Bianchi ID Help
 

Don't seem to be generating much interest in this subject. Perhaps the forum is getting tired of such inquiries. I bought this frame and fork with no knowledge of it's history. I came with Shimano 600 crank and Campy(Perhaps Athena?) brakes. I put the 105 group; Sakae post, bars, and stem; Tange Levin headset; and Wolber rims on it. After looking at hundreds of Bianchi images without success, I had almost convinced myself that the year and model really didn't matter. But knowing the designers intent for this bike does matter. So I'm asking for some C&V Forum help.

What I believe I know about the bike:

Frame: Columbus TSX, Made in Italy decal, report corse decal.
Fork: Lugged with blue crest stamped in crown, Stamped Gipiemme on drop out.
Under BB stamped Bianchi with 59 stamped near crank and what looks like half of an H followed by 230 stamped on the other side.

The seatstay weld to the seatpost lug seems rather unusual to me. The rear brake mount is unusual as well. The Bianchi decal on the downtube has a gold border around it.

I also have a Bianchi where the rear wheel is practically touching the seat tube. You need to take the air out of the rear to get the wheel off. I remember reading in a bicycle book from the library that the length of the chainstays indicates the type of bike. I think you measure this by going from the middle of the crank to the rear axle. Also, it doesn't hurt to take other measurements like wheelbase and bottombracket height.

That looks like a very nice frame. I've seen that seatstay arrangement on Bianchis before. The brake bridge looks like a pretty standard cast piece, unless I'm missing something. I wish I knew more about Bianchi's from the early 90's-ish. Maybe an early 90's X-4, say, '91-2? The tubing is certainly top-drawer. (That Reparto Corse decal reminds me of the "stained glass" pattern of the Sammontana Bianchi jerseys of the mid-late 90's).

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Why are you here? There's no link I can find. This isn't your thread. Start a new one if you want help with your bike.

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Don't ask for an ID in middle of someone else's thread requesting an ID. Not my "soup bowl" - just common courtesy (and common sense.)

That's interesting Picchio and thanks. The reason I mentioned the brake bridge is that when I took to the LBS to have the headset cups pressed on, the mechanic said something about the brake bridge only having been used during a certain timeframe, I think he said the early 90's so you might be right on. The picture may not show it, but the bridge is flat, not round, and forms a kinda upside down V. I tried Googling X-4 and didn't find much.

Kauzo has some catalogs here:

http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/my_bianchi/catalogs.htm

But the resolution isn't what could be wished. I think TSX was only commonly used for a relatively short time. The catalogs appear to show that the '90 X-4 was built with SLX. I'm pretty sure I can make out that the '91 and '92 X-4's were made with TSX, like your frame (top model was Max). It looks like in '93, Bianchi switched to Minimax for its top model and EL for the next model down (no longer the X-4). Of course, this is open to question, given how hard I had to work to read the catalogs. But if my initial guess was correct that you have a '91-92 X-4, I guess I'm more of a Bianchi person (I won't say "expert") than I suspected. Of course, a real expert could be along any minute to blow my speculation right out of the celeste-green water.

One thing I forgot to mention in the description that may be important; the rear brake cable is routed through the top tube, and the rear D cable is routed trough the chain stay.

I poured through those catalogs. Your right, there pretty fuzzy, but the best and only Bianchi catalogs I've seen. I believe your correct in placing the bike in the early to mid-90's range. However, I didn't see one picture of a frame with the bare chromed triangle and celeste lugged fork. I suppose the fork may not have originally come with the bike?

Picchio, I contacted the Japanese gentleman with the Bianchi website. He thinks the bike is an 94/95 and probably had Chorus gruppo. He also doesn't think that the fork is original, which is what I was thinking as well. I think it probably had a chrome unicrown fork. If anyone is still trying to catalog Bianchi serial #'s, I'm willing to submit mine as an 94/95.