rmwesley

Hi,
I would appreciate it if anyone could shed any light on the age, model, general desirability, valuation etc. for the Bianchi in the attached photos.
Waiting on sizing which I should get tomorrow, but would be interested in anyone's views in the meantime.
Many thanks in advance.

rmwesley

Couple more pics...

SurferRosa

It looks great with the nice paint, full Campagnolo, and matching wheelset. If it were mine to sell, I'd want at least $600 in a big market in the Spring after I fully overhauled it and added new consumables.

Drillium Dude 

It looks like an upper-tier mid-to-late 70s frame going by the long Campy 1010a dropouts. It's been repainted with new (and not correct) decals. Needs a clean. $400 tops in the current condition.

DD

Bianchigirll 

I agree with DD the frame certainly predates the Chorus group by at least 10 years. The headbadge looks to be a different style from the other incorrect decals.

What is going on with the rear brake? Did someone drill the fork and use the rear brake on the front with a super long bolt and then do a hack job on the rear with the front brake? `

I am not sure I'd even pay $400 for this. It needs a real good overhaul and cleaning, cable, tires and probably a chain. Considering this is a project and may also need new brakes I'd want to pay closer to $300 for it.

The hubs and shifters appear to be older Record, while the brakes calipers and levers, cranks and rear derailleur are the original Chorus, and the front derailleur is from a later '90s

SurferRosa

When were were braze-on fd's first used on these Bianchis? Mid '80s?

Bianchigirll 

Which brazeons? I don't have any '70s catalogs so I can't really check. It is possible someone added things to this. I don't know that I've ever seen a pic of a Bianchi with those side mounted cable stops

SurferRosa

That's interesting. I didn't see those.

Mad Honk 

My take on this one is an older frame with some up-dates by someone before painting and new decals. Braze-ons at places they were not originally and no look see at a serial number doesn't help. JMHO, MH

rmwesley

Many thanks Drillium Dude SurferRosa and Bianchigirll for your replies, very helpful

Mad Honk …apparently the bottom bracket is stamped with the number 5.1 082 if that tells you anything?

T-Mar

I'm getting mixed messages from this bicycle and not just from the components but the frame itself. As suggested by DD, the longer rear dropouts would typically push it back into at least the mid-1970s. In which case the front derailleur is a later addition. However, I can see the 082 of the serial number stamped on the non-drive side of the seat lug. Bianchi used the seat lug location for the serial number in the early 1980s. Also having it stamped on the BB shell suggests it's from the end of that period. In which case, it may be 5.I 082, indicating a 1985 model. That may explain the front derailleur hanger but would be atypical for the longer dropouts and derailleur cable routing over the BB shell.

However, it does appear to be a repaint and a very heavy one at that. So, who knows what revisions that is hiding. It looks like there may be some embossing hiding under the paint on the non-drive side stay cap, which would also support mid-1980s. I've never seen top tube cable stops on what appears to be a higher end Bianchi from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, unless it's some unknown (to me) foreign model. While it does appear to be higher end, it still looks like mass production.There's enough anomalies on this one, that I'd definitely want to inspect in person, in order to assess the frame level, before I made a purchase.

celesteguy 

Is it possible that the frame might not even be an actual Bianchi, just painted up as a Bianchi? I've had a few from that era and I dont remember those cable stops on any, although the few I had weren't high end by any means. Nice group, though.