Intended purchase: Bianchi (but which one?)
08-14-06, 11:13 PM
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Intended purchase: Bianchi (but which one?)
I'm wanting to get a good road bike, which will probably be the the one I keep for the long term, so this won't be just an 'interim' bike to get. My riding will be for leisure (no racing or any competitive stuff). Currently I have a Giant CRX4 flat bar road bike, but I'm looking at getting something faster (I know I don't need it, but needing & wanting aren't the same... )
I'm looking at buying a new Bianchi road bike. I could never afford a Lamborghini or Bimota, but it looks like at least I can manage to afford a decent bike, and I've decided on Bianchi.
I want to know, how does the Campagnolo groupsets compare with Shimano? Eg: Campagnolo Xenon / Mirage / Veloce versus say Shimano Sora / Tiagra / 105 / Ultegra ?
The local shop has a Bianchi Gold Race 600 for $1200 AUD (about $900US), but I don't know if I should spend more on a model twice the price, or is the Gold Race 600 a bargain at that price?
Are the Via Nirone 'Di Luca Replica' models worth considering, or is there a similar model for less cost but without the fancy graphics? Whilst I'm not too fussed about getting a full carbon frame, I would like carbon forks. Or, should I just spend the $3600 AUD ($2700US) on a full carbon Bianchi 928?
Are the compact (50/34) crankset models are a good thing? Is there a good balance of usable ratios, or is it still best to go for the typical 53/39 crankset?
I'm looking at buying a new Bianchi road bike. I could never afford a Lamborghini or Bimota, but it looks like at least I can manage to afford a decent bike, and I've decided on Bianchi.
I want to know, how does the Campagnolo groupsets compare with Shimano? Eg: Campagnolo Xenon / Mirage / Veloce versus say Shimano Sora / Tiagra / 105 / Ultegra ?
The local shop has a Bianchi Gold Race 600 for $1200 AUD (about $900US), but I don't know if I should spend more on a model twice the price, or is the Gold Race 600 a bargain at that price?
Are the Via Nirone 'Di Luca Replica' models worth considering, or is there a similar model for less cost but without the fancy graphics? Whilst I'm not too fussed about getting a full carbon frame, I would like carbon forks. Or, should I just spend the $3600 AUD ($2700US) on a full carbon Bianchi 928?
Are the compact (50/34) crankset models are a good thing? Is there a good balance of usable ratios, or is it still best to go for the typical 53/39 crankset?
08-14-06, 11:54 PM
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Glad you're goin for a Bianchi, I was exactly the same when I went out to buy a road bike. I just knew I had to have one, regardless of components/cost/value/etc. In retrospect I could have gone for a better and cheaper alternative, but emotion was the key player in my decision. Don't know if it was a good thing or not, but hey, I'm happy.
I'm not too familiar with the non-USA market Bianchis besides the higher-end Reparto Corse line. I've heard good things about the Via Nirone certainly (It's supposed to be a good value), and very good things about the 928. Hell, I've ridden one. Friggin excellent bike.
As for the crankset, what kinda terrain you got around where you live? Have you been biking much before, and if so, what do you do when you get a hill? A 50/34 tries to cover most of the range of a triple, with a little off the top and a little off the bottom. A 53/39 isn't as great for climbing but will get you down a hill maybe four or five kilometers faster. In most cases, I'd say go with the compact.
Hope that helps. Maybe an Aussie here will be able to give better advice. Good luck!
I'm not too familiar with the non-USA market Bianchis besides the higher-end Reparto Corse line. I've heard good things about the Via Nirone certainly (It's supposed to be a good value), and very good things about the 928. Hell, I've ridden one. Friggin excellent bike.
As for the crankset, what kinda terrain you got around where you live? Have you been biking much before, and if so, what do you do when you get a hill? A 50/34 tries to cover most of the range of a triple, with a little off the top and a little off the bottom. A 53/39 isn't as great for climbing but will get you down a hill maybe four or five kilometers faster. In most cases, I'd say go with the compact.
Hope that helps. Maybe an Aussie here will be able to give better advice. Good luck!
08-15-06, 08:12 AM
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For me, it's an emotional thing too. The week before last, I got talking to a guy I know and just asked him about the brand of his bike. One thing led to another and later on in the day I visited https://www.eliteracingcycles.com and I knew I just had to have a Bianchi. I wasn't going to get into a evaluation between other brands versus Bianchi, so it's purely a sentimental thing. And so is the colour. I remember when I was about 6 years old, my first bike was a dirty old rusty single speed 20", which I one day found some paint & a brush in my Dad's shed and I quickly transformed the bike's appearance. Little did I know, that can of paint just happened to be Celeste! Now I can't get that colour out of my mind... and I see it everywhere, every day!
As for the terrain, it's not too hilly around here. Whilst my Giant CRX4 has a triple crankset, I can do all my riding without resorting to the smallest sprocket (thanks to clipless pedals which I've only recently acquired), so the 2 larger front sprockets handle the task OK.
I know if I get a good bike, I'll want to ride it more. Since owning the Giant CRX4 for the last 11 months, I've managed to cover about 1300km (roughly 800 miles), which is a whole lot more than if I had just purchased a cheapie bike from K-Mart. The Giant is great for 'cruisy' / medium pace rides, but I really want to get a taste for a fast road bike, hence the lust for the Bianchi.
Now, there's only one problem... figuring out how to handle how the wife is gunna react when I tell her about my next purchase... (oh, I'm not looking forward to that one bit). In the meantime, I'm not sleeping too well thinking about which model Bianchi is for me.
As for the terrain, it's not too hilly around here. Whilst my Giant CRX4 has a triple crankset, I can do all my riding without resorting to the smallest sprocket (thanks to clipless pedals which I've only recently acquired), so the 2 larger front sprockets handle the task OK.
I know if I get a good bike, I'll want to ride it more. Since owning the Giant CRX4 for the last 11 months, I've managed to cover about 1300km (roughly 800 miles), which is a whole lot more than if I had just purchased a cheapie bike from K-Mart. The Giant is great for 'cruisy' / medium pace rides, but I really want to get a taste for a fast road bike, hence the lust for the Bianchi.
Now, there's only one problem... figuring out how to handle how the wife is gunna react when I tell her about my next purchase... (oh, I'm not looking forward to that one bit). In the meantime, I'm not sleeping too well thinking about which model Bianchi is for me.
