and the others stop adding gears. I wonder how much a modern SR 10 would weigh. The new brakes though are a clear improvement in performance if not in looks.

There is still plenty of room for 28mm tires on my 19mm ID rims. But Alessandro is correct that 25mm seems perfectly fine.

And Alessandro really communicates best on Whatsapp. Get Whatsapp.

They are just starting to salt the roads for the winter here in New York, so now I have to just stare at this bike for the next 4-5 months.  

Wish me luck Alessandro!”