Kwest

Thanks BFisher for starting the thread. I just picked up one of these last year and yours the only other that I have seen since. Mine is not brand new, but was rarely ridden and everything cleaned up nicely. Probably sat in someones garage for 30 years. Like you, I am glad to have it. I'd like to post some pics but not allowed just yet.

BFisher 

Glad to share. Keep posting around the site, introductions and such, and stop back here with a pic or two (or ten).

These are great bikes.

Kwest

Still not allowed to post URLs to link a Puch Mistral, just like BFisher's, for sale on Anchorage Alaska Craigslist. Understandably rarely used and in great shape. See recent post on the Bike Forum C&V ebay/craigslist finds Part II.

Mastrofrancesco

Beautiful bike!!
Wow in really great shape. The picture of the made in Italy sticker on the top tube In your Craigslist ad is much appreciated. Mine has totally faded and would love to duplicate it.
Great looking and riding bikes.
Good luck with the sale!

Kwest

Sorry. Miy Mistral is not for sale. The Anchorage bike belongs to someone else.

I did find a bulge in one of the original Trek tires I replaced on my Mistral today. Keeping the old tires anyway. Measurements have changed through the years. The old 23 is shorter than the new Michelin 23.

Kwest

Kwest

Should point out that the toe clips have been replaced since these photos were taken.

Kwest

BFisher 

@Kwest, fantastic! I never get tired of looking at the pearl white paint on these. Thanks for adding your photos.

Mastrofrancesco

Kwest,

WOW! That is a really nice looking Puch.
When I get the chance I’ll be posting some pictures of my Pianchi as well. (Puchi ?) (Biannuchi ?)

Mastrofrancesco

I’ll post some more pictures when I get the chance. It’s an honor to be a part of this club. This was on a mountain biking type trail. With those 23 m tires it sure was a challenge but loved every minute on this Puch.

Kwest

I like Pianchi the best. Includes elements of Piaggio, Bianchi, and Puch. good job!

noteddy

Hello BFisher and others on this thread. I have what I think might be a Bianchi-made Puch Mistral with Campy Athena group. I'm a brand new member and need to accumulate some posts before including pictures. Would you mind if I tag onto your thread?

verktyg 

Beautiful find!

A number of years back Peter Rich formerly of VeloSports in Bizerkeley, CA had a similar NOS Puch on display but it was Celeste not white. I don't remember the tubing or components but they were decent quality. I'd looked at it for several months and the day I went in to pull the trigger it was GONE!

I have a 1988 Bianchi Giro that I got in 2007 with less than 100 miles on it. It came with a last generation Campy Victory gruppo and a Columbus Formula Two frame. The best guess on the make up of the Formula Two tubing was the 3 main tubes are Chromor with Aelle forks and stays.

The bike is a 56cm and fits me perfectly, handles like a dream but because of the Formula Two frame isn't as smooth riding as I like.





It has Ambrosio 19 rims which are a BEAR to mount ANY tire on. I have some cheap Michelin tires on several bikes. They're easy to mount and ride very well. If I ever have to change tires on these rims, that's what I'll try.



BTW, the lugwork on your Puch is far superior to my Bianchi Giro.

verktyg

denaffen

Fascinating. I have an ~89 Campione and yeah, it’s a dead ringer. I thought the Quattro stuff was specifically Bianchi only. Today I learned. Way cool bikes.

Markeologist

I bought a Puch Mistral Professional brand new from VeloSport in 1989 or thereabouts. Columbus SLX, first gen Campy Chorus, and a pantographed Cinelli XA stem. It was absolutely identical to the Bianchi Superleggera except for fork crown and seat stay caps both of which were embossed with “PUCH” and the pantographed stem (I did side by side comparison). The Puch was a couple hundred bucks cheaper as I recall and being newly married at the time I bought the Puch.

noteddy

Thanks for the post, I'm sure it was a very nice ride at the time, do you still have it?. It sounds like Velo Sport sold a few Puchs in the 80s. Mine is no doubt a step down from yours in the lineup: dark green paint and no decals or embossing on the frame at all, maybe its Formula II as verktyg describes his Bianchi Giro. I'd like to know what the frame is made of. It has chromed Gipiemme dropouts, chrome drive side chain stay, fork has unmarked, chromed ends and a sloped crown. The bike has a black pantographed XA stem, same Ambrosio rims as the others in this thread, and what looks like a full Athena group with syncro shifters and a Regina 7-sp freewheel. I put some photos in my gallery if its accessible to you all.

Markeologist

can u post pix here? Yes, I still have. My Puch Pro has chromed Gipiemme dropouts, front and rear, with the threaded boss IN the rear dropout just like contemporaneous Bianchis. It also has chromed drive side chain stay. Slopped fork crown with “PUCH” embossed in top of crown. Misspoke about seat stay caps, they are plain. It’s in my basement currently, I’ll pull out to photo sometime but they can be found on web with their bright green and white two tone paint jobs with black lettering and yellow highlights. I hated the decals back in day so I removed and re-lettered in red…looked oh so Italian. Instead of “PUCH” however, I relettered as “PUKE” given my punkish ways back then.

daverup 

Here is one I put together, not original fork.

Wildwood

Does anyone have a weight for this frame and fork? In size 60cm.
The PuchMistral/Bianchi CdI.

[…….just guessing frame ~4.5 lb, fork w uncut steerer ~2 for a total around (just under???) 6.5 lb / ~3kg.]

BFisher 

@verktyg, The pearl white paint on the Mistral is one of my favorite colors, although the paint is a bit fragile. It's really pretty in person. At one point I had the bike built with a mix of Ultegra 6500 with Dura Ace 7700 downtube shifters. I was able to make the bike work better for me with a longer stem, but along the way I acquired a Columbus Tenax-tubed Schwinn in my size. Funny that both of those bikes came with Suntour Accushift as stock. I decided that the Schwinn fit, and therefore rode better so I put all of the 9 speed stuff on there. The Puch frame currently hangs on the wall.

noteddy

Apparently I need to make a few more posts before I can upload photos. I'll get on that and post some photos soon. PUKE, ha, that's funny! Red lettering would definitely make it look more Italian. Did the white panels come off when you removed the lettering? Mine has a solid green paint job unlike the others I've seen online and in this forum. The paint looks to be original but hard to tell if it was resprayed the same color. Dropouts have the same threaded bosses.

noteddy

That's a sweet Bianchi. I assume you're over missing out on that Puch back in the day. Odd they would use celeste paint on a Puch-branded frame. I do like the pearl white paint. There's a thread somewhere on C&V with photos of a recently-built NOS pearl-white Mistral that is in mint condition, gorgeous.

noteddy

I have not stripped mine down to the frame, so no data on the weight. if/when I do that, I'll post the weight here.

noteddy

Nice! The frame looks to be the same as mine, size too maybe, 57cm? Kudos on the bar tape, you nailed the color scheme!