Hi there. I'm looking to buy a Bianchi, Or perhaps a Cannondale Bike. I dont mind a used bike at all. I dont need the greatest bike on the planet, but would like to know the difference, and say ranking between some of the many models the brands make.
For example, I've learned the Brava is the entry level Bianchi, but what about if a seller says this "1970's or 1980's Eduardo BIANCHI Piaggio Racing Road Bike Vintage Campagnolo Everything" with ""Nuova Racing 12 Vel." Written on frame". how good is this bike? what is a fair price? and what about the many "Bianchi PREMIO's" i see. where do they rank in the line-up? what would be considered a fair price/great price. Again, i'm not looking to get any of these bikes brand new. I've ridden regular road bikes for a long time, but never got into the culture or discussions. when one was used up, i simply baught the next $50-$75 model i found in the paper, etc. I'd like to get something really nice, but yet put in the work/time to getting the best deal possible. Only I need to know the "lay of the land" first, so i know what i'm trying to go after, and what not.

any etxra info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
Cheers,
David

Bianchi vs. Cannondale is apples to oranges. Two completely different rides. You should probably stop by the LBS and test ride a few to get the feel for steel vs. aluminum vs. composite and decide which one suits you best. As far as the indiviual brand line-up goes, most brands offer both a race bike line-up and a tour bike/recreational bike line-up. The differences are geometry and construction and resulting comfort of ride. Within each of those types, they differ mainly in quality of tubing and parts gruppos. I'd pick the type of bike and level of gruppo you want to settle for and shop from there rather than trying to memorize model names.

Always a good idea to do a search for "Bianchi hierarchy," "Cannondale hierarchy," or whatever it is you're looking for.

Also, it's probably better to learn component groups, tubing, basic frame construction, etc., rather than brand name, when searching.

While some companies made only good bikes or only bad bikes, most made a wide range of bikes and components and basic frame knowledge can help you decipher what you're looking at.

My #1 best advice (for which I should charge, considering how much it cost me not to follow it when I got into this racket): Take your time.

Bianchi's offerings were complicated by various combinations of components and frame tubes. The best ones had fully Columbus CrMo framesets, whereas the next ones down had tre tubi frames, with Columbus only where it really counts, on the three main tubes. Component groups likewise varied as one moved down the scale.

The early 80's Nuovo Racing was their entry level race bike. Tretubi frame, mix of Campy/Ofmega parts. nice solid bike that will serve you well, but nothing really special.

And in JUST my own opinion a much better choice than any vintage Cannondale.

While the Bianchi is a "real world" bike that has aged well and will give a predictable enjoyable ride. Most Cannondale's were fad engineered for specific duties that seemed fit at the time. Not they were not good race bikes in their day, but there's no reason to ride one reacreationally in the present. Again, just my opinion, some people actually like them.