FargoRider

Thanks - I'm finding out that very few "bike" people at the local bike shops really know much about these old Bianchi mountain bikes. They kind of look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them about it.

I bike in Minnesota lakes country on weekends, and it does great on the hilly paved roads and the back gravel roads. Climbs great, and moves out fairly well for having fatter tires and all that steel. This is not a light weight bike.

I really dig riding this thing.

bikemig 

I'm a fan of early MTBs. If I could find one of these in my size locally, I'd buy it. Like you, I like 'em as gravel bikes and as touring bikes.

Bianchigirll 

It looks awesome.

FargoRider

Thanks - it was you that convinced me in buying it. It was in way worse condition than I thought after I got it home, but I liked it anyway because the way the frame fit. Now I love it after the mods and cleanup.

It's built like a tank, but yet feels nimble and agile. I now have a very cool bike ready for rides in the city, gravel, open road, as well as rainy or sunny day commutes.

Piff 

What a great build! I'm also a huge fan of these older mountain bikes, they can do it all. Commuting, touring, trail riding, and then there's that huge thread of drop bar conversions too. And even if they usually have pretty thick tubing, I find that when I'm not weighing mine down with bags it really has a lovely ride that begs to go faster on fire roads.

Do you think you'll ever take it on a short weekend tour?

FargoRider

Thanks, and I do find this bike surprisingly quick. Not road bike quick, but way, way faster than my fat bike.

I haven't done tours, and don't plan on any. A "long" ride for me is between 20 and 30 miles, but that was usually on a road bike where I always avoided hitting gravel in Minnesota lakes country. Not anymore!

My Bianchi Eros that I consider to be my "everyday" commuter is already starting to get lonely. All week I've been grabbing this Project-3 when I leave for work.

maaakaaa

Salamandrine 

If they fit in there with a reasonable amount of clearance to the chainstays and fork blades, then they fit. Why not measure first? Grab a ruler or vernier caliper and measure the gap between the chainstays and in the fork where the fattest part of your current tires is. Or measure the current distance between tire sidewall and the frame, and extrapolate.

The Project bikes used 1.75" tires IIRC at the time, but only because they were the only 29'ers in existence, and they had to use the only 29er tires in existence, which were the 1.75" wide Panaracer Smokes. I'd make a WAG that about a 2.0" is the widest that will cram in there.

maaakaaa

I did some measurements and it seemed like 2.0 would fit the front and be marginal in the back. I wasn't sure how to estimate how the height of the tire would fit either. But anyhow, I bought some used Specialized Fast Track 29x2.0 tires from the bike co-op and installed them. The front fits fine, but I wouldn't probably go bigger. The back is very tight on the chainstays--no rubbing, though, and with a little truing would probably be better. A 1.8 would be more ideal.

I have photos, but I need more posts to be able to post photos since I'm new on here.

divxpr

What is the meaning of Hi-Wire in Mountain Bikes?

divxpr

Hi,

I just purchased an used Bianchi Project 3 that seems to be completely original (even the tires). I would like to upgrade it with modern components, add a threadless fork, put dropbars and update the whole drivetrain. But I am afraid that on doing so I reduce the value of the bike. What do you think?

Best!

Ivan

ryansu

divxpr welcome to the forums, beware the zombie thread, if you have questions they might get missed on a 3 year old thread One thing I try to do when I get a new project bike is to make it safe, shifts and stops tires are not going to crack etc, and then ride it for a decent amount of time before making any wholesale changes. That will inform you if A) it fits, B) you like how it rides and C) what you might want to change or leave as is. If this is going to be a rider then you should by all means make it work for you, just be sure you keep all the original stuff so if you do decide to sell it on you and revert it back to stock. Good luck with your project and put up some pictures once you get to 10 posts .

Bianchigirll 

Hello and welcome to the forums. A '92 Project was rather nicely appointed 700c Mountain Bike. I agree with ryansu, the best thing is to clean and tune it and ride for awhile and see how you like it. Any pics?

divxpr

Here is an image:

It is supposed to arrive today. What is the meaning of Hi-Wire?

i.ebayimg.com/images/g/c20AAOSwv~dd3-2K/s-l1600.jpg

ryansu

Pic assist

Bianchigirll 

The rear brake and both derailleur cables run along the top tube rather than the derailleur cables running down the downtube.

Like this but there is no front derailleur. The stops are there for the housing but there isn't a cable

LunarChuck

Ivan, congrats on snagging that Project 3 in such good condition and sharing the awesome photo!
Sorry to revive an old thread but this seems to be the most current Project 3 conversation going right now. In looking photos here and elsewhere, I'm wondering if anyone can share what they have for a front derailleur? I recently had mine replaced at the LBS and they used a low-clamp/top-swing Altus FD-M310. It shifts great but left about 1mm of clearance from the rear tire so I can't fit my rear fender past, and aside from the clearance issue I hate how the linkage gets all mucked up positioned behind the seat tube. So I just ordered a SRAM X9 bottom-swing which appears to protrude almost entirely to the drivetrain side. I think this will work but not sure, and options for triple MTB FDs seem limited. Mine is a 16" Project 3 (1996 I think) with Schwalbe Marathon 700X35 tires and 44/32/22 chainrings.

-Chuck

maaakaaa

Value is so subjective, that to me it’s hard to evaluate a change in terms of resale value, unless it’s pretty egregiously tasteless.

You could look for a higher rise quill stem, particularly with removable faceplate, to swap in and keep the original fork. The stock steel handlebar on mine was really heavy and is not at all bad to replace, IMO. I had ideas for a while of taking a Fargo-esque bike out of it, but it never happened.

divxpr

Hi, just wanted to show you an image of my Bianchi Project 3 after changing a few parts.

I got a threadless fork, change the drivetrain to a 1x12, and changed the wheels.


I have been thinking about painting it like this, What do you think?

PugRider

Well done, looks like a stout build. I like the paint job mock-up, too, a nice homage to their mtb line. Go for it, although that's a quite a bit of time you won't be able to ride it after doing all that work.

divxpr

If anyone is interested I added the Bianchi Project geometry to the Geometry Geek site:
https://geometrygeeks.bike/bike/bian...roject-3-1992/

rjhammett

Last year I picked up a Project 3 for my daughter for $50. It was in near perfect condition. It is her go to the store or go to the park bike. She likes it and that is coming from someone that has a Wilier Mortirolo, a Basso and a Raleigh Team Professional.

jdawginsc 

How different are these from the Advantage?