Seriously, both the Pista and Scrambler are probably not what you want from the few fit opinions you've given so far.

Maybe check out the Steamroller for a more relaxed geometry?

The Pistas are more or less the same from year to year. What happened was that when the fixed gear market exploded, the Pista was one of the only entry-level off-the-shelf bikes that was relatively available. Pretty soon, everyone was riding one, which meant not long after that, they became a lot less fashionable (at the same time that a lot of competitors entered the market).

According to the Bianchi site, the Pista via Brera is the only one with the SRAM Torpedo hub. Assuming the rest are still flip/flop (I know the via Condotti is and I would be very surprised if the other two aren't as well), this is a neat hub but not really a dealbreaker. Pulling the back wheel off and turning it around isn't a big deal, and many riders don't really change that often anyway.

Which Pista are you looking at? For 2010 there are four: The "Pista Blue" and "Pista Steel" are the traditional models, while the "Pista via Brera" and the "Pista via Condotti" are the "customized" offerings.

No matter which one it is, if you love it, buy it. You're the one who has to/gets to ride it, so get what you like.

I guess, if this is what you call "squirreled away."











Haters gotta hate, I suppose.

What are you trying to say about Walmart bikes?

It's the pista steel, and the guy said it has the Torpedo hub, haha thanks I felt like an idiot because I didn't know what to call it. Not really a big deal either way to me, I'll probably change out the wheelset eventually. And thanks for the advice, I am going to check it out tomorrow and if I like the fit and everything I'll probably get it.

And who knows, maybe the pista will come full circle soon

Their site must have been under construction last time I went there, because none of that was visible. Anyway, now that you've shown the geo chart, it's clear that while they have keep the steep SA, the HA has been significantly slackened for road use, especially in the smaller sizes. Certainly, they have lost their twitchy track handling. And no, I'm not hating when I point something out that, if it were missing, would indicate a total lack of seriousness on the part of Bianchi.

went with the pista from my LBS, and I couldn't be happier. What kind of quality can I compare the stock ALX wheelset to?

Does that even really matter (HA)? Fork rake will also impact handling....

Hasn't the geometry always been kinda wacky in the smaller sizes? You have to do some pretty silly things to avoid toe overlap and still use 700c wheels.

Well, head angle (HA) AND fork offset (rake) both impact handling, in that combined, they affect the trail. An increased (steeper) HA will decrease the trail, and result in quicker but twitchier handling, unless the rake is also decreased proportionately. That is why track bikes typically have a steeper HA AND less fork offset. This also results in considerably more toe overlap. I believe that the new Pistas have a shallower HA not only to make the steering less twitchy but also to reduce toe overlap. Touring bikes with forks that have more offset for comfort must also have a slacker HA to maintain sufficient trail to provide stable handling. See below, courtesy of Wikepedia.

Trail, or caster, is the horizontal distance from where the steering axis intersects the ground to where the front wheel touches the ground. The measurement is considered positive if the front wheel ground contact point is behind (towards the rear of the bike) the steering axis intersection with the ground. Most bikes have positive trail, though a few, such as the Python Lowracer have negative trail.

The relationship between head angle, rake and trail in a bicycle


Trail is often cited as an important determinant of bicycle handling characteristics [1], and is sometimes listed in bicycle manufacturers' geometry data, although Wilson and Papodopoulos argue that mechanical trail may be a more important and informative variable.
Trail is a function of head angle, fork offset or rake, and wheel size. Their relationship can be described by this formula:[5]
where Rw wheel radius, Ah is the head angle measured clock-wise from the horizontal and Of is the fork offset or rake. Trail can be increased by increasing the wheel size, decreasing or slackening the head angle, or decreasing the fork rake or offset. Trail decreases as head angle increases (becomes steeper), as fork offset increases, or as wheel diameter decreases.

Not always. When these were primarily intended to be used as track bikes, they had more traditional geometry with steeper head angles (HA), even in the smaller sizes, with corresponding greater amounts of toe overlap. My vintage 1976 Schwinn Paramount P14 track bike has 74 degree HA and SA, and enormous toe overlap, as does my old custom steel road bike. In the bad old days, bicycles were designed either for racing or touring, and the geometries were very different. Today, they are a compromise that IMO makes them not very good at doing either.

I'll cop to being fairly ignorant of production bike norms. I've mostly been riding handbuilt frames, and they seem to worry a lot less about toeverlap liability and silly things like.

My only actual "track bike" has absolutely no toe overlap, but I think that's more due to the 650c wheels and crazy-long top tube.

i had a pista, i didnt really like it (especially the unicrown fork), then the seatstay weld at the seattube CRACKED! sold it and bought a steamroller (new with warranty) and found it was a waaaaaay better ride for street riding

I to was looking for a entry level fixed frame for primarily street riding, thanks for the info I will look at the steamroller more.

Just so you know, the scrambler is sold out of all sizes but 51cm and has about a 8-9 month wait on frames (for white at least).