tmh657

This bike might fit me, have to look at it and see how much he will come down on price. He says it has 10 speed Dura Ace brifters. Looks like a 62cm frame.

If it fits what's a good deal? I know the brifters alone are worth maybe $250? Thanks.

Awesome Bianchi Road Bike MUST SELL - $500
All Shimano Hardware
Great tires - Just need air.
Must Sell Today!
Price somewhat flexible

stausty

If it fits and is what you're looking for, $500 is not a bad deal. I sold a Bianchi Trofeo with 8s Ergo brifters last year for $450. If he really MUST SELL, see if he'll take less as it's a large frame and those have less demand. Offer $300, buy at $400.

roccobike

It's a modified bike so it depends, was the bike put together by a rank amateur or was it assembled by a pro or semi-pro? I would start by looking carefully at the rear wheel. Is it 8, 9 or 10 speed? If yes, ask the owner to remove the rear wheel. If it slides in and out easily, ask how the stays were spread because it probably was a cold set frame. I'd check the rear stays to be sure the bike is straight. Certainly you want to ride it to be sure it doesn't pull to the left or right. Do not buy this bike without riding it. If it has a flat, bring a spare tube and a pump, be prepared. Check out the shifters, all the speeds up and down. Count them off to be sure there are nine shifts for 10 gears.
If it's truly a 10 speed double, and it shifts perfectly and rides straight, and if it's your size, yes $500 is top dollar, but probably worth it.
If there are flaws, think lower than $500.
On the other hand, $250 for that bike, if it's straight and ready to ride is way too low. He'll get that easily. I'd feel better about it if the price was around $400.

tmh657

Thanks for the replies. I spoke to him and it was put together by a mechanic friend. Has Dura Ace FD and RD, 10 speed Shimano cassette, Ultegra hubs and Mavic Open Sport rims. Ultegra brake calipers. Also has a Bianchi Superet decal, whatever that means. And the Ishiwata 022 fork decal.
He says the paint is in really good shape. I will look at it in the morning.

Oh, how does an Ishiwata frame ride? If that is what the frame is. I have never been on one.

stausty

This has been covered in the main forum a few times, but basically Ishiwata 022 is comparable to any other high-end steel in its ride quality. It doesn't have the name recognition of Reynods, Columbus, or even Tange, but it's up there with them.

EjustE

Ishi022 is similar to Columbus Cromor, Reynolds 501 and Tange #2-4. Lot's of recognition, but it is a heavy tube.

T-Mar

The frameset is a 1984 Bianchi Limited, Superset means it has a heavier gauge down tube and chainstays. In this case, those tubes would be Ishiwata 024, not a bad idea given the size of the frame.

I have the same reservations, regarding the conversion as roccobike. Heed his advice. Ride it. Remove and install the rear wheel. Look the stays over very closely for signs of rippled metal and cracked or chipped paint . Both will occur in the area of the bridges, which may also separate from the stays.

From what I understand, SoCal is a very expensive market. Dura Ace 10 is also not cheap. I think it's a better deal than most other members, provided the frame wasn't damaged during the cold setting.

BOBSONATOR

grab it for the DA10

miamijim

But what kind of STI levers? If they're not DA or Ultegra then $500 is too much.

wrk101

+1 With Jim on this one. If the brifters are DA or Ultegra, fine. Otherwise, too much.

Note, you are in CA which tends to see higher pricing than I see around here.

tmh657

I picked up the bike. The guy was moving in 3 days and it had to go so with minimal arm twisting I got it for $300. It has the 10 speed DA STI's that are flight deck compatible. DA triple crank with external bearing BB. 11-23 Ultegra cassette. 3ttt stem, Cinelli bars, no name head set. That modern crank looks strange on there I think.

It's a 24" frame c to c and weighs 23 lb 4 oz on the LBS scale. I would say a 7 out of 10 cosmetically but no dents or dings and no rust. The seat post moves easily. The brake bridge and stays look fine. The rear wheel goes in and out with minimal effort, a little easier than the 9 speed hub on my other bikes that have less than 130mm spacing..

I test rode it and it shifted fine. I rode it as hard as I could with out clipless pedals later and it was tuned well. It shifts and brakes just right. It tracks straight with no hands. It handles nicely and turns quickly. I give it a big thumbs up but I think my '89 Schwinn Circuit accelerates quicker but it's hard to say for sure until I put my pedals on it and good, new tires.

I think I will clean it up, put on some new bar tape and take it on the 40 mile group ride Sunday. The Dura Ace drivetrain is very nice indeed. Baked bean brown is not my favorite color but it will look nicer after a good waxing.

wrk101

Wow, at $300 that is a smokin' hot deal!! Well done!

T-Mar

Glad it worked out well for you. Given the price, the market and how quickly he wanted to get rid of it, I just hope it wasn't stolen. Please submit the serial number for my database. TIA.

junkfoodjunkie

Great deal! The shifters and crank in good condition would pull most of that price on ebay.

tmh657

I kind of figured that would be the case but if down the road I wanted to part it out, (keep brifters for me) I don't know what kind of value the frame set alone would have. I would guess about $100 or so. Please correct me if I am off on that.

wrk101

I think you have the frameset value just about right. The large size will limit its resale. Components alone more than cover the price you paid, so you are looking really good. Best bet for selling it locally is to find a donor bike first. Then remove the parts you want to keep or sell on ebay, and sell the bike complete. Local buyers around here do not put much value on framesets, they want something ready to ride. Rebuilt with decent donor parts and it would have a market value of around $225 to $250, so you would get almost your entire investment out of it (depending what you paid for the donor of course).

roccobike

$300 is outstanding. Very nice bike for that price. I paid $100 for a set of 105 10 speed brifters and was glad to get them for that price. If you can find a cheap set of 7 or 8 speed brifters, rebuild it with those and sell for the $500 he was asking. YOu'll still get around $450 for it.