Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - New 80's Bianchi/fixxie project

Hey guys,

Let me know if I'm in the wrong forum for this thread.

I'm pretty new to the cycling world, despite knowing how to ride a bike for most of my life. I just recently purchased a early 1980's Bianchi. I was wondering if you guys could help me with a few things. I want to identify how much it is worth, as well as exactly what year it is. It says on the frame Bianchi Limited, with an emblem that says Piaggio. The 022 chromoly badge below the seat says Ishiwatacrmo. The components are Fuji it appears with Suntour shifters. I plan on converting this bike to fixed gear, any thing I should be aware of?

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa148/DeimusPaintball/IMG_2738.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa148/DeimusPaintball/IMG_2739.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa148/DeimusPaintball/IMG_2741.jpg

don't hack anything off of it.

i would clean that up and ride it as a geared bike and find something ****tier to convert

^ agreed-

it looks great as is, clean it up and ride it as a geared bike!

Stop. Converting.

You spend too much time and money and the bikes end up looking like crap and they rid like road bikes.

A Bikesdirect.com bike is $350 or so, that Bianchi is excellent as is.

If you don't have $350, you can sell that Bianchi for $400 and spend the extra $50 on hella tight jeans....

hey if you dont want the bianchi ill trade you a schwinn letour for it that you can convert.

hey the letour even has chrome for ends and is blue like a schwinn madison

If you're dead-set on converting it, I can't see any pitfalls that the bike provides. Looks straightforward.

However, I agree with sanchez. With a little cleaning up, perhaps new wrap and a parts-bin saddle you should be able to get $400 for that and buy a new fixed gear.

bah - I built my fixed gear conversion for about $220...so far I haven't seen any BD bikes that are under 300$. And, with mine, I can always run it as a geared bike if I want to. Depends what the OP wants...track geometry or the fixed gear riding experience. If it's the latter & the bike is right there (which I assume...'cause he took a picture of it), why not strip it, rebuild the bearings (which you can probably do easily & successfully with a non-abused, non-rusted out old bike like that), get at least a track-hub rear wheel & see what all the fuss is about. You're out virtually nothing & you can either clean it up from there & keep it as a fixed gear machine or put gears back on it (easy easy easy.....and even cheap to upgrade components on Ebay) & then get a dedicated FG/track bike. Of course, it all depends if you want the geometry & drivetrain or just the drivetrain...or if you're bent on getting all the cool colors, name-dropping brand parts, & all that...if the latter is the case, I guess BD won't satisfy either, come to think of it. Anyway, good luck & enjoy either way. Whatever you do, remember, you're making a pretty big decision if you cut off the braze-ons...but you probably got the bike for $10 anyway, so enjoy YOUR OWN decision on that too! Here's my 220$ FG machine which is thoroughly enjoyable to ride.

http://www.fiataccompli.com/bike/assets_c/2008/09/peugeot_conv_1-thumb-300x188.jpg

Fail

bah - I built my fixed gear conversion for about $220...so far I haven't seen any BD bikes that are under 300$.

windsor the hour aka fuji track
http://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/thehour.htm
less than $300

BS...perhaps an attraction in the whole FG market, imho.......and, besides a $300 BD bike is worth how much if you decide you didn't really like FG riding a few months later?...and, how much is the vintage lugged steel bike worth if you didn't cut off the braze-ons? (not much more or maybe less, but its all relative)

Stop. Converting.

You spend too much time and money and the bikes end up looking like crap and they rid like road bikes.

Assuming the op has an internet connection and access to tools, that bike could easily be converted for $100 including new tires, grease, wrap, brake cables, and pads.

But more importantly, what makes you think there is something undesirable about a fixed road bike? Is there something inferior about them? Is it just because you think the OP should enjoy the same kind of riding you most enjoy? Or do you feel like you need to be some kind of gatekeeper for the trend? Are you one of the people on here who thinks you can pull the wheel out of your horizontal dropouts and crash?

I really am curious to hear your reasoning.


A Bikesdirect.com bike is $350 or so, that Bianchi is excellent as is.

If you don't have $350, you can sell that Bianchi for $400 and spend the extra $50 on hella tight jeans....

For 90% (if I had to put a number on it) of the users on this board, that $350 is just the price of admission. They then start spending on new pedals, bars, saddles, cogs, and then move up to crank sets, wheel sets, and carbon forks.

See this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=448711&highlight=

There's no reason you couldn't have fun riding around on a stock bd bike, but there's also no reason you couldn't have lots of fun on a $100 conversion.

All that being said, if I only had one bike, I would keep it a geared road bike.

i personally think it would be a great bike to ride as a road bike-

especially since its already together- and ready to ride

get a frame or something and convert that-

Are you one of the people on here who thinks you can pull the wheel out of your horizontal dropouts and crash?

I really am curious to hear your reasoning.


Because I did it four years ago and I ended up buying a track bike anyways. Bikesdirect was around back then too but they don't ship to Canada or I would have bought a Kilo TT.

I still have my conversion as a single-speed and I ended up using the parts from my conversion on the new track bike but not everyone may have the same resources that I have.

don't hack anything off of it.

why would i do that?


bah - I built my fixed gear conversion for about $220...so far I haven't seen any BD bikes that are under 300$. And, with mine, I can always run it as a geared bike if I want to. Depends what the OP wants...track geometry or the fixed gear riding experience. If it's the latter & the bike is right there (which I assume...'cause he took a picture of it), why not strip it, rebuild the bearings (which you can probably do easily & successfully with a non-abused, non-rusted out old bike like that), get at least a track-hub rear wheel & see what all the fuss is about. You're out virtually nothing & you can either clean it up from there & keep it as a fixed gear machine or put gears back on it (easy easy easy.....and even cheap to upgrade components on Ebay) & then get a dedicated FG/track bike. Of course, it all depends if you want the geometry & drivetrain or just the drivetrain...or if you're bent on getting all the cool colors, name-dropping brand parts, & all that...if the latter is the case, I guess BD won't satisfy either, come to think of it. Anyway, good luck & enjoy either way. Whatever you do, remember, you're making a pretty big decision if you cut off the braze-ons...but you probably got the bike for $10 anyway, so enjoy YOUR OWN decision on that too! Here's my 220$ FG machine which is thoroughly enjoyable to ride.

http://www.fiataccompli.com/bike/assets_c/2008/09/peugeot_conv_1-thumb-300x188.jpg

nice bike


Fail

???

...any thing I should be aware of?


Yes, nonsense on the BF_SS/FG subforum...

keep all the parts you take off and don't destroy the braze ons, so if at some point you tire of the bike or it doesn't work out you can return it to stock and sell it and maybe recoup some of your investment.

Yes, nonsense on the BF_SS/FG subforum...

keep all the parts you take off and don't destroy the braze ons, so if at some point you tire of the bike or it doesn't work out you can return it to stock and sell it and maybe recoup some of your investment.

best response yet. bronze this one & keep it!

Yes, nonsense on the BF_SS/FG subforum...

keep all the parts you take off and don't destroy the braze ons, so if at some point you tire of the bike or it doesn't work out you can return it to stock and sell it and maybe recoup some of your investment.

yea that was the plan in all honesty. i have never owned a fixxie so i don't really know if i would like it all the time, especially in the city. i wasn't even going to sell the components...i have a ghetto single speed bridgestone road bike that needs a derailleur due to it being ruined when i got hit by a car.

... With a little cleaning up, perhaps new wrap and a parts-bin saddle you should be able to get $400 for that and buy a new fixed gear.

Yes it says bianchi, but it is NOT worth 400. It is a japanese made bottom of the barrel bike. I converted the same model for a commuter bike for my wife (paid 90 for it in better shape than the pic here). Decent ride, but you can get a reparto course italian made campy equipped mid level 80s bianchi for less than 400.

Assuming the op has an internet connection and access to tools, that bike could easily be converted for $100 including new tires, grease, wrap, brake cables, and pads.

But more importantly, what makes you think there is something undesirable about a fixed road bike? Is there something inferior about them? Is it just because you think the OP should enjoy the same kind of riding you most enjoy? Or do you feel like you need to be some kind of gatekeeper for the trend? Are you one of the people on here who thinks you can pull the wheel out of your horizontal dropouts and crash?

I really am curious to hear your reasoning.



For 90% (if I had to put a number on it) of the users on this board, that $350 is just the price of admission. They then start spending on new pedals, bars, saddles, cogs, and then move up to crank sets, wheel sets, and carbon forks.

See this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=448711&highlight=

There's no reason you couldn't have fun riding around on a stock bd bike, but there's also no reason you couldn't have lots of fun on a $100 conversion.

All that being said, if I only had one bike, I would keep it a geared road bike.

I'm enjoying my stock Hour to the fullest right now. But, I'm looking for new pedals and saddle(using an old kmart mtb saddle). Already ordered some new risers with some Ourys >_<

[edit]: forgot to add that i got a 17t cog and new lockring too. and the brakes from bikeisland

so:
Bars: $21
Oury's(LBS markup) $8
New cog+lockring(LBS markup) $20
brake+lever $35
_______
$84 so far :-)

OP,

start here http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

most important thing is that it's YOUR bike, do what YOU want to it.

There's no way you'll get 400 for that.
I'd say more around 200-280. However, I think the bike looks great and it looks like it has been taken care of, get new (white? i think that would look killer)bar tape and a nicer saddle and ride it or sell it. You can also ride it while you work on a ****tier frame that actually needs parts, try that out and if you like the fixie you built you can part with this one or the other way around.

yea that was the plan in all honesty. i have never owned a fixxie so i don't really know if i would like it all the time, especially in the city. i wasn't even going to sell the components...i have a ghetto single speed bridgestone road bike that needs a derailleur due to it being ruined when i got hit by a car.

So go for it, but as to the original question I don't know what you need to look out for other than foolishness here and read thru the Sheldon link synapsemusic provided and heed his wise words.

http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/gurrygnu/100_5036.jpgYour Bianchi seems to be at least one step up to the one I picked up this summer for $20. There is no sticker for the tubes or even a model name, however it has the piaggio decal. Dia-compe brakes, suntour shifters and derailleurs dated 1986. http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/gurrygnu/100_4891.jpghttp://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/gurrygnu/100_4889.jpg

Yes it says bianchi, but it is NOT worth 400. It is a japanese made bottom of the barrel bike. I converted the same model for a commuter bike for my wife (paid 90 for it in better shape than the pic here). Decent ride, but you can get a reparto course italian made campy equipped mid level 80s bianchi for less than 400.

Precisely. The Limited was a good bike but nothing special. It's a perfect candidate for a fixed conversion. You would never get $400 dollars for that. OP if you want more info on the bike then post in the classic vintage section or just search there for the Bianchi Limited. You could fix this very cheap. Just remove the freewheel, redish the wheel and spin a track cog of your choice on it. Remove the 52 T chain ring if possible and ride the 42. You will need SS chainring bolts. If you cannot remove it just get some old cheapo road cranks (by the looks of the cranks in the pic you will need new cranks). Looks like you will need some bar tape and maybe some toe clips if you want. That's maybe $50 - $100 tops.