eh91

I've never seen the decal on a bianchi like this and I was wondering if anyone can tell me if it's an authentic bianchi.

T-Mar

Bianchi used that decal style circa 1991. Based on the celeste paint and 600 Ultegra components, I'd say it's legimate, though not copletely original, 1991 Virata.

eh91

Oh I see...thanks! I tried searching for an image but I couldn't find one so I got worried. I guessed it was 1993 but I was wrong I see...

Yea celeste paint, Shimano 600 components. The stem has the Bianchi logo as well but I just wasn't sure.

Thanks again!

mcarter

Love the bike! I would second what Tmar says. I have a 91 catalog and the Virata from that year definitely has the celeste paint and the Ultegra components and the decals are a dead give away for the early 90s.

Catnap

is there such a thing as a "fake" Bianchi?

Puget Pounder

Is it just the camera angles, or is the rear wheel smaller than the front?

T-Mar

It's an optical illusion caused by the rear wheel being farther out for the wall. The tile seams and junction of the wall/floor establish your horizon. The tops of the wheels aren't parallel to this horizon, making you think one is smaller. The eyes tend not to notice that the bottoms of the wheels aren't parallel to the horizon because, unlike the tile seam, it's not a continuous line.

T-Mar

With the ability to generate decals on a home computer and printer, any brand be faked relatively easy.

eh91

Yea! The more I'm finding out about it, the more I love it! It rides great. I got it for $275 which isn't too bad.

eh91

Do you know about how much this bike is worth?

T-Mar

Assuming that it is in good mechanical condition, the $275 that you paid sounds reasonable, given the size and location of your market. Orignal price was $950. Please post the serial number for my database. TIA.

mcarter

Hey T-Mar. I have a serial number for one of my Bianchis that I am uncertain of the exact year. I'm thinking a 93-94 but with the serial I'm thinking maybe 92. The serial is H2L004752. The fork is a carbon aero that I painted to match the blue. The paint and decals on the rest of the frame is original. I only bought the frame so I can't say what it had originally. There is evidence of downtube shifters which is consistent with 93-94.

T-Mar

Based on my current understanding, the frame was built in 1992 by Hodaka, a Taiwanese company. I don't have enough Hodaka data for confidence in the signifigance of the L. Typically, it would indicate either the month or fortnight. So, it could be either a 1992 or 1993 model. It shouldn't be 1994, unless there was some issue and it got caught in the rework cycle for a almost a year.

mcarter

Thanks! That helps a lot. I've seen one of these with the exact paint scheme that the person said was a 95 which couldn't be right. The 95's used Dedacci tubing rather than Tange.

mcarter

T-Mar...I have a couple more serial numbers for you...sorry to put them here but I can't use the private message feature on the site yet. The first is a 1991 Bianchi Ibex mountain bike. H0L29506. I bought this bike almost original (different stem and bars) and I got a catalog with this bike so the group on it was identical with the catalog. The second is my 05 Bianchi Imola H5H05135. This one I bought as a frame but it has the paint scheme of the 05 Imola. There are pics for reference. Thanks.

T-Mar

Thxs! The data increases my confidence that the letter in the 3rd position is a month indicator. A 1990 price list indicates that the Ibex wasn't even available that year. While it's possible that Hodaka were building 1991 models as early as the 12th fortnight (i.e. June), I think it's unlikely.

Edit: OK, now I'm not so sure. I just checked the 1992 and 1993 price lists and your Virata appears to be a 1992 model. The 1993 Virata used Shimano 105SC STI and yours appears to have the Shimano 600 Ultegra of the 1992 version.

Edit: Hold that thought. I just remembered, you bought the Virata as a frame. The components aren't original! D'oh! Back to square one!

mcarter

Hey T-Mar...my frame was an Alfana. It was just below the Virata in any of the catalogs...these seemed to have 105 components until 95 when they were equipped with RSX 7 speed.

piludo

https://https://greensboro.craigslist....576859132.html
Hi, I'm new here. I'm looking for a solid, inexpensive bike and I found a local ad for this bike. It resembles but doesn't look exactly like the one shown here. I realize the one on this forum is modified. I'm including the link, I just want to know if it appears to be a stock 91', (maybe the owner is off by a year, or maybe it's a "woman's version"), even with it's age is it a good value for an aggressive moderate mountain biker, and where the heck the frame size label is located. Also, is it a super heavy bike? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. 3 pics in the add, also what do you think is a reasonable price (bluebook only goes to 93'). Thanks piludo

T-Mar

The graphics, colour scheme and SunTour X-1 derailleurs are consistent with a 1991 Ibex. Everything else looks OEM, even the saddle, but it's hard to say for sure without detail pictures. This one is the smallest frame they made. It appears to be in very good condition. I don't know this particular market but I can tell you that the Ibex was 2nd from the bottom of the ATB line and had a MSRP of $460 US.

piludo

Thanks,
I'm actually looking for a smaller framed bike.
When I upgraded from my first bike I learned a hard lesson, a great bike isn't great if it doesn't fit. I bought a beautiful, cherry 2013 Kona Splice stock. Disc brakes, Front fork suppression, great gear set. I got it for a song but when I got on the trail I couldn't ride with any controlled aggression like I did on my crummy 80's entry level Fuji. And I traded the Fuji to get the Kona tuned properly. Only rode it three times. Lost some skin, just maneuvering around trees. I couldn't control it. I learned the bike was 21"... and I'm only 5'9". I had to sell a great used bike
Since I've researched how to fit my self properly (standing over the Kona I had to tip toe to avoid it hitting my crotch).
I've contacted the owner, who inherited and claims to have mothballed the bike, as to frame size. He doesn't know. I wrote him to look for a decal on the frame somewhere below the seat. Even if it is 15-18", I'm still going to make sure "it fits". Do you know where the size label should be on this bike or if they had one?
Thanks for responding!
PS The link leads to the add, 3 good pics.

T-Mar

The C/L ad says the bicycle has a 14" seat tube measured centre to centre and is appropriate for people 5'0" to 5'5". Looking at the frame, I'd say that's pretty accurate. Bianchi actually measured these frames centre to top, so it's probably what they would call 15". Either way, this is very small for somebody 5'9".

In the future is you want evaluations on potential purchases, there is a separate C&V Appraisals forum on this site, where you'll probably get more responses.

Salgadocadena

HI mate! Can you tell me to which bianchi model this serial number is? A401270. The bike only has bianchi engraved twice on the rear brake bridge. Any info would be great. Thanks!!!

Fahrenheit531 

Making a model ID from a serial number is virtually impossible. Where it was made? When and by whom? Those are possibilities. But model? Notsomuch.

You'd do better to start a thread and post some pics. That can get a model ID.
Usually.