bikemanbob

I've had a fascination with Touring frames lately. Today, I took a chance and travelled to see a bike with no pictures and limited description. When I arrived, I was disappointed that the bike was too small, but it was great value. We agreed on a price and I took the bike home.

The Bianchi Axis appears to be set up as a touring bike. From what I've learned, they are primarily cyclocross bikes. This bike has a mountain bike handlebar, Suntour components, and touring features (rack, fenders, triple chain ring, etc). I've done a limited search, but would like help with the following questions.

What year is the bike?
Is the handlebar and shifters original?
Is this bike used for touring or cyclocross?
In a rehabbed condition, what is it worth?

Thanks for your help!

Bianchigirll 

Nice Axis. it is an '89 and I am pretty sure Suntour BarCons would have been stock, I'll check later. the Axis and Equinox were both intended to be 'off the shelf' cyclocross bikes but they tipped the scales a bit heavy for serious racers and were a bit pricey for biginers to try out cross.

I think the Touring/ Commutiong setup was a great idea. while I don't think it would make a good loaded tourer, this would eb a fabulous weekend bike and would be a bullet proof commuter.

to the rght person and super clean it might fetch $200 - 250 maybe more

bikemanbob

Thanks Bianchi Girl! Great information. Your knowledge and help is always appreciated!

Bianchigirll 

How is this coming along? I just scanned the catalog page, not the greatest, but it is the correct year.

the XCD 6000 components are correct and the crank set looks correct too. the brake levers, for the drop bars, are simply listed as DiaCompe 250S Aero Levers and I believe the calipers/cantilevers are 984. I made a mistake in my PM the bars are not anotomic and they are listed as H.L. Dirtdrop.

bikemanbob

Thanks Bianchigirl!

Fantastic Information!

I don't like asking questions without first searching for myself. I searched and found very little information. After one quick PM, you supplied me with just the right information!

Thanks!

Bianchigirll 

Your Welcome. I really need to find someone with a nice scanner or just the knowledge to use mine better to help me scann my catalogs. then figure out how to set up a website.

Trakhak

I'm not sure that Bianchi sold the Axis as a cyclocross bike. The cyclocross category barely existed in the U.S. market until relatively recently. When I was selling the Axis and the rest of the Bianchi flat-bar bikes in the late '80s, I believe they were marketed as off-road-capable hybrids.

Thanks to their in-house visionary Sky Yeager, Bianchi USA might have been the first company to take the hybrid category seriously; they had a whole line of bikes with flat or drop bars, riser stems, triple cranks, and 700c wheels with knobby tires at a time when other companies were not even looking at that market or were coming up with monstrosities like the Specialized Rock Combo (26" knobbies, drop bars).

Bianchigirll 

actually a grass roots type of CycloCross intrest was alive and well in different arts of the US. we had lots of races up inthe New England area in '90ish.

the Axis, Tangent, and Equinox were cross bikes and marketed as such, but as I was told recently were heavy for serious 'cross riders but too pricey for new to trying it out.

Ms Yeager, along with Bill Graves and host of other were great people bringing us not only the Hybrid in '89 but the start of th '29er iea in '91 with the Projects.

and Bianchi actually considers the "do all" '86 Volpe the original hybrid. that bike was designed to be a dirt road shor cut road bike useful as a commuter or weekender as well.

bikemanbob

Bianchigirll 

it looks great. I almost want to by it.

bikemanbob

Thanks very much for you help!

stowellt

I like the flatbar look. This is what mine looks like which I believe is all original except the seat.

bikemanbob

Great looking bike! I like the drop bars much better! Thanks for posting a picture of it. I thought about restoring it to its original configuration, but I don't intend to keep it. I'm in the process of selling it now. Because the market is larger for a commuter, I believe it will sell better with a flat handlebar.

bikemanbob

For those that might research values of their Axis, I sold mine for $260. Response to the posting was much greater than expected, but most responders were too big for the bike. Despite being out of season, the condition of the bike and the Celeste color made the sale possible.

Washbear

If you compared the Axis / Tangent / Equinox CX bikes, to say the Project 7 "early 29er," to the early Volpe, what frame differences are there? Do the Project bikes have different geometry that made them less CX and more 29er, or was it more a matter of the drivetrain and components?

Bianchigirll 

The geometry isn't that much different, both bikes seem to have similar head/seat angles angles as well as rake, BB drop and stay length, although the Project bikes came with clearance for 700x45 knobbies (I still have a Smoke around somewhere) Differences in frame tubing and components are just natural evolution.

There isn't much in the way of marketing in the catalogs other than the 700 wheel preforms better in some cases. I would imagine Bianchi USA's designers were looking at the popularity of places like MOAB were the speeds wewre a lot faster than in New England where there much more technical riding on narrow paths in the woods. I only had the chance to ride my '93 Project 3 a few times off road, and that was when I still lived south of Boston, but it road as well if not a bit faster than the HK II or Cannondale I had before it. On the road it was awesome commuter even in the snow. My '86 Volpe is a fabulous road machine but owing to its slightly relaxed geometry is a bit slower than my road bikes.

Despite the rock ring she spends most of her days on the pavement riding on a pair of acient Avocet 700x32 slicks. The Woody's wooden fenders are real eye catchers.

My Volpe is far from stock these days, and rides smoothly over the tarmac on Pasela 700x25s. Interesting this could be considered the original 'hybrid as Bianchi's marketing was that this was not so much a 'cross bike a bike you could commute on, do group rides on the weekends, light touring and even take the occasional road less traveled

Washbear

Thank you Bianchigirll. I'm new to the site, and noticed you, searching some of the threads..you seem to know a fair amount about this era...which I think is really cool because I love these 80s / 90s Bianchis...just the design alone is gorgeous. My first bike in college, when I had to ride a ways to get home - was a 2000s Axis, which I loved riding, but eventually got stolen. Later somehow I found a Volpe very similar to the one you have, but blue..maybe a couple years later. I loved that bike...and now really regret selling it when I moved to a less bike-able area, and would love to find one again. I don't have a bike right now, but just found a Project 7, which is getting here in a couple of days. Really excited, seems like they have a unique place in history, and just trying to set up a CX-like road / offroad type thing that I don't have to stop riding in the winter.