37 years later, I finally rode my dream bike
03-26-20, 07:59 PM
#1
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37 years later, I finally rode my dream bike
Back in high school, I used to dream of owning a '84 Bianchi Super Leggera. I memorized every detail about it from the Bianchi catalog I had picked up at Happy Handlebars on the eastside of Indianapolis. All I had at the time was a Strada but even it was way cooler than anything I had owned. I purchased the S.L. on ebay several years ago and just recently finished restoring it. Here are both bikes. Rode the S.L. yesterday and the Strada today. Back to my regular wheels tomorrow. lol
Last edited by Ride Bianchi; 03-27-20 at 02:31 PM.
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03-26-20, 08:36 PM
#2
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Welcome to the forum. Lots of Bianchi fans around here. I’d love to see clearer pics of yours.
03-26-20, 08:43 PM
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Looking forward to seeing real pics of the bikes.
03-27-20, 12:16 AM
#4
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Your SL looks nearly identical to my Giro. Matching seatposts too. Very nice build Ride Bianchi. Look forward to more pics.
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03-27-20, 12:49 AM
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Finally riding that bike must have been a moment to savor. Congratulations, and by the way it looks awesome!
03-27-20, 03:41 AM
#7
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Wow, cool story.
It took me only 20 years to get the bike of my dreams.
Congratulations and enjoy.
It took me only 20 years to get the bike of my dreams.
Congratulations and enjoy.
03-27-20, 04:14 AM
#8
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Your SL looks nearly identical to my Giro. Matching seatposts too. Very nice build Ride Bianchi. Look forward to more pics.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
03-27-20, 04:16 AM
#9
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Back in high school, I used to dream of owning a '84 Bianchi Super Leggera. I remember memorizing every detail about it from the Bianchi catalog I picked up at (shout out to) Happy Handlebars on the eastside of Indianapolis. All I had at the time was a Strada but even it was way cooler than anything I had owned. I purchased the SL on ebay several years ago and just recently finished restoring it. Here are both bikes (sorry about the watermark). Rode the SL yesterday and the Strada today. Back to my regular wheels tomorrow. lol
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
03-27-20, 09:05 AM
#10
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Thread Starter
For everyone wanting to see more pictures of the Super Leggera - you may have to wait a while. As you can see, its in its riding configuration right now. Not sure if anyone cares about the Strada but I will get some pics of it up soon. Please be kind and show her some compassion.
03-27-20, 09:14 AM
#11
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thank you
Thank you for the compliment. The ride was surreal; I had pretended so many times as a teenager that I was riding it instead of the Strada. It took a bit to realize it was really happening. lol
03-27-20, 09:17 AM
#12
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so many choices...
Fabulous Super Leggera, I can't wait to see more. Is it tough to choose between the Mega-Tube and the EL for an everyday rider? I think if I am riding a lot my Proto sees more miles than the Mega-Tube. What size do you ride? We might have to meet up a swap ride one day.
Hopefully in the not-so-distant future the CIBA rides will get going around Indy again. I'll probably go on a couple of those and use the old bikes as conversation starters.
BTW, the Proto is a very cool looking rig in my opinion. Hard to find too.
03-27-20, 09:19 AM
#13
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back story
Thank you! I'm glad someone mentioned the story; that was the main motivation behind the post. I will admit that I'm much more of a rider than a writer but I will probably tell more of the story later when I post more pictures.
03-27-20, 09:44 AM
#14
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Last edited by Ride Bianchi; 03-27-20 at 09:56 AM.
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03-27-20, 09:53 AM
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Nice!
03-27-20, 03:21 PM
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Both bikes are pretty cool. A lot of this C+V is riding bikes we couldn’t afford when we were younger.
Heres my cousin ‘83 Specialissima upgraded to 8 speed.
Heres my cousin ‘83 Specialissima upgraded to 8 speed.
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N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
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03-30-20, 04:59 PM
#18
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Bianchi Strada
Just like the one I bought at a Goodwill auction when I was 14. Paid 13 dollars and some change for it back then.
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