I ended up getting the Bianchi after all! I had almost given up hope in this thread:
A little help?
The seller contacted me back after the initial hiccups and sent some great pics that gave me all the information I needed to undertake the journey from Bothell to Port Orchard. The story of the bike is nothing special (though I think the bike is), but my trip was anything but uneventful!
I drove down starting around 1345 yesterday and braved the traffic - which seems to be getting worse all the time - and the heat over the course of 3.5 hours to arrive at the seller's place. A big guy who bore a striking resemblance to Mick Fleetwood answered my knock and took me out to the garage to see the bike. The only history I know about it is the PO to the seller owed the seller $1200 and gave him the bike instead. Seller was asking for $1000, and had already told me he wouldn't budge on the price. That's why I wanted detailed pics before I drove all that way!
Seatpost, however, was stuck. I guess that was not really surprising as it was slammed, but we dropped in some WD40 and PB Blaster. I'm going to leave it be for a few days, but will have to revisit it. Good thing there are lots of tutorials here on how to free a stuck seatpost!
Anyway, when he reached for a screwdriver to pry the ears apart I stopped him and told him not to worry about it and pulled out my cash and counted out $1000.
AFAIK, that's the most I've ever paid outright for a complete bike. I pulled both wheels, installed my chainkeeper and put everything in the trunk for the return trip. Instead of retracing my route, I took 16 to Bremerton and then 3 to Kingston, with the idea that traffic on the Kitsap peninsula at 1800 would be less than the craziness on the other side going through Tacoma and Seattle. Just before getting to the ferry dock, I felt a bump/kind of a knock right beneath my feet - it came from the car, not something I ran over. Immediately the ABS and Brake idiot lights went on, and the battery gauge needle was dropping. I tried the brakes: fine. Paid my fare and parked in my row for the next ferry. But now the car was running rough. And I was worried about the battery now.
About 10 minutes before the ferry arrived I gave the key a twist and - nothing. My month-old battery had somehow drained in that short drive from the initial "bump" to the dock. The lot attendant jumped me just before loading, but it only got a little ways before dying on me. I had to be pushed onboard by a tractor they use for such issues (I wasn't the only one that day; a couple cars and two large RVs also had to be pushed/towed off the ferry before I came along). They did the same for me on the other side, but could only push me to a waiting area on the pier. The car would not start after trying to jump it again on the pier, so I called Roadside Assistance. That was an adventure all on it's own, but suffice to say that by 2230 the guy with the tow truck showed up, loaded up my lemon and drove me across town to drop my car off at the local garage. I unloaded the bike, put the wheels on and prepared to gingerly walk the bike the half-mile to my place; the tires were not up to pressure, but then I realized, hey, this came with a Silca pump! Doh. Pumped them up and walked home with no issues. I finally walked in the door at 2350.
After a shower and a relaxant (hey, I'd had a long day!), I spent some time cleaning up the bike. It's been sitting, but not in a bad way. But there was crustiness to clean up, and I'm not done yet.
It is a Supercorsa or Superleggera. No model name shows up anywhere, however. Two Piaggio decals on either side of the seat tube, Bianchi decals in blue with gold shadowing, crest logo on head tube, Columbus decal between the gear levers and a small triangular Modolo decal where the Columbus decal would normally be. The paint looks in super shape as does the chrome; the overall look is used but not abused. For example, it doesn't have that typical paint chip on the downtube from a brake caliper smacking the frame.
Components are mostly Campagnolo Super Record. Cinelli 1R black anodized stem mated to a Cinelli Campione del Mondo 63-40 with the later logo.
This was on the top of the bar on the drive side:
Other components are Modolo Professional brakes, Phil Wood hubs and BB and Vittoria Superlight pedals with steel axles. I might try them out for fun, but they will probably go to Ebay. A Brooks Professional Select topped the seatpost. Serial on the bottom of the BB shell is 4 - 81 - 467, so it looks like it was built the month before Gilles Villeneuve won the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix.
I know, I know - where are all the pics? They're coming. I'm down to one camera for the time being and it's a crappy one, so my first pics didn't come out well at all. I'll be trying again this afternoon as I clean this bike up a bit and see if the post will come out. The good news is when I bang on the saddle sideways, the post and saddle rotate, so it's just a matter of getting it up and out. Whew!
So, why did I spend a G on a bike with a stuck seatpost? Well, several reasons. For one, I knew it would eventually come out if I followed BF directions. For another,
I've paid more for paint. For yet another, it cost as much to get a lightbulb for one of my Audi's headlamps. And lastly? This was my grail bike! What good is money if you don't spend it? And it was my birthday a week ago, too, so happy birthday to me
I'm excited to get this on the road, but I have a bit of work to do. I'll take my time. It will be a fun project!
Lastly, I decided before I bought it that I would do an N-1 even as I added this bike to the collection. Because it's the smallest of my bikes and because the colorway is nearly identical, the Somec is going to be dismantled and sold. In fact, it appears I may already have a buyer for the frame. I'll need the seatpost (because I'm sure to wrack the post that's currently in the frame) and the pedals for a rider, and will use the Concor saddle as well as the clincher wheelset currently on it. The wheelset that came with the Bianchi is a pair of Ambrosio Synthesis Super Professional tubular rims mated to the aforementioned Phil hubs - mated, unfortunately, with what appear to be galvanized spokes (!).
Anyhoo...
DD