Road Cycling - Bianchi expert's needed!!

My local LBS has a couple 2002 giros and A veloce and vigorelli or volpe I think. What is your rating of these bikes, and fair price . I know the Giros were $849 , which seems high for 2002. The others 1149 I remember. Also a centaur, which was the only celeste, I think it was 1500$. What are the chances of talking them down on the Giro? :rolleyes:

was this the ev boron centaur? get it.

My local LBS has a couple 2002 giros and A veloce and vigorelli or volpe I think. What is your rating of these bikes, and fair price . I know the Giros were $849 , which seems high for 2002. The others 1149 I remember. Also a centaur, which was the only celeste, I think it was 1500$. What are the chances of talking them down on the Giro? :rolleyes:

Slim (if it's NOS and not used). That was a $1449 bike. Granted, the new one has carbon seat stays, but that's still a good deal. http://bikeforums.net/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=578846

They're all nice bikes. The difference between the veloce and vigorelli is mostly Campy vs. Shimano. The Giro is an aluminum bike. A volpe is very different from any of the others as it's designed for cross/touring.

was this the ev boron centaur? get it. It's XL boron.

I will have to see which centaur it is. What would be a good price for the Eros, they want 849, and Giro 1149 both are 2002's?

I will have to see which centaur it is. What would be a good price for the Eros, they want 849, and Giro 1149 both are 2002's?

The 2004 Eros is a 1K bike so I doubt they'll go lower. The 2004 Volpe would probably go for 750-800 depending on how desparate he wants cash.

Where's Bianchi Rider when you need him?

They're all nice bikes. The difference between the veloce and vigorelli is mostly Campy vs. Shimano. The Giro is an aluminum bike. A volpe is very different from any of the others as it's designed for cross/touring.

The XL Boron has Campagnolo Centaur, the Veloce has Campagnolo Veloce, the Vigorelli has Shimano Ultegra, the Giro has Shimano 105. I prefer Campy to Shimano with all things being equal, but Ultegra is a notch (or two) above Veloce and a notch above 105. Centaur is about on par with Ultegra.

I have a EV3 with Campy Record and a Volpe with 105. I like both for different purposes. The EV3 is my trainer/racer (what a bike); my Volpe, commuter, tourer, and general purpose rider.

105 is good, durable stuff. You'd only care for something better if weight was important. That's the main difference between Ultegra and 105.

I've never ridden a bike with Veloce components, but Centaur is quite nice. I'm a Campy snob, but I'm not sure I'd spring for a bike with Veloce on it. Still, you could get the Veloce and as you ride more, if you don't like something, you can upgrade it. Or you could shell out right now, appreciate the finer components (tighter shifting, better braking) and become an inconsolable snob like me. I put Record on my first road bike three years ago, a Bianchi Nuova Alloro, and now I wouldn't do anything less on a road bike that isn't a tourer/commuter.

Check out Bianchi's 2002 lineup (http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2002/site/bikes/index.html).

I have a 2002 Yellow Vigorelli. I bought it new for under 1200, including shipping and assembly, from Supergo. I bought the very last one they had. At the same time I saw the exact same bike at an LBS here for 1400.
I like it plenty. It a pretty nice bike, if a little heavy, mine weighs a shade over 20 pounds. I guess it's not bad for a steel bike. It rides nice, but it's NOT a race bike. It goes plenty fast, but if you're really strong (or really heavy and really strong) the frame could be considered kind of "flexy".
I got a new Specialized Allez Comp that is considerably stiffer. That'll be my "fast" bike from now on. The Vigorelli will either get sold, or be transformed into more of a light tourer. I've named her, so I probably have to keep her. Her name is Gialla, btw.

I am mainly looking at the 2002 giro, It is more towards my budget. 849 seems high to me though , I would have to find a new home if I spent more. I do not even think my wife would let me live in the dog house.

I have an '03 Volpe and I am very happy with it. I didn't realize it at the time, but like it was mentioned before it's a touring bike. I can't say that I have "toured" with it but at my speed that is probably a pretty accurate description of my riding, seeing as I'm not a racer. I have ridden her in several rallies and coming up in a little more then a week I'll be taking her out to Wichita Falls for the Hotter then Hell. I swapped out the 32's for a pair of 23 Specialized Armidillo tires and put on an aero bar too. I also had to have a shorter stem because I was pitched so far forward on the bike. Now that she fits properly I'm set for my first century. For the money, the Volpe is an excellent choice, that is if you are not looking to set speed records.

I am mainly looking at the 2002 giro, It is more towards my budget. 849 seems high to me though , I would have to find a new home if I spent more. I do not even think my wife would let me live in the dog house.


I picked up my Volpe last year for just under $700 and I think I got a pretty decent deal. I hear ya on the spouse issue...my hubby keeps asking me, aren't you done spending money on that bike? Uh, no!! This has clearly moved past the hobby state and is now a full blown passion!

I'd disagree that $849 is too high for the 2002 Giro. That's already less than cost was on that bike; hence I doubt the shop would be too excited about going lower. If you intend to purchase accessories such as a computer, gloves, etc., ask about a discount on items such as that. I just sold our last 2002 Giro at $1000 and that was pretty scratched up, so I'd say $849 is a pretty good deal.
Veloce stuff shifts quite well for relatively inexpensive Campy. If you're not looking to race I would stick with the Veloce. The other difference between the Veloce and the Vigorelli is that the Veloce is Italian-made. If the Veloce is a double, it is the SL3 aluminum frame; if it's a triple than it's steel.