bianchi identification
 

Hi all,

I've been scouring CL and eBay for a frameset to build up into a fixed gear, and just came across this auction for an old Bianchi: http://cgi.ebay.com/1970-BIANCHI-BIK...d=p3286.c0.m14

The seller clearly doesn't know much about the bike, but would any of you knowledgeable fellows happen to be able to tell what model it is? I know that's probably too much to ask.
Really all i want to know is if it has decent tubing or not. According to the seller's measurement (and according to what it looks like in the pictures) the bike is roughly the size i'm looking for, and it seems to have a relatively aggressive geometry (correct me if you don't think so). Also, the clamp on shifters and cable guides are desirable as i won't be needing them and they'll be removable.

The auction ends in a day, so I'll thank anybody in advance for giving me any useful info!

I'm going to way in here, 1) because I want to keep this thread going for you and I know how it feels when noone responses to your thread, and 2) because I have an old Bianchi that I love and went through the same ID process. I looked at the site and the time seems to be running out on the auction, but IMO it is worth the 75 + 60 shipping. I wish we could have gotten a vintage Bianchi person to evaluate but the components look upper-end for the day and I think all Campagnolo. I'm pretty sure it's an early 70's bike and I'm pretty sure that this pre-dates the days when Bianchi started making some of their frames overseas. It looks like it has been taken care of. I'd say if you like it and it is your size it would be worth 150-200 to me. You might have a real find there, but I'm no expert.

It would be a crying shame to turn that Bianchi into a fixie.

Now that I've got that out, it's a pretty decent bike.

I would also say that it is a 70's model. It is a lower end model but made in Italy. It would probably have been transport for a boy going to school on or perhaps for a guy to tootle around the neighborhood on.

It definately isn't a racing model.

I think it is worth the asking price though. It seems to be in reasonable condition and it IS a Bianchi. I think it would make an interesting addition to a collection.

Thanks for your insight! I wish the seller had a better description of the bike, or at least some better photos. The only components i can really see are the shifters and the rear derailleur, both of which are campy like you said (usually a good sign).

If the price doesn't go up too much in the remaining hours i may have to place a bid, i've always been attracted to bianchis from that era. and, so long as it has decent tubing (i would assume it does, some sort of columbus, i just wanted to see if someone could tell me for sure) it would be perfect for my fixed project. Might even swap some components over to my Dawes (which unfortunately has some not so smooth simplex derailleurs currently).

haha i was afraid someone here might repremand me for considering such a sinful act. i wouldn't have even stumbled upon that bike if i hadn't been looking for a frame for my fixie project.

and Gary Fountain, just curious, what is your assessment based off of?

30 years of collecting and I own a couple of Bianchi's along with another 30 bikes of a similar vintage. The Valentino rear Derailleur is very low end but it matches the gear levers. If it was close to my address I would consider a bid. I would want it for the curiosity value.

wouldn't the tubular wheelset suggest a more racing-geared bike, even if low end?

It may have tubulars but it is a lower end model. (If you're upgrading components, the wheels are the first thing to upgrade.) Fortunately Bianchi used good quality lower end components and I would guess the weight of the bike would have been reasonable. The cottered cranks are Bianchi engraved steel arms and there is room to fit a bike stand to the rear forks - not what a racing cyclist would have used.

The geometry of the frame looks to be pretty good and I would say that it would have ridden better than the average bike available in USA (or Australia) of a similar price range back then.

Alright, thanks a lot for the info.
It is much appreciated.

A Valentino drive train is never a good sign. I don't see anything about columbus tubing, you're probably getting your hopes up on that one. Those derailleurs are probably not any smoother than your simplex derailleur.

That bike is low end for the time, and I bet it's pretty heavy. They didn't put dropouts like that on nice frames.

That wouldn't be a terrible deal at the current auction price, however I bet it's going to go over $300, and it won't be worth it then.

Haha well yes I was getting my hopes up. Thanks to both of you better and smarter men for putting me in my place.

My search will continue.

Yes, it appears to be a 1970's club racer, possibly a Record 71. Steel, cottered cranks, Valentino Extra derailleurs and Universal 68 brakes along with tubular rims would be typical. The frame is almost certainly hi-tensile steel on the basis of the components and stamped dropouts.