amor fati

I heard they were supposed to be for sale in November.

tgscordv6

Why would anyone want to get something that looks like a Leader?

BianchiDave

??

Leukybear 

+1

Total identity crisis there.

Anyway the pista concept is by far superior..... especially when it comes to identity and colorways; can't beat that bianchi celeste.

Nuggetross

uh...doesn't look like a leader. i don't know why everyone's hating on this frame. i think it's an improvement, esp. with the aero seatpost.

wearyourtruth

yeah i refuse to ride anything that is the same color as a cheaper frame or has a wheel cutout in the seattube. i mean it's like the EXACT same **** dude... people are gonna think i'm riding something that cost less than i paid!

Nuggetross

leader bikes are not clean at all like the super pista.

hairnet

Those are a mistake all in themselves

tgscordv6

Wrong, the stickers are removable on the Leaders.

tgscordv6

Just look at this monstrosity, LOL!

Nuggetross

i mean clean as in the design. leader's look like they were welded/designed by a college kid learning 3d modeling for the first time. still don't get the hate.

amor fati

Yes, it is unfortunate that Bianchi didn't just stick with the aesthetics of Pista Concepts from previous years. But what I was hoping was that somebody could tell me about the performance of these new frames.

It'd be interesting to hear a comparison from someone who has also ridden a Leader. Leaders are about $275, right? and the Super Pista $750.

wearyourtruth

i haven't ridden a super pista, and people can argue about paying for the "bianchi" on the side, but i'll tell you that the Super Pista is double or triple (i've heard both, not sure which is correct) 7005 alloy, which is nice stuff, and the only thing the leader says about it's tubing is "thicker and more durable aluminum" (which means crappier)

not that there's anything wrong with the leaders, just saying you get what you pay for...

chadbrochill17

reminds me of cycling WMD

cleanupinaisle3

My beef is with the typography. That bold serif font looks like it came off some bad Chinese packaging. I never liked the "Pista Concept" type on the old ones, but they even got rid of the simple, stylish Bianchi logo. That vertical type looks ridiculous.

luno-pdx

the leader 725tr is a total beater frame and it's still more attractive than the bianchi super pista. given the choice between the two, if they were both $275, i would probably still get the leader if it was looks only. the super pista is uglier than sin.

Leukybear 

What about the 04's with its badass military lettering?

LoRoK

I cannot believe I just heard someone say they prefer the Leader to a Super Pista. Un. ****ing. Believable.

And I, for one, think that all the hate for the Super Pista, saying they should have kept the '04 Concept yadda yadda, is coming from people that weren't even riding bicycles in '04. But hey, if you pretend that they "just aren't doing it the same as they were back in the day" then no one will know that you bought your first bike(s direct) in March.

But seriously, how can you like that butt-ass-ugly leader with those franken-welds and ridiculous tire clearance and all ****ty tubing more than the Super Pista? That makes NO ****ING SENSE! I feel like I just took some crazy pills!

luno-pdx

on aesthetics only. the leader's "franken-welds" are pretty fat, but i'm fine with un-sanded-down welds. they just seem to use a lot of filler in the welds. aesthetically, i think it looks fine. i'm not gonna argue that the leader doesn't have ****ty tubing. it does. i'm not sure if you mean "too much" or "too little" by ridiculous tire clearance, but i don't think the new leader 725tr has this problem since they apparently designed it to fit a 28c all the way back in the track ends. i like the leader specifically because it's relatively cheap.. i can slap stickers all over it and customize it and beat it to hell and not be that worried.

you seem to put a lot of stock in street cred. oh my god, it's such a terrible, terrible thing to buy your first bikesdirect bike last march! you're so lame and not with it! i'm so much cooler because i've been doing this longer than you! give me a ****ing break. i personally have been riding bikes (a lot) since about '06. i'm 15 years old this year. (i'm gonna hope you're smart enough to not blindly disregard everything i say from this point forward because of my age.)

i don't think "they're doing it the same as they were back in the day" because the super pista is terrible-looking from an aesthetic standpoint, and the '04 concept is really cool-looking. and as much as you want to deny that aesthetics have any place in a bike, that that's only for HIPSTERS and POSERS to worry about, it's a big part of a bike, a big part of a purchasing decision, and a big part of how much you will ultimately love your bike. so i care about it.

in conclusion, i would rather buy a cheap, somewhat good-looking in a beater sort of way leader frame, and slap stickers all over it and be comfortable with using it roughly... than buy an extremely overpriced frame which is terribly designed, both in the geometry style and the decals.. but made by a big company.

schnee

Super Pista graphics look like they're trying to be retro, which really doesn't work on such an un-retro frame style.

bionnaki

matte black is so boring.

Flash_BeeZy

Luno is just cheap cause he's 15

amor fati

If the frame was painted Celeste and the decals were changed would everything be OK with everyone?

alexgate

all your posts make sense now.

oldfixguy

Luno,

Let us know when you've pulled your teeth out of LoRoK's butt. Keep riding. Good for you, kid. As for the topic, I'm with the kid. Heck, buy the cheaper bike, keep riding with minimal care/thoughts toward thievery and start saving for something that you would be insane to leave out of your sight for a second. Sounds right to me. While I've not ridden either I do believe the Pista is a classic gone bad. A little sad.