I was fortunate enough to be gifted a well-used Dura Ace 7700 group set. I put several hours into cleaning, degreasing, replacing a broken spring, and getting it into reasonable shape.
Then I was gifted a wheel-off trainer (yes I am lucky!). But the trainer requires 130mm rear spacing, and has a Shimano freehub. My only readily compatible bike, I considered too good for trainer duty. I also contemplated spreading one of my older 6 speed bikes, but I was not thrilled with that prospect either.
What I really needed was a decent, but not precious bike with 130 spacing to accept the DA7700 and be delegated to the trainer. Would a trainer bike really count as n+1? Not waiting to come to a conclusion on that question, I set about searching for a suitable frame.
I looked around for a week or so and came across an ad which had been up on Craigslist for almost 1 year.
eBay / CraigsList finds - "Are you looking for one of these!?" Part II
After some google searching, not much information popped up about Jansen-Oomen except that it was a shop in the Netherlands and seems to have an associated club.
Certainly one look at the colors, and instantly Bianchi Mercatone Uno comes to mind. But many people have copied that paint scheme. And a number hanger. Studying the ad pictures, it had many similarities to Bianchi frames such as the X4. In any case, it looked like a worthy victim, so I picked it up.
Once I started cleaning it, it became apparent that this is indeed a Bianchi, hidden under a respray.
The “B” in headtube lower lug is clearly visible.
The BB shell is same as seen on multiple Bianchi, though the raised “Bianchi” lettering in rectangular recess is either obscured by flooding of paint, or possibly ground down. But with the right angle, you can clearly make out the name hidden there.
On the sides of BB shell, the “B” is hardly visible if at all. On one side there is the faintest remnant, almost as if it were ground off. The S/N and frame size formats look right.
Dropouts have no stampings.
Spiral ridges in all 4 BB tubes
Other identifiable features:
Aero seat stays
Seat stay ends
Rear brake cable top tube routing treatment
Rear derailleur in chain stay routing
Silva brake bridge with Bianchi on each side (deeply buried under paint), diagonally oriented
As for the fork, I believe this is a replacement. It “might” be something like a Tange 185. It has internal spirals, but I found no markings whatsoever on steerer (possibly hidden under paint). It is similar shape, but different than Bianchi internal lug design.
My guess is there was front end damage, requiring new fork and repaint. There is the faintest hint of ripple in the downtube, just behind the headtube lug. You need to have the right lighting to see it. Fork is a nice choice, though the original may have been a chrome unicrown ELOS.
Anyway, my best guess is that this is an early 1992 Bianchi TSX. Apart from paint and fork, it matches other ‘92 TSX online.
Any insights from the experts would be appreciated. Hope you enjoy the mystery!
