Battaglin hand builds classic steel road frames in Italy. It also has the Full Dynamix brand, which specialises in gravel bike frames.
Full Dynamix’s brand manger is Alessandro Battaglin, the son of Giovanni Battaglin, who won the Giro-Vuelta double in 1981 – only the second rider to do so after Eddy Merckx.
Battaglin points out that the early races, right up to the time of Fausto Coppi, were ridden on gravel, with tarmac surfaces becoming widespread relatively recently. So rather than being a new discipline, gravel riding is returning to cycling’s roots. Battaglin also cites the increased safety of riding away from other traffic.
The new steel Gravel S frameset is made from custom Columbus Life triple butted tubing. Battaglin says that steel is ideal for a gravel bike, due to its ability to soak up vibrations and its resistance to stress.
Steel frameset has the quality welds and finish you'd expect from a custom Italian frame
(Image credit: Mirco Vettore)
You get gravel bike features like thru-axles, flat mount disc brakes, single and double ring compatibility and wide tyre clearance: 41mm for 700c and 50mm for 650b wheels. There’s a BSA threaded bottom bracket and external cable routing.
Carbon and alloy framesets
Alongside the Gravel S, there is also a carbon Gravel C and an alloy Gravel A model in the range.
Only 60m of the carbon frames will be made each year
(Image credit: Mirco Vettore)
The Gravel C frameset is made of 3K carbon, with tube to tube construction and also features front and rear thru-axles. The bottom bracket is PF92 and the frameset is designed for single and two ring groupsets. It’s matched with an all-carbon tapered fork. There’s internal cable routing and Full Dynamix quotes a frame weight of 1180g.
The carbon frame is designed with a racing geometry, making use of its light weight to provide a bike designed for gravel racing. There will only be 60 of the Gravel C made each year, with frames custom made to fit the buyer. The frame will be offered in six sizes from XS to XXL.
The alloy Gravel A frameset is designed to be more of an all-rounder than the Gravel C. Again, it’s hand made in Italy, from custom Dedacciai Aegis tubing. It too features thru-axles, internal cables and a full carbon fork with tapered headtube. The bottom bracket is BSA threaded and the frame is designed for mechanical or electronic shifting.
Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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