Touring - Bianchi touring frame?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Bianchi touring frame?

maso85
01-15-13, 06:07 AM
Hi everyone,

I have been thinking about getting a classic touring frame for a while now and this old Bianchi has just come up on ebay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251213024413?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619). The thing is I don't know the first thing about it really, besides that it's made of decent steel. I'm not one to be impressed by a name like Bianchi unless it equates to quality. Just wondering if anyone out there has any knowledge about these old Bianchi touring frames, have they got a good reputation? I would be looking to maybe use it as a commuter/s24o at first with the intention to turn it into a full on tourer some time in the future. Could this be a practical option or just a pretty vintage talking piece?

cheers!

Wil Davis
01-15-13, 06:19 AM
Looks good to me; Campy head-set is a def. +, as is the forged drop-outs and I expect those are Campy as are the front forks. Nice lug-work. Looks to be around 60cm (23-24") which would be too big for me, but if it fits you, then you have the basis of a good restoration. Eyeballing it looks like a touring frame rather than racing, so I'm not sure if you intend to restore and use, or flip it. (I'm not sure of what the current AU$/US$ exchg. rate is at the moment), but I'm sure there are others here who are far better qualified than I to give you some great advice! Good luck! HTH -
- Wil
bradtx
01-15-13, 12:20 PM
maso85, Looks good to me, but I have a question for you to pass along to the seller. Was this a frame with 120 mm dropouts respaced to 130 mm and then respaced from 130 mm back to 120 mm? If the frame were still (and maybe it is) 130 mm I see no probs, but I don't know how many times a frame can be cold set as for modern mechs you'll want 130 mm, or 135 mm, requiring another cold set if it's now 120 mm.

Brad

Western Flyer
01-15-13, 12:48 PM
It looks classic. I would check the chain stay length. I tour with a much newer Bianchi cyclocross bike, about the same frame size and my size 11 (46 metric) shoes just clear my panniers. The stays are 35mm shorter than on a LHT. I personally wouldn't trade my bike for a sluggish traditional touring frame, but it does have to fit you. You might ask if it has been raced in cyclocross. It has a reputation for being pretty hard on frames. Do you know how old it is? If it is really old you might want to check if it is set for a 130mm rear hub.