sinsterizme

Hey guys, I'm looking for a bike to ride in the summer. Don't have much knowledge or experience with bike parts or terminology but I'm looking for a good deal. I was looking at Bianchi on Kijiji and they look like cool bikes--and I 've heard good things. I have three links, could someone point me in the right direction and tell me if any of these are good deals? That would be super helpful.

BIANCHI 62CM FRAME FULL SHIMANO | road | Oshawa / Durham Region | Kijiji

Vintage road: 58cm Bianchi | road | Kitchener / Waterloo | Kijiji

61cm Bianchi Premio, circa early 90's frame with/without wheel | frames, parts | City of Toronto | Kijiji

Have a good one

howsteepisit

One of them is much smaller, what size bike fits you. Until you know that it makes no sense to look at prices.

sinsterizme

I'm 6'1" so I'm thinking 58-62cm should work.

jetboy 

go test out the 58cm and if you like it buy it. at 6' 1" i bet that is more your size: others may disagree- but the whole size thing has been debunked in resent years : go read Sheldon Brown's write up on the matter if you are curious. you can always make a smaller bike fit you by a longer seat post and quill stem (as long as its within reason) but a larger bike cannot be made smaller.

these days bikes that are sized XL (because the numbers have much less meaning with modern geometry) are about 58cm equivalent to C&V bikes. there is not much reason to have any larger than that unless you are in the NBA.

better to error on the smaller side. also for city riding i find a smaller bike easier to manage.

howsteepisit

Totally disagree with jetboy here. I am 5-11 and mostly leg. 62 cm is my favored ride, thats what fits and is comfortable. I agree you can make a smaller frame fit with a long stem, and long seat post, but that works against the aesthetic of the bike. Way back used to say a handful of seat post is about right and thats what works for me.

But in the end, go try them out and see whats comfortable, after all its all about the ride.

Note the last one is sans wheels, they will add 150 to the price. All bikes are expensive in Toronto markets.

jetboy 

see, I told you others would disagree. body type has a lot to do with it for sure. inseam and reach and better indicators than your overall height. while one fist of space is traditional on the seat tube but whether that is the optimal aesthetics is up to individual taste.

But in C&V bikes they did not change the wheel base when changing sizes.. they simply made the head and down tube longer: so adding a longer seatpost and quill is the exact equivalent to a larger bike except you have a lower top tube. (good for when you straddle the bike and do not want to smash certain things.) I would argue that the "fit" of a 62cm bike is the exact same as a 58cm bike with the seatpost and quill raised 4cm.

and I would further argue that a 58cm bike is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than a 62cm due to its head tube not being overly long - while a raised quill has a smaller diameter and matches the fork to create a better balance (to the eye).

Bianchigirll 

I don't like anyone of them at the current prices, but I guess the while one is the best deal. The white one appears to be a '91 Premio and atleast has a full chromoly frame and fork.

I think the black one, 62cm, is a mangalloy frame and the blue one is likely a chromoly/Mangalloy or Hiten mix.

zazenzach

for what its worth, im 6'1 and cannot fit on a 58cm properly. if I were you, I'd start around 61cm and go a bit up or down depending on your preference.

aesthetics are really irrelevant when it comes to proper fit. but i would argue a proper fitted frame with a handful of seatpost showing is 100x more aesthetically pleasing than a small frame with tons of seatpost showing.

jetboy 

and bianchigirll came along and actually gave the information he was after. I agree the prices don't seem the best. around here it seems like the Bianchi name brand pushes the prices up beyond what one might pay for a better quality and equipped Fuji or Centurion.. for example.

as for size. I agree its a bit of a stretch to go from 58 to 62cm. but I see no problem with someone who fits a 60cm bike (with the traditional 1 fist seat post height) buying a 58cm bike and adding less than 2 fingers to the seat post. still looks fine and rides the same. so when looking for a bike.. don't count out bikes that are "too small" for you by only a few cm. it opens you up to more options to get a better bike at a better price.

Clang

The white Premio did seem like the best deal until Howsteepisit alerted me to the part in the ad where they say the saddle and wheels that were pictured are an additional $150. $350 for something missing decals that gives me a parts bike vibe would be a dealbreaker for me.

I'd advise the OP to expand their search beyond Bianchi because that well is currently dry.

zukahn1 

The prices as Bianchigirll said are not all that great the white would be all right price wise if it included wheels and seat. I would say maybe pass on all three the 58cm maybe a bit small and isn't all that great of bike exspecially for the price. The other two are likely a bit to big. If your going to spend $300-400 on a used road bike I would say look around a bit more for something a bit nicer with a 60cm frame and look at all the stuff in your area not just Bianchi's.

sinsterizme

Alright, thanks everyone -- I'll keep an eye on any new posts from Kijiji

Bianchigirll 

WHAT? The wheels are extra? that is almost what it cost new. I agree look for Fujis or Schwinns. You can sometimes find good deals on those Tenax tubed Tempos.

sinsterizme

Okay I did some more searching but didn't find any Schwinns or Fujis my size / price. I found three more though that I need some advice on:

Miele Binova ($250): Classic Miele Red Road Bike. Fast and Clean, Fresh Rebuild! | road | Guelph | Kijiji

Benotto Modelo 800 ($300): 1985 Benotto Modelo 800 Vintage Road Bike! | road | Kitchener / Waterloo | Kijiji

Nishiki Olympic Tri-A ($280): Mint Condition Nishiki Classic Road Bicycle. Large Size! | road | Kitchener / Waterloo | Kijiji

I'm a bit partial to Miele because my parents used to have a Miele that I rode, is it worth making an offer on?

jetboy 

all the same seller so why not just go see them all at once!!

sinsterizme

I guess I shall! I was just wondering if any of them were particularly good or bad deals :-)

TugaDude

Just going to add my $.02 to the fit discussion. To me the bottom line is how the bikes rides. Not how it feels when you straddle the top tube. If I used that as the MAIN barometer none of my bikes "fit", meaning most all of them are up in my junk. But you know what? Once I'm riding, they are perfect. So I try to ride more, straddle less!

Seriously, top tube length, seat position and stem reach, to me anyways, rank WAY above standover in terms of importance. YMMV.

howsteepisit

All three are fmv I really like that nishiki though.

zukahn1 

I like all three of those bikes and the price are very fair if there in ready to ride condition. The Miele is likely the best buy of the three but a I like the paint on the Nishiki and would pay the slightly higher price if it fit. The Bennotto is the nice bike of the bunch based on components and that is reflected in a slightly higher price. I would say you should go look at all three in person and then make a decision based on the one you like.

TugaDude

Nishiki would be my 1st choice then the Miele. New rims/tires is a plus, so long as the rims are decent quality. I didn't check too closely but they look fine.

jetboy 

keep us posted if you get one. I am also sort of rooting for the nishiki just because of the paintjob - but all of them look good.

sinsterizme

I will! I'm going this Wednesday to check them out

Clang

What will narrow your choice between the three will be size. The Nishiki is a bigger bike. It will either fit and win by default or it won't be comfortable and you'll have to choose between the Miele and the Benotto. Out of those two, the Miele sounds like it has the better frame, new rims, and room for fenders (if that's a concern).

0.2HP

"...they simply made the head and down tube longer..."


That is true of a lot on manufactures, both in the old days and now-a-days. But there are exceptions, where the top tube length increases in proportion to seat tube length. And some manufactures use steeper angles in smaller frame sizes, for the same model.


Also keep in mind different manufacturers and people measure the seat tube differently; some to the center of the top tube, some to the top of the top tube, and some to the top of the seat tube. There can be 2-3 cm differences measuring the same bike with these 3 methods.


Not to mention classified advertisers miss-measuring.

sinsterizme

I got the Nishiki It rides so nicely. The Miele felt really cramped and the parts weren't as nice. The Benotto was already sold, but he had another 58cm which I liked but it didn't fit right either. If I'm going to be honest, I'm a little self-conscious about the Nishiki's colour when I ride it but I know I'll get used to it! I'm really happy about it overall. Thanks for your help guys!