I’ll take some pictures tonight. What is the significance of “D174?”

I just happen to have a ‘91 catalog in my nightstand for some reason. It looks like all the Virata, Alfana and Eros frames over 55 are 73’ parallel. Anything particular you need to know?

It should be a 1990 Virata but you should post the serial number and pictures for confirmation. Unfortunately, I don't know the identity of Bianchi's Japanese source. Regarding geometry, it varied depending on the frame size. The only constants were chain stay length (41 cm), bottom bracket drop (6.5cm) and fork rake (4.5cm). Consequently, I'll need to know the frame size or you can just measure it.

That's my serial number.

Were these built by a company called Mareeda or something like that? IIRC I am pretty sure some of the MTBs and Hybrids were built by a company with a name like that.

^. You're thinking of Merida. They are Taiwanese, not Japanese. I have yet to see a Bianchi from Merida.

I thought some of the Hybrids and MTBs came from there.

^ I've seen them from other Taiwanese manufacturers but not Merida.

new user first post...
I just picked up an old Bianchi Strada with a serial number of 2B50468 stamped on the head tube.

Can anyone help be tell how old by that? It's got a mix of remnant 60's or 70's (guessing at this point) Campy components, BSA/Nervar Star crankset, 27" wheels, center pull brakes "Unversal" and so on.

I saw the Campy headset tool for this headset that is dated in the 60's according to an image I saw of it [velobase(dought)com/ViewTool.aspx?ID=2d580c66-6f0c-4aa8-9fe1-5f6f9a6a4d4d&AbsPos=235]

Welcome to the forums. An overall, driveside picture would help, but it should be from February 1972. The previous owner has done a lot of upgrading. Neither the crankset or rear derailleur are original to the bicycle.

Thank you! I did find an Italian language 1973 catalog which showed the Record Strada. I also noticed that the drive side BB fixed cup appears (haven't taken it apart yet) to be cross threaded and the cup is not flush with the shell. The rear derailleur seems to be 80's as far as I can tell from others like it on ebay.

Great detective work :)! Was the serial number what you used to figure it out?

I have more pictures but figured the detail shots were more telling than the graphic-less full drive side shot. I also noticed blue paint overspray on part of the otherwise (part or full) chrome fork.

I picked up an ELOS in blue with silver decals. Serial number is 02256. There's a 61 on the other side of the bottom bracket. Any idea when it was made? The only ELOS frames I have seen in the catalogs are celeste.

https://i.imgur.com/uVU3qYU.jpg

I have had this one for about 10 years, have never been too sure of the year. I could use some help please! the serial number is 2E81583
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XIw...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JE9...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Zq...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lZ-...ew?usp=sharing

It's from1972 and appears to be a Rekord 71.

Looking to find out more about my Bianchi
 

I have a Bianchi that I picked up in 1998 that I'd like help identifying.

The S/N is H7N2 2378, which I understand to mean that it was manufactured in Taiwan by Hodaka in 1997 based on the "H7" and when I bought it.

When I bought this bike 20 years ago, it had been built out with MTB parts, including shocks, flat bars, 26" tires, and a MTB drive train (it was described to me as an "urban road bike" for the mean streets of West Oakland). I recently paid to overhaul the bike and kept MTB parts on it, but now I'm wondering if it's worth trying to turn this bike back into a road bike or whether I should invest in a different frame.

I would post photos of the bike, but the file upload doesn't appear to be working and I apparently can't post URLs until I've made 10 posts...

You can post self hosted pictures any time.

I had the same issue posting pics, but what did work was adding them as an attachment. I hope it works that way for you too. I would love to see it :)

What do you mean by self-hosted? I tried using the attachment functionality and got this error:

It means attaching a photo hosted on your computer and not posting a url from a photo hosting service like Imgur or Flickr.

Hi all, I've just purchased presumably mid 80s-90 (based on the electric rose color) frameset and have been struggling to identify it. The only serial I can find is A.1147 on the non-drive side of the BB. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

OK. I managed to add the attachments. Somehow the security token error went away, but then there was an unexplained error about the upload failing. I eventually realized this was likely due to a size limit, so I resized the images to 2000px max per side.

I don't think this ever was a road bicycle, as those V-brake bosses won't allow anything other than a 26" wheelset. Probably all the previous did to turn it into an "urban road bike" was install new tyres (skinnier, higher pressure, non-knobby). The way it's set-up, makes a great commuter but falls short of a true road bicycle and regardless of the modifications will always be a comprise. Financially, you would be better off, investing in proper road bicycle.

Thanks T-Mar!

The V-brakes are what were on it when I originally bought it, but it actually had fat knobby 26" tires to start. I very quickly switched it to slicks to cut down on noise and rolling resistance, but I kept 26"x1.95" kevlar belted slicks on it for many years to avoid flats from potholes and window glass. When I had the drivetrain replaced recently, I also had them replace the tires, so I think it's more like a 26"x1.8" now.

The biggest issue I have with the bike now is that I can't lock out the shocks, so I sometimes waste power when climbing hills if I lean too much on the handlebars. I don't really ever need the shocks since I'm not riding this bike on trails.

Mrdillon, I think the orignal owner changed out the brakes, as the frame's seat stays have a bridge with a cable stop for cantilever brakes. By 1997, Shimano had introduced V-brakes on its XTR, Deore XT, Deore LX and STX-RC lines of ATB components. Consequently, the frame is almost certainly one of the lower end ATB models.

You could buy a ‘suspension ready’ replacement fork to replace the fork. But you may want to look for a upper end hybrid like a Strada or maybe a touring oriented model like a Volpe. Either of these will allow for a fatter tire like you have now but will give a livelier feel.