Bianchi Sizing
 

Hi there. I am looking at buy a older (80's) bianchi and am looking for some guidance in terms of sizing and fit. Ideally I would go to the bike shop and try the different sizes but that won't work seeing how the bikes I am looking at are scattered across the city. Can someone point me in the right direction of the size of frame I should be looking at? I am 6'2 180lb with an inseam of 33". I recently rode my girlfriend's father's bianchi and loved the stiffness and feel of it. Unfortunately he doe not live local so I can't got a measurement from his bike. Thanks!

Hi billygoatbob. with a 33 inseam you should be looking for perhaps a 60 - 62cm. depending on the year and wether it was manufactured in Italy or Japan the sizes were either something like 59, 61, 63 (if it came that big) for italian and 58, 60, 62 for Japanese bikes. the best thing to do is ride a few to get an idea. I know that is not easy but depending on the price range, a good knowledgeable seller should let you testride.

where do you live? there are BF resellers everywhere and they are certain to be able to assist you.

Thanks Bianchigirl for the suggestion! I live in the LA area and actually found a gentleman that picks up and restores old bikes and he happens to have a few bianchis in that size range that I could try. One thing that you mentioned did confuse me though. I have seen 58 and 60 cm bianchis advertised as Italian made (mid to late 1980's) but you are suggesting that these numbers would correspond to a Japanese bike. So my question is do odd numbers correspond to Japanese manufacturing and even numbers to Italian manufacturing? How would a novice like me be able to differentiate when I go to look at a bike? Thanks

Generally, an Italian made Bianchi will have a decal indicating it was Made in Italy. Another general rule of thumb would be that an Italian Bianchi would have a Columbus tube set. Your primary question, however, involves an extensive answer to be of much use to you. Perhaps a primer on what to look for in a quality vintage road bicycle frame set would be a good place to start learning...

Determining Bicycle Quality

Hope this is a help.