rellis91

I just purchased this bike and as I am new to the whole bike building process I thought I would ask for some help. I definitely dont want expensive campy parts on this as I will be using it to ride to school and work and this college town is big on road/track/fixie bikes and people will steal almost anything. Is is true that repainting it decreases the resale and overall value? Its not celeste but more of a pastel green as you can see. There are rust in a few places that I am worried about but other than that it has been kept in pretty good shape. Anyway any suggestions anyone might have is greatly appreciated.





Columbus - Bianchi Formula Two Tubing

Gipiemme horizontal drop-outs

Italian threaded bottom bracket

Seat Tube: 63cm c-t

Top Tube: 59cm c-c

Chain Stays: 41.5cm c-c

Rear Spacing: 126mm

Seat Post Diameter: 27.2mm

B.B.: Italian Threading

headset is missing upper bearings and one washer

carleton

Rust is bike cancer. You may have bought someone else's problem.

Check the stickied newbie thread for answers to 99% of newbie questions.

https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/510358-fixed-gear-single-speed-start-here.html

You are making a custom build from the frame up. Custom builds from the frame up can get very expensive. If you are looking to make something very special and custom it will cost a good bit of time and money. Much more time and money than you will spend on an off-the-peg bike.

If you have the time, patience, tools, and money then it might be worth it. If you want to get rolling ASAP, then go buy a complete bike new or used.

REMspeedwagon

Without having components from previous bikes, it is kind of hard and not so money efficient to source out parts frame up.

You're going to need:
wheelset (tires, tubes, rim tape, cog, lockring)
crankset
bottom bracket
threaded headset
stem
bars
seat post
and a saddle

I wouldn't paint it, but that is just up to you.
It isn't in perfect condition so new paint won't affect anything but aesthetics.
And note, the BB shell is Italian threaded. You might not find any cheap(er) options.
You should buy a solid, non-flashy wheelset such as the Mavic CXP22 or Weinman DP18
from BicycleWheels.com and an old quality road double crankset running a single ring.
Find everything else in a used parts bin or something.

Good luck.

rellis91

Thanks for your help, as far as I can see the rust is minimal the only problem would be that I would have to repaint it, losing the original decals and paint. Thanks again.

carleton

And you are gonna need to have all of the above installed.

You will either:
- Pay to have someone install them
- Buy the tools and do it yourself
- Borrow tools from a friend

Some bike tools are generic like a 15mm wrenches and allen wrenches. Then there are more specific tools like crank arm pullers, chain breakers, spanners. cone wrenches, chain whips, etc... Each of which costs at least $10 and go up from there.

Then you have to spend the time learning how to use them properly. Yeah, it's cool to know how to work on your bike. I, as well as many here on the forum, do. But some people don't care and just want to ride. Nothing wrong with that. But, the rhetorical question is: which kind of person are you?

You have a bike stand in the photo, so maybe you are already familiar with building and maintaining bikes.

rellis91

Well I forgot to mention this is going to be a second bike, my workhorse is a 80s Lotus Excelle in great condition, so this is a project I wanted to do to help teach myself about bikes and their innerworkings.

rellis91

The pictures are actually from the previous owner, but like I said I really want to learn as much as I can and build this bike from the ground up, I know its going to take awhile to piece it together but I think itll be worth the work in the end.

carleton

Then read the articles in the newbie thread and get back to us. I don't think that there's anything that we can add that's not already covered in the links from that thread. Seriously.

Specific questions will get specific answers. But, "Hey I just bought this. What do you think?" won't get you much.

My vote would be to start with a different frame. Building a bike on a 20-30 year old frame that's seen better days isn't worth it. But, that's just me. If it were some cherry frame/bike that's in good to excellent condition then yeah. But this one is in fair to bad condition. I'd bet that soon after you get the project done you'd start eying a new frame.

Don't build a castle on a foundation of sand.

REMspeedwagon

if this is really what you want go for it.
and when it's done you wouldn't be prouder.

and remember to remind yourself it will take a while if you chose this route.

rellis91

Thanks a lot, all I was trying to get was just a little conversation out of it and some feedback. Off to the newbie threads.

tarwheel 

My first nice roadbike was a Bianchi Nuovo Record that I bought in the mid-1980s. It developed a little rust over the years, primarily because I didn't clean it enough. I sold it a few years ago and still regret it.

My advice would be to clean the frame thoroughly and sand off the paint at any rusty spots, making sure that your remove all of the rust. Be meticulous about this. Then get the frame repainted in Celeste or the original color. Bianchis are made to be Celeste, and your bike will command a higher resale value if painted that color. Trust me on this. If you just don't like Celeste, other classic colors for Bianchis were black, white and light blue (although usually with some Celeste details such as cable housings or decals).

Powder coating your frame will be more durable and less expensive, but might be harder to match colors. Your frame looks like a great starting point for a SS/fixe. Good luck with it. I wish I had hung onto my old Bianchi and converted it.

droptop

just leave the frame raw. and scour for used parts- remember, this is going to be your beater. my first iteration of a beater cost me about $180, and it had a LOT of used parts. i still have it- its my go-to bike- comfy as hell- like it was made for me. and i started with about 3 whole bikes. not having any parts, for a ghetto conversion, you are still looking at ~200 with a GOOD wheelset- (not a loctite fix). bens cycles has some good wheels for about $100, i got my mavic cxp-22's for $140 shipped. you will have fun, lots of headaches. try to find a bike co-op and make friends with the guys- they will be able to help you out more than anyone else.