TomWilson

Would a Bianchi from the Piaggio period with the following components be a low or middle range bike.

Italian-made Bianchi Piaggio
CroMoly Tubing
Sakae Custom HandleBars
SR Stem
Suntour Cyclone II componentry: Front & Rear Derailleur, Cranks
Diacomp Brakes
SR Laprage Seat Post
Avocet Toruing II saddle
Araya Wheels with Presta Valves

cyclotoine

I'd say closer to middle... it has decent enthusiast level components.. might even be race worthy for a new amature at the time.

terrors

curious as to why you believe it is Italian made, does it have a made in Italy sticker on it? With all those Japanese components it points to it being made in Japan. I know you say it has chro-mo tubing but made by who is another factor. Although the quality of Japanese bikes is high the value is diminished in many peoples eyes if it is not made in Italy. If you could find out the model it could help. Piaggio is not a model just happens to be the period during which Piaggio. owned Bianchi. Piaggio is the company that makes Vespa motor scooters.

John E

Measure the width of the bottom bracket shell: 68mm = Japanese origin, 70mm = Italian.

Jaeger

I'd suspect a Japanese made model as well. As a matter of fact that bike sounds identical to mine, with the exception of the saddle and wheels and mine is definitely Japanese made with Ishiwata tubing.

As was already said, the Japanese bikes were first rate in quality but tend to be less collectible. All the more reason to ride 'em.

TomWilson

It is a Japanese Bike with Ishwata 022 rides nice and I think the fit is good, however I have a couple more newbie questions.

Does this bike have what would be considered a pure race geometry that would be good for racing, but not so good for say centuries or would it be okay for centuries also?

It has original burgundy color paint and no rust, but a big scratch on the right fork and normal nicks from riding. Everything is straight the Suntour Cyclone II Derailleurs look and work like new.

Is $200 too much for this bike?


Here are some pics:

luker

the geometry is what used to be called "Sport Touring"...not criterium quick, but the rear end is tight enough that you won't suffer with sluggish steering, either. Perfect for unloaded day touring, or my favorite tour, the credit card tour (carry wind pants, a tee shirt, some sandals, and a credit card for the bar and motel). I don't think that 200 dollars is unreasonable, especially if it has a triple (is that what it looks like?) Really, with a triple, its a pretty good deal.

I'd suspect that you'll be wanting to investigate a few more comfortable saddles, though...

TomWilson

Man some bike sellers are dishonest at worst and mistaken at best. I'm amazed at how many I'm discoverying under state a bikes size. This bike was a 58 cm and it was advertised as a 55 cm.

Jaeger

It looks VERY similar to my bike, except mine is blue. As for the geometry question, yes it's between racing and touring - the handling isn't quite as quick as a bike you'd want to use to race a crit, nor is it as stable as a full touring bike. It's not really designed to handle a full load of gear and the Ishiwata 022 tubing may not be strong enough to handle both a rider and 100 pounds of gear anyway.

But it's perfect for unloaded touring. I just rode mine on the Rideau Lakes tour - a weekend tour that rides 109 miles from Ottawa to Kingston on Saturday, and then back the next day. If the bike fits you it's perfect for that sort of riding.

y the way, I've never been able to identify exactly what model mine is. Does this bike have a model name on the top tube? Or does the owner know?

TomWilson

The problem is it does not fit it is a 58 cm and I fit a 55 cm so no it doesn't fit the aggrevating part is, because the seller was knowlegeable I think he knew it wasn't a 55 cm even though he said it is. I thank God that I wasn't stupid and measured it first. The guy turned red in the face when I showed him it was a 58 cm.

As model the only thing the Top Tube says is "Limited" so purhaps that is th model name.

luker

I'm thinking that early on, all of the Japanese Bianchi's were called "Limited". Later, they outsourced more models and all bets are off...

On a related note, apparently nowadays if there is a significant portion of the cost of manufacture spent in Italy (and that "significant" is manufacturer-defined) then the "made in Italy" tag can be affixed. The situation was much better back when these bikes were made.