Jaeger

Hi, my name is Jaeger and --- I'm now a vintage bike owner. Now that I'm enrolled in this twelve step program the next step is to post it here and learn more about it, right?

So, I wonder if you good folks could tell me more about it.

I bought it from this ad, and here's what I know so far.

It has Ishiwata 022 frame and fork, Record Serie Elan Hd 100 rims with NGC 400 brakes.
Front and rear deraillers are Suntour Cyclone M-II with friction shifters shifting a six speed freewheel.
Cranks are Sugino Super Mighty, and it still has the original tires - they have a sticker saying Bianchi Super 90 700x25, and on the sidewall is Roadlite High Racer. The saddle is an Italia CX. Serial number from the bottom bracket is AS21786.

I've attached the pick from the ad - and yes, I've straightened out the handlebars. Other than the odd position of the handlebars the bike appears in near perfect condition and rarely used - weighs 21 pounds as is.

So my question is - what, exactly, is it? I gather it's a Japanese made Bianchi but how old? And what model? Can anyone tell me any more about this bike?

luker

Piaggio has owned bianchi from since the early 80's. Best guess looking at the picture is that this is a late '80's Limited, indeed japaness made, cleverly disguised by turning the bars upward.

amillhench

I assume it is a Japanese model from 1986. I just purchased a Japanese, and the serial number is LS17787. Looks like our last 2 digits are indicators of the year. The Shimano gear confirms this, being dated between July and August of '87. I tore mine down to repaint as there was no clear coat and lots of dings. Check out this website for catalogs until '86. https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/catalogs/ Best of luck.

Jaeger

Does anyone know if this bike would have sealed cartridge bottom bracket and hubs? Or do I need to worry about repacking the bearings on a bike of this vintage? I must say they seem to be in fine shape at the moment, considering how little use this bike has had. I'm reasonably certain it still has the original tires, tubes and even brake pads, and they're not very worn.

redneckwes

You probably have loose bearings and cup and cone hubs. I could be wrong though.

Don't worry, these are not difficult to rebuild/repack.

Road Fan

Even if it hasn't been ridden much, after 20 years the grease is probably dry and hardened, i.e. the lubricating oil part of it has probalby all run out. The bearings should ideally all be torn down, inspected, and repacked. There's probably not much wear, but you can preserve all the great old parts with an overhaul.

The original bearings you have will outperform new sealed bearings. Stick with them if you can.

Road Fan

Jaeger

Additional info - from the back of the rear derailer there is a mispelled "maeda ind Japan" and the letters XJ. From the vintage trek site this suggest the derailer comes from October 1981, so probably a 1982 bike? That's a little older than I thought.

luker

Maeda ind stands for maeda industries...they made (still do) a lot of the parts that originate in Japan. XJ is a date code, not completely trustworthy, but close enough. And, yeah, 82 could be the year, although the parts could be 1) not original, or 2) old stock that was getting consumed at a later year. I really don't know exactly when the first Japanese Bianchi's were produced...but '82 seems a little early.

Jaeger

Thanks for that. Obviously I'm not a connoisseur of this vintage stuff (yet). I really wasn't expecting a Suntour derailer to be labeled anything other than Suntour. But then I wasn't expecting Bianchi to have a Piaggio sticker on the seat tube, either. It's odd that this bike doesn't have a model name on it anywhere.

Whatever this bike is, exactly, I'm looking forward to riding it. It's been sitting in garages unridden for far too long.

amillhench

Did you date any other components? Mine had the original strong seatpost, and I got a date off the bars as well. Maybe a way to see if those Suntour bits are accurate...or just make you more confused.

Jaeger

No, I haven't yet. I expected to find something on the inside of the crank arms. According to the vintage Trek site these Sugino cranks should have a date code stamped there, but I couldn't find it. I suppose I should pull the seat post to see if there's anything there.

I'm still a little curious about what model this is supposed to be. It has a wheelbase of 101cm and it has pretty good clearance for fatter tires. This would suggest it would be designed somewhat toward touring use rather than racing, but the frame doesn't have eyelets or braze-ons for fenders or racks. And the gearing is 42/52 at the front and 13/23 at the rear which certainly doesn't seem appropriate for loaded touring use.

Jaeger

That was a good suggestion to look at the seat post. It's a Sakae labeled 81-D and on closer inspection in better light the front derailer has an XK on it - which should indicate November 1981. So I think we can conclude that this is indeed a 1982 bike.

leecycle

Nice bike. Information on Japanese Bianchi is scarce. IIRC, the bike geometry was spec'd by Bianchi but built in Japan for the lower price points in the Bianchi line. Hard to see in the picture, but there doesn't seem to be much clearance between the rear wheel and the seat tube, so I doubt a fender could fit even if eyelets were in place. If you're interested in a frame with eyelets, I think I have a Nishiki Olympic that does, send me a PM if you want to know more.

terrors

i have two japanese bianchi's from that period with the piaggio sticker. One is ishiwata 022 with lots of chrome, forks and rear triangle, lugs have a spade cut-out, the bike only came with the stem and bars, 3ttt i think, i changed them out. SN isAS312592.

The other one is a model called a 'Bici ll' and it has a mix of japanese, french and italian components and has been identified as a 1983. SN ES21732