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TECH NEWS

Battaglin celebrates 40th anniversary of Polka Dot victory in the 1979 Tour de France with special jersey and new frame

Beautiful Portofino Premium frame with cromovelato finish launched for anniversary

It’s 40 years since Giovanni Battaglin won the King of the Mountains classification in the 1979 Tour de France, and to celebrate this the Italian bike brand named after the Italian cyclist has made a commemorative polka dot jersey.

AA08-82090

To get your hands on the jersey you’re going to have to buy the company’s brand new Portofino Premium steel frame. We’re lucky and they sent us a signed jersey to add to the collection of cycling memorabilia in the office.

AA08-82117

The Portofino steel frame was launched a while ago and is now being offered in a special cromovelato finish to give it the premium touch. The mirror shine finish, achieved via a chrome-plating process with a coloured lacquer, was popular in the 1980s.

The frame is made from Columbus HSS oversized steel tubes with lugs, for that unmistakable retro aesthetic. Each frame is made to order for each customer and handmade in Italy at the company’s HQ.

It’s reassuringly expensive, costing €3,200. You can find out more at https://officinabattaglin.com/portofino-premium

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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3 comments

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Chris Hayes | 4 years ago
0 likes

Wow...I've seen the video and now want one. Thing is, I just cannot imagine how upset I would be to discover a scratch on this frame....better just buy it and hang it up. Incidentally, I have a Gios that I think may have been chromed before it was painted. Not relevant here of course, but it does mean that the paint doesn't adhere very well to the frame in parts (particularly around the bottom bracket).

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handlebarcam | 4 years ago
4 likes

Beautiful. But it'd look even better with gleaming cranks and brakes to match the chrome stays, instead of dull-looking black components.

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kil0ran | 4 years ago
1 like

Wow (the bike, not the jersey)  3

Of course the Italians have a romantic name for the finish whereas most would just call it sparkly chrome

 

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