Classic & Vintage - torn between two Italian Bicycles...

I am torn between two Italian bikes...

1980s Celeste Bianchi
and
1969 Raleigh Professional

both have campy parts and brooks saddles.

i have researched on Sheldon Browns very handy and insightful website on these two handsome machines and i would love anyone elses opinion on which bike is the ultimate winner!

I'd probably go for the Raleigh myself, but that's just me. I think the fastback Pros are handsomer, but a '69 is rarer. I'm not too familiar with 80s Bianchis though.

Is the Bianchi Columbus SL/SP? If yes and both are the same condition, I would take the Bianchi.

Get the Italian Raleigh, never seen one of those before :)


All kidding aside, I'd go for the Raleigh, assuming condition is comparable between the two.

Remember that Bianchi made everything from junk to tour machines - and many of them were green.

Take the Bianchi and let me know who is selling the Raleigh! The Bianchi is a better ride, the Raleigh is just gaspipe! :-) All joking aside, my vote is for the Raleigh Pro! If you can figure out a way to do it, get them both! :-)
Flash

Bianchi

We'd need photos of the parts and frames to comment intelligently. As said above, Bianchis vary...this isn't enough to judge by.

Also - go for the one that fits better.

im actually not sure which tubing the Bianchi has...?

the Raliegh is ALL original. it comes equipped with water bottle, bottle cages and mounted frame pump too.
the Bianchi has some paint wear and is more in price...

Italians are Sexier

269380
sorry the Bianchi is upside down... the girl didnt flip the photos. :/

269381

neither are the BEST of quality, but hopeful these are enough...

Here, let me help;
http://edwardintoronto.smugmug.com/photos/i-sfkMdL4/0/X3/i-sfkMdL4-X3.jpg

Remember that Bianchi made everything from junk to tour machines - and many of them were green.

+1

Raleigh is nice but not all original. Rear wheel has been replaced w/ mid/ low-end wheel, or so it looks. The rear derailleur is not original either or it has been modified. It was changed to lower the gearing and accommodate the larger freewheel on the the replacement wheel. The Bianchi frame is a good bit smaller than the Raleigh. Do you know which one will fit you? Both are nice bikes.

If you google other photos for the 1969 Raleigh Pro, and you don't have to do it in Italian, you'll find a different wheelset from the ones in the Austin listing. That dork disk suggests to me those are replacement wheels, maybe even steel, the freewheel looks huge, and something about the black band on the front hub looks peculiar.

If my wheel assumption holds, I certainly wouldn't pay $400 for the Raleigh or $650 for the Bianchi in that condition, when you can far better for that amount of coin, even in Austin. Also, if you want to ride on the outskirts of Austin's downtown, unless your legs are bands of steel, you ought to look for a bike with a triple crank to climb those hills in Hill Country.

It's hard to see details, but the Bianchi looks like a higher end one and possibly cleaner than the Raleigh. The Raleigh looks like a larger frame...so I think the answer is which one fots better. Obviously the Raleigh has drops while the Bianchi has city bars. What kind of riding are you doing? What position/bars do you prefer?

I think the issue is less about which bike is better and more about which fits and which is the style you want.

The pricing comments above are totally off base IMO - a Raleigh Pro frame only would be worth close to $400...it has what looks like a good Brooks and most of its Campy bits. It's well worth $400 and no...you won't typically find a better deal. The Bianchi looks like a very nice frame, I'm spotting some good parts and it MIGHT be worth the asking price. It's certainly a very nice bike. $650 might be pushing it, but it's hard to see everything.

Check closely if you go look at them....I think I see a dent in the top tube of the Bianchi.....

And I think the prices are a touch high for either one in their current condition.

Good luck in your hunt,

Joe

I have both sellers willing to negotiate on the price of both bikes, and I know that both the Bianchi and the Raleigh are very high-quality handsome geometry bicycles.

I currently have a Bridgestone XO with moustache bars, fenders, racks (the works) and a Raleigh Rush Hour, but the Rush Hour has proven to be a little too tall for me.

the kind of riding i would be doing would be mostly commuting in town, but also joing in on a few group rides where we wear kits, and the occasional Rando rides...

I enjoy the city bars but they are very similar to my mustache bars that i already have on my Bridgestone. so I would prefer to go to a drop bar for the next bike and clipless pedals with straps...

Raleigh.

Bianchi looks a little distressed to me.

Saddle and frameset cover the cost of the Raleigh. Everything else is gravy. And if you get some concession on pricing, even better. Use the $$ savings to pick up a more appropriate set of wheels, then pick up an era correct RD and ride.

@wrk101 - you have some real niceeee bikes on your flickr! what is your favorite road bike?

This looks like maybe an '84ish Nuovo Alloro model with CampI derailleurs and Modolo brakes and Ofmega.Miche mix for the rest. The city bars have to go though.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=269380&d=1345945659

Without a decal I would assume the frame is a Columbus Alle with lesser stays or even Falck stays.

Raliegh it just looks feels like a much better bike.

Get the ENGLISH bike.

I don't know, I'd be jumpin on the Raleigh. That's the coolest year for Pro's as far as I'm concerned, and really rare to find. If it was near me the Pro would be gone, no question.

buy both, who cares

it's only money

@wrk101 - you have some real niceeee bikes on your flickr! what is your favorite road bike?

Tough call, but probably the 1987 Prologue.

Tough call, but probably the 1987 Prologue.I was 100% sure as you scrolled down that you'd say that. Still one of the top 5 builds, in my book, that I've seen.

Tough call, but probably the 1987 Prologue.
i'm going with your klein aeolus (kinda caught klein fever :o )

The two alternative bikes are really different in size. If I was under 5' 8" I would be looking at the Bianchi, which at $650. is overpriced. The Raleigh if I was 5' 11" or taller would be the way to go. 5' 9"- 10"? neither as a bike to ride. But maybe the Raleigh as a bike to resell, after asking if they had the original wheels. I suspect the rear wheel is a 27" replacement of marginal quality, the original tubular tire wheels removed as the owner did not want to mess with flats he could not repair and or glue. The Raleigh has more up market potential.

I think there is a small more intense market for the Raleigh and a wider but less committed market for the Bianchi.

My Raleigh:

My Raleigh:

That's a beauty!

Buy the Raleigh and get some decent wheels for it