Bianchi & Campy Info
 

Impulse purchased what I think is a nice mid to late 80's Bianchi Vittoria. Made in italy, very clean and looks well taken care of.
Been popping around the web looking for more info and I'm pretty sure it's an 85 or 86. Though I'm having trouble being certain and struggling to find out more about the drive train.
Figured I'd check and see if anyone had more info on it here since I found some good threads on ID's in the archives.
It's fully campy, including the wheels, 7 speed double with downtube shifters seat post etc and has a nice set of what I believe are nitto "noodle" bars.
Couple of close ups of the campy drivetrain here: http://imgur.com/a/qzxvG
And here's the bike: http://i.imgur.com/8M6AM5o.jpg?1

Thanks for any info you can provide. I'm annoyed by the campy two bolts under the saddle seat post, but love it otherwise.
Many thanks for any info you have, particularly on the drive train.

I spy C record cranks. Maybe a late c record derailleur?

The rear derailleur is 1990s. The upgrade would have made a lot of sense as the replacement is vastly superior in performance compared to the original, though not as collectible.

Edit:

Monoplanar brakes are chorus and came out in 1987 I believe, ditto levers I think. Front derailleur actually looks like victory or triomphe. Yes C-record crank. Shifter look like classic Nuovo/super record. Either it is a later model than '86 or was built from a frame only with a mish-mash of campy. The rear derailleur is not record but some other model.

Thank you both! I'm not too worried about collectability - I bought it to ride and lord knows what it will go through in my hands! That said always good to know what I'm working with and be able to talk intelligently about what's on there. And now I can research those components a bit more directly. I've been riding a while now but still getting my head around all the tech. Really appreciate the insight. Off to fit a new saddle with that absurd campy two bolts under the saddle post and some pedals and cages.

The Campy 2 bolt posts are a pita to set up, but once set, they don't move. I can get a 1/4" ratchet on mine (with a Brooks Pro on it), just barely. Makes it a bit more tolerable.

Yeah, it turned out that old San Marco I had in the garage was a piece of cake, can get the bolts with a simple 10mm wrench from the side, unlike the saddle that was on it which was a finger wrenching nightmare and only accessible from behind.
I'll replace that at some point soonish but looking at the fizik on my other bike scares me, don't think that would be an easy switch, I know have another criteria to factor into saddle selection.

The good news is I think I've got it dialed in enough for a quick 8-10 mile ride before I start drinking beer :)

The C record cranks look good, worth some money, so don't do a machine polish. Have to keep the Campy logo pristine if ever you decide to sale. The rear derailleur is Chorus along with the brakes. It's a nice find to keep!

A 10mm flex head ratchet usually works well on those, and as noted those posts are infinitely adjustable and once set they stay put:

http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/pi/mp/2794...id=400&hei=400

If the tubing is Bianchi Special the frame is from '85. I would not be too worried about collectability a Vittoria model would have come festooned with a Victory group. SO someone scored this frame and built it from parts on hand or collected.

Nice looking Bianchi though how does it ride?

Thanks for the all the feedback. Just got done with a quick 10 miles on it, and definitely will be doing some more adjusting so it's good I can work with that seat post now, way too much weight on my hands.
Rode nicely Bianchigirll, minus said adjustments. Definitely going to take some getting used to the downtube shifting, but very smooth. And it does say the tubing is is Bianchi Special, so I think we've got an ID (thank you all!)

I'm in ASU land and they are playing football tonight so it was a madhouse but pulled up for a shot of the machine in the wild before getting back home from the crazyness.
http://i.imgur.com/NpGwrET.jpg

Nice score! Ride the crap out of it!

I would probably do a full overhaul on it if it was mine; clean and repack all bearings and replace as necessary with Grade 25. Order bearings online, usually bottles of 100, and dirt cheap.

ASU? Arizona? Alabama? Alaska? Arkansas? Albany?

Thanks Pars! I plan to (ride the crap out of it). Full overhaul is beyond my skill set I'm afraid. I can make computers do anything, but I'm not shall we say mechanically inclined ;)
I can do the regular maintenance - clean/lube the chain, adjust the brakes, and well put air in the tires. Beyond that I trust my LBS for anything requiring legit skill. I should spend time at the co-op and learn more but time is a precious resource.

Bianchigirll Arizona State University. I'm from your state originally (New Hope PA) but live in Tempe AZ now a few miles from campus. I don't go there or anything, I just sent my kid to his first year of college in fact (though not ASU, he's in upstate NY where it's already too cold for me to ride!).

If anyone is still paying attention to this thread - any ideas on how far I can raise that stem? I brought it up a tiny bit but got a bit nervous about taking it too far. After another ride this morning I think I could use a solid inch higher than what's in the pictures above.
I might play with the saddle a tiny bit more, but it's really close to right I think so I'm probably going to have to deal with the stem to really get the right fit.


EDIT: Nevermind... http://sheldonbrown.com/handsup.html to the rescue. I'm at the min insertion mark with no room to go :(


(bonus question: Is there a secret to getting the stem re-alligned? I did all sort of trial and error to make sure it was plumb with the front wheel, there must be a trick...)

In that case your options are limited: buy a frame that fits you better, or use a Nitto "Technomic" stem:

http://store.velo-orange.com/media/c..._technomic.jpg

That fork looks like it has less rake than in should have from the factory. If you have any toe overlap then it needs a bit of massaging to increase the rake. I like the bike's build, not bad choices by the previous owner.

Oh no, did you say what I think you said, but in a nice way?

Being polite is a noble goal.

I shall look into this and play with saddle position a bit more. The frame by all rights should be about right and there's no going back now so a stem replacement is certainly an option

No issues that I noticed yet, but only have ~30 miles of real riding on it at this point.

I feel like I'm missing something...

dmphx,
Sorry, in my haste to compliment repechage on his manners of not just blurting out "fork's bent!" I showed my bad manners and left you out of the loop.
It is good-natured ribbing on the forum to point out a fork that appears to be bent. Your come-back is to deny it, no matter how bent, usually by claiming the photo is taken at an oblique angle.

Ah.
I appreciate the (somewhat depressing) clarification.

As to my comeback it should be blindingly obvious by looking at the framing of the photo that it's absolutely a camera angle issue, that fork is perfect. ;)

OH Bummer!! A good candidate for a Soma straight blade chrome for a bit if a Colnago look.


You will likely need to replace your bars (the clamp diameter is different) but I like these Kalloy hybrid style stems to give me a little extra height.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Kalloy-1-Quil...q1,w~~60_3.JPG

you problem may not be the height but reach, your saddle appears really far back... is that actually your preferred position? Also you should look into the soma hwy 1 (or something like that) compact handle bars for a shorter reach.

Thanks for the continued tips and advice.
cyclotine: I tried to mirror the fit as close to my other bike as I could, which fits me well so that saddle is set back in line with my LeMond.
Very well could be a few adjustments to the saddle would compensate for the discrepancy and save me having to swap out the stem. Clearly the fork is fine, despite any claims otherwise and in no need of replacement. (At least I can be taught!)
I'm an admitted novice and do a lot of this by trial and error so likely will mess around a bit more before buying a new stem, now that I have the right saddle on there I can adjust it pretty easily.