Stradguy93

So after getting my Black Lightning stolen I am in the market for a replacement road bike. After owning a decent amount of bikes i have decided that I desperately want to buy a steel Bianchi. Being decently clueless on Bianchi models I am asking all the Bianchi experts out there to point me in the right direction. I am looking for a 700c, steel frame Bianchi. I am a big fan of the Bianchi frames which have nice lugs with the Bianchi B on them, etc. I have always been a sucker for Bianchi's that have something embossed on the fork crown. Weight isn't a huge factor to me since my BL was decently heavy. I've found a decent looking Trofeo, but I'm not even truly sure what kind of model it is. Looking to keep the principle under $400 since I am a college student. Any suggestions on what model I should look for?

Stradguy93

I owned a Campione a while back and did a mild restoration on it. Would like to buy a model that's frame is higher quality, that's about the only benchmark I have. I'm a huge fan of Celeste.

Bianchigirll 

There is a lot to learn about Bianchis but I suggest looking at the late '80s models Like the Campione de Italias, Trofeo, even the Columbus tubed Bravas and Limiteds. Of course there isn't anything wrong with the older higher end Orient built frames, Brava and Limited or even the '87 and '87 Sport SX.

The Orient bikes from '88 on mostly had unicrown forks and some may or may not have had the B on the head/down tube lug. After say '91 most all the Italian built bikes lost their crowns too.

Sometimes because they are lacking a complete CampI group and often not Celeste the Special and Formula 2 tubed bikes like the Brava, Limited, CdI, Trofeo, Giro can usually be found for less than their Celeste counter parts like the Super Leggera, Mondiale.

That is not to say the '92-98ish Columbus bikes and even the Dedaccia tubed are not worth looking at but if your deadest on lugs stick with Columbus. While it sports a Unicrown if you can find a SBX frame/bike in your size at a decent price you may like the stiffer ride that tube set gives.

That's too bad about your Black Lightening.

Wildwood

I had an '85 Bianchi Limited, made in Japan with Ishiwata 022 tubing that was a most excellent ride. Although the current owner (a Forum member) finds it less than stellar.

3speedslow

I love my 89 CDI Bianchi, Cromor throughout and BLACK ! These were made in Italy with minimum Pantos and did come with a mix of Japanese and Italian components. I have it biult up now with a full 91' Shimano 105 group.

Sadly, I cannot provide pics at the moment. You could get a good replacement for your lost bike with a Bianchi.

armstrong101

The difficulty in finding higher end Bianchis is that they are rare. For every Superleggera or better bike, you'll probably come across 20 lower-end ones (CDI, Brava, Limited). The Superleggeras and Specialissimas I think weren't sold in North America in large amounts, so they are very few and far between. My experience anyways. And Italian celeste bikes in good shape seem to sell for about a 50% premium over non-Celeste counterparts.

Stradguy93

So somebody school me on this bike. I can get it for $400 shipped.
https://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bik/4815066031.html