Hello All,
I bought this Bianchi (probably a few years old) and want to set it up as commuter (i.e. add panniers, fenders, etc.).
It has eyelets for pannier but as seen in photo, looks kinds tight to fit around the brake cabling. Also, brakes are pretty close to the tire.
Anyone have any suggestions on a pannier rack and fenders that would work for this setup?

For fenders you can try: https://ecom1.planetbike.com/7017.html


RESPECT OTHERS by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

I have Crud Roadracer Mk2 fenders, which are full coverage, fit under my very-low-clearance brakes, and work awesomely.

NOT my pic:

Is this a hand made in Italy from the 80's? Maybe you should post some pics in the vintage thread before you use this one as a commuter. I was at REI the other day in a class when a lady brought in a 20 year old bike very much like yours and the instructor flipped out over it. He said the entire bike was hand crafted and was a collectors item. I don't know but it's worth checking out.

It's not a vintage Bianchi, it's like a 2008 or so model year, most likely Asian-made (I have owned some 80's models in the past - and you're right, some of them do command high prices upon resale). This one, I believe, is not such; it probably was ~$1200 new a few years ago with Tiagra/105 groupo.
It has Cromoly frame and carbon fork so I thought it would be great for commuting around town. It's setup as a double and I had planned to use it for touring but the lack of low gearing makes it hard to push up the mountains (at least for me - I could always get some new knees, I suppose). I like those Cruds above, I'm going to order some - now just need the panniers. This is making me think about the frame, though, wonder if I could put big panniers on it without overweight concerns?

Hey, that's awesome looking ride, degnaw, even if not yours - this is the internet, you should take full credit for it!

One question: do you ever get any "rub" on the tires from those fenders bumping the tire? They look like they have the rubber straps on, I'd expect a little rub or is it a minor issue?

Oooo I hadn't seen these.

I second that

+1 on the crudbuster fenders. they work well but it's still a tight fit; tires larger than 23mm may be too big.

Hmm.. I'm running 25s now and was thinking of going bigger..

These pics are from my bike this time. I roll on 25c Conti Gatorskin tires, and they still fit (albeit with very, very little clearance, but it works)

There's no rub because they have little brushes on the sides that run along the rim, that keep the fender from getting too close to the tire.

Cool, thanks for photos, those are exact same tires I have.
I'm going to order some of those and try them out - worse case, I'm out 50 bucks, right?

I've got these on my fg. The only probs are they don't keep gunk off your drivetrain and the front doesn't go far enough over the tire to prevent 'rooster tailing'. But, they're better than nothing. Full coverage are much better. No diss intended.

50? I got mine for under $35, granted it was from a UK seller and took over 2 weeks to ship.