Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia (Post 13341598)

A few weeks ago, I posted pictures of my 2012 Bianchi Infinito in this thread. My intent was not really to have it judged as ho or not, but rather, I posted in response to a message commenting on the lack of Bianchi pictures on the thread.

Soon as I posted, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among some of the BF cognoscenti who bemoaned the presence of an Ultegra gruppo on an Italian bike.

Well, not being one to disappoint, I took those comments to heart and I decided that indeed my ride deserves the best there is. So, I marched to my LBS, ordered a full Campy Record gruppo and voila, here she is, in full Campy regalia. (I put Record, instead of Super Record only because I plan to use the money I saved by getting Record instead of SR to get new wheels. The difference between REcord and SR is not significant enough to justify the extra liras or euros.)

I am so very glad that some of you brought to my attention that a Bianchi must have Campy hanging on it. I have just about 300 miles on the bike since I got the Campy components and I must say the ride is soooooooooo much sweeter now. The cranks turn creamy smooth on the ceramic bearing, the shifts are crisp and precise, the drivetrain is very quiet, I have an extra speed to play around with and, as a bonus, the bike is now just a hair over 16 pounds (with pedals and bottle cages). Previously, it weighed in at 17.12 pounds.

So to those who bemoaned the sight of Shimano components on a Bianchi all I can say is:

Mille grazie amici! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

BTW, my Bianchi may or may not be hot after these few changes. It does not really matter. What matters though is that my Bianchi is una dolce bicicletta italiana – I love riding her!

Here are a few pics:

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1..._RIGHTSIDE.jpg

Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia (Post 13341598)

Originally Posted by coolmingli (Post 13341306)

Originally Posted by volosong (Post 13343417)

When the time comes, go with white cable housings and shorten the rear brake housing by about an inch. Make is a smooth arc, not a hoop. A white Lezyne would look hot too, but they have been backordered for a long, long time now.

Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia (Post 13341598)

Originally Posted by dgasmd (Post 13343498)

Very nice, but far from HOT in my personal opinion. Must ask though, what the heck are those 2 little clamps for above and below the stem? Can't say I've seen those before nor can I think of the need for them.

Originally Posted by nhluhr (Post 13343551)

that's the stem http://tizianapg.jalbum.net/Deda-Ste...aZeroNero5.jpg

Originally Posted by nhluhr (Post 13343429)

There's enough white on that bike as it is.

Originally Posted by dgasmd (Post 13343498)

Very nice, but far from HOT in my personal opinion. Must ask though, what the heck are those 2 little clamps for above and below the stem? Can't say I've seen those before nor can I think of the need for them.

Originally Posted by volosong (Post 13343417)

When the time comes, go with white cable housings and shorten the rear brake housing by about an inch. Make it a smooth arc to flow with the lines of the frame, not a hoop. A white Lezyne would look hot too, but they have been backordered for a long, long time now.

Originally Posted by nhluhr (Post 13343429)

making that rear housing shorter is not just aesthetic but will also make it feel smoother and more direct thanks to reduced friction and compressibility. As for colored housing.... meh. There's enough white on that bike as it is.

Originally Posted by ravenmore (Post 13343253)

I think people gave you a little grief because it was an off the rack bike and looked a little generic. The upgrades look nice and definitely give it more appeal. I actually prefer Shimano to Campy though because the parts are more readily available and cheaper locally if you need something in a hurry. I ran Campy a while back and got frustrated by that several times.

Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia (Post 13344367)

But I have not decided on the hubs yet. The Record hubs on my Bottecchia are still buttery smooth, 23 years later! Hoping that the new Record hubs are as durable.

Originally Posted by nhluhr (Post 13343551)

Originally Posted by Drag (Post 13344748)

That is a sweet looking stem.

Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia (Post 13345852)

Thanks man. I like the Deda stems and handlebars. It matches well with the rest of the bike's color scheme and it is lighter than the FS carbon stem that came originally with the bike.

Originally Posted by learnmedia (Post 13345935)

My second bike. Transformation briefly documented here.

http://www.cultureandlanguage.org/Im...Makeover02.jpg

Originally Posted by learnmedia (Post 13345935)

My second bike. Transformation briefly documented here.

http://www.cultureandlanguage.org/Im...Makeover02.jpg