Classic & Vintage - Bianchi Experts, your opinion, please

I purchased a Bianchi yesterday and I need a hand with some ID confirmation.

I belive it is a "Specialissima". I believe this because that is what it says on the non-dive side chainstay.

The serial # on the seat lug is 108 and on the other side it is stamped 3.83, is this a build date?

It has chromed fork crown, fork tips (campagnolo), chainstay, seatstay caps, and rear dropouts (campagnolo).

One set of water bosses, two slot cutouts on BB shell, engraved "B" on fork crown, lower headlug and seatcap has it in a circle. Allen nut brake mounting.

It has a mix of parts but I will skip those for now as it is easy to throw one off and the "specialissima" was available as a frame and fork anyways.

Now here is the monkey wrench!!! It has a Columbus "Tre Tubi" tubing decal on the seat tube. hmmm??? WTH? A monday build? A rogue decal in the mix? Not a "specialissima"?

What say ye?

vjp

I am no expert, nor do I play one on TV. I would appreciate pictures though!

Are you sure the s/n isn't "3.B3108"? I concur that [top of the line] "Specialissima" and [next down the line] "Tre Tubi" are mutually inconsistent, but the chrome chainstay and the Campag. dropouts ARE consistent with "Specialissima." I believe the initial "3" in the s/n denotes 1983. See my signature -- I have a 1981 Tre Tubi Campione d'Italia, without the chrome chainstay and with lesser dropouts than yours.

It's hard to be sure but the thing that keeps me from thinking it is a Specialissma is the "B" in the seat stay caps. For the early 80's bikes, the top 3 frames Specialissma, Super Corsa, and Super Leggera had "Bianchi" spelled out on the caps. I think you have a Campione d' Mondo or similar.

I would strip it and weigh the bare frame and fork. A true SL frame and fork would be around 6-6.25 pounds total. Give or take, depending on the size.

Wasn't there a bike on ebay not too long ago that had the same decal (Specialissma/tre-tubi) thing going on?

Otis, you are correct regarding the seat stay caps, in the sense that my lowly Campione d'Italia has just a "B" on each.

... For the early 80's bikes, the top 3 frames Specialissma, Super Corsa, and Super Leggera had "Bianchi" spelled out on the caps. ...

By the way, what are the differences among these three high-end models? Were they all built by Reparto Corse?

By the way, what are the differences among these three high-end models? Were they all built by Reparto Corse?

Just repeating here what I've been told by other collector's in regard to the early 80's bikes. The top three models use the same SL or SL/SP (for large sizes) Reparto Corse built frame. The Specialissma model being sold as a bare frameset, and the Super Corsa and Super Leggera having a different mix of parts to distinguish the models. I think the Super Corsa being an all tititanium SR build, the Leggera being "SR reduced".

This seems to make sense by looking at the catalogs from this time, but what's printed in the catalog and what really happened isn't always the same thing. Bianchi took custom orders for frames at the time as well. So who knows what variations popped up on those.

After pouring over and over the scanned Bianchi catalogs on Mark Bulgier's site I believe that my bike is a 83/84 Campione D'Italia. Visually it looks like the CD'I and the Tipo Corsa (which I believe are the same frames) and the parts on my bike are basically the ones listed in the 83 catalog; Nuovo Record, GS, Modolo and TTT.

Could it be that "Specialissima" is reference to a level of finish? If you look back at all the Bianchi "Specialissima" they are all the chrome lug variants. I know that there is the custom SL/SP frame named the same, but it wouldn't surprise me that they didn't care about the confusion, because they are so close to it, that it all makes sense to them,

Thanks for the info!

vjp

After pouring over and over the scanned Bianchi catalogs on Mark Bulgier's site I believe that my bike is a 83/84 Campione D'Italia. Visually it looks like the CD'I and the Tipo Corsa (which I believe are the same frames) and the parts on my bike are basically the ones listed in the 83 catalog; Nuovo Record, GS, Modolo and TTT. ...

That's consistent with mine (see signature):
Tretubi frame
C. NR derailleurs
C. seatpost
C. Gran Sport pedals
TTT / Bianchi stem
Ofmega / Bianchi crankset and BB
Ofmega hubset
Modolo Speedy brakeset

However, my dropouts are not C., so perhaps the C. dropouts come with the chrome chainstay, making yours one cut above mine. Whatever you have, I am sure it is a very desirable bike; mine certainly is!

Here's another "out of place Specialissma decal" sighting:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BIANCHI-BICYCLE-56cm-CAMPAGNOLO-VINTAGE-BIKE-COMPLETE_W0QQitemZ140096989705QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A tre tubi Rallye with the Specialissma decal on the stay. I think it's safe to say they were getting pretty liberal with this decal by the early 80's.

Here's another "out of place Specialissma decal" sighting:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BIANCHI-BICYCLE-56cm-CAMPAGNOLO-VINTAGE-BIKE-COMPLETE_W0QQitemZ140096989705QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A tre tubi Rallye with the Specialissma decal on the stay. I think it's safe to say they were getting pretty liberal with this decal by the early 80's.

Yes, we all remember the 1960s, when "Specialissima" really meant something special. :)

Evidently the 1980s Specialissimas were tre tubis with chrome chainstays. I don't have a chrome chainstay, but I will otherwise put my Bianchi up against any 1980s Specialissima.

I had an early 80's Specialissima with a TreTubi sticker, and it definitely rode -- and weighed -- like a TreTubi bike. It also had the same engraving. If yours is 58 C-C and white, it could be the same bike.

I'm a die-hard Bianchi fan, but by the 80's the company had radically changed.

IMO, you have exactly what it says on the tin: an early eighties Bianchi Specialissima made with Columbus TreTubi. It isn't a bad bike at all, but it ain't what Gimondi and DeWolf were riding.

I agree, from these replies and alot of internet browsing and an Bianchi brochure from the 70's that by the 80's, although there was a custom built Columbus SL/SP frame and fork called the Specialisssima, "specialissima" with regards to other models in the line-up was referencing the finish.

I like the bike, it rides really nice, is in nice shape, mostly campagnolo and was a pretty good deal at $200 cdn.

Thanks for all the help!

vjp