delrio

anyone know what year the following serial number comes from: ESU58738

Shimano 600 components
Cranks say FC-6400
NITTO Dynamic II stem

thanks!

Bianchigirll 

could be a '90 or 91. are you talking about a Virata or Limited? what color is the bike?

delrio

it's celeste green.

there is a sticker on one of the rear chainstays that says strada, i'm assuming that is the model name.

IVIEACH

I was wondering of the year of my Campione D'Italia.
It has the Made in Italy sticker.
On one side of the cable organizer on the BB, there is a '3090'. On the other there is a 'L9'
It has Suntour accushift shifters, modolo breaks, celeste color.

Bianchigirll 

Bianchi never kept good record of their serial numbers and I can't tell the year from them. from your basic description I am going to guess '87 or '88. can you post a pic?

is there a line runnig through the 'Bianchi' decal or is it the calssic 'flag' style? are the Suntour derailleurs Cyclone, Sprint or Quattro?

the frame materiael is Formula 2 with a green Columbus decal yes?

Darwin401k

Can someone help identify the year of this Limited?

Columbus Formula II tubing w/ "Made in Italy" decal
- Shimano 600
- Ambrioso Elite 19 clinchers
- ITM 42cm alloy bars + fluted post
- Selle Italia "Bianchi" suede saddle

BB shell is engraved with "8157 A6"

Bianchigirll 

nice looking Bianchi. I am pretty sure that is a an '86 and a very well kept one at that.

Gimpdiggity

Here's my information:

1. It's a 12 speed, Shimano components, shifters on the stem for the handlebars
2. The frame says: Tange 900 CR-MO Double Butted Tubes
3. The fork says: Mangaloy 2001 Manganese Alloy Tubing Tange
4. The frame also says "Made In Japan."
5. The serial number on the frame is: KS544851

It's kind of a blue-ish color. Any ideas what year or model??

Bianchigirll 

I am thinking it might be a Strada any pics? what model shimano components.

Gimpdiggity

I can try to snap some pics when I get a day off. Camera doesn't work very well without good light.

As far as the components.

The brake levers say "BL-Z304" stamped on them.
The brake calipers say "BR-Z57" stamped on them.
The front derailleur says "FD-Z202" stamped on it.
The rear derailleur, I can't find anything stamped on it, but it says "Shimano Light Action" printed on it. From the group of components that it has other than it, I'm thinking it's an RD-Z503, but that's just a guess.
The shifters say L-442 on them.

The top tube of the bike has a sticker that APPEARS to say "Sport" on it, but it's pretty worn off so I'm not sure if there is anything more to it.

Oh yah, the wheels are 27x1 1/4 instead of 700c.

Also, I seem to have trouble posting in this thread...I hit reply but it doesn't take my response. Do posts in this thread have to be approved or something before they appear??

Thanks!
Jeff

Bianchigirll 

Z series? might be a '86ish something, bu tthe stem shifters, and 27'' wheels point to a lower end. are the shifters indexed?

Gimpdiggity

No, they are friction. I am thinking it might be the most basic model...which I think is just a "Sport."

Quick question...even if it is a "low end" bike, is it still "nice?". And by that, I mean, is it nicer than a department store bike of the time?? Quality wise, how would it compare to a department store bike that you would buy today??

I guess I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to put some money into for upgrades (areo levers, new bar tape, new pedals) or if I'd be better served just saving some extra money up and getting a new bike.

For what it's worth, the thing rides great!!!

roylee

blue bianchi serial number: LS320234

Will Kusuki Drop bars
Suzue 36H hubs (3J LPF)
Dia-compe break levers and calipers
CUSTOM-A 165mm cranks 42/50T(Japan)
Suntour downtube shifters
Suntour AR front and rear derailleur

funkflex

Looking for a little info on the Bianchi I picked up today. Looked through the 80's catalogs and didn't see anything about a "Special". Any info is appreciated.

Bianchi Special 58cm
S/N: BS449631
-Sakae CR cranks
-Shimano 600 shifters, brakes and rear derailleur
-Suntour Cyclone M-II front derailleur
-Bianchi Superset/Magny
-Araya 27 aluminum wheels with Suzie hubs.
-Kashima "Kashimax" Saddle

Bianchigirll 

great looking Bianchi. a Special... I try and look for it later. I do believe however that the 600 bits were added and the original was likely Suntour Cyclone RD and DiaCompe brakes. I could be wrong but I think this is like a '84 or '85

1 Lugnut

Not sure what Model Bianchi this actually is? The bike was given to me as a frame-only fixer-upper for my wife from a friend that owns a bike shop in SF (Bike Nook). The forks were missing, so I had to find her a set, which I did (no-name forks?). Although now, from afar, you'd would not know it's a Bianchi. It was a fairly beat up Celeste Green, so we had it painted. However, the only other optional color for my bride is black!

Being that she's not a hard-core rider, it was built-up more as a comfort cruiser due to her back issues. However, but it's still capable of getting up & going. The only numbers I can find on the frame are stamped in the seat lug that read 3456 on one side & 3.N on the other side. I don't think it's that old of a frame ~ 90's maybe...?

We built it up using some leftover Campy parts I had & I purchased the Campy Record Off-Road brakes/shifters (Bullet Shifters) from a another friend who's a bike mechanic. The MTB bars I got at a LBS & the dual-pivot brakes I bought online. Wheels are: Campy 7-speed cassette, FIR rims w/ UFO tubular tires. This is her 'dream bike' & she absolutely loves it!

Bianchigirll 

beautiful Bianchi. since Bianchi does not really track serial numbers (shame on them) and it was repainted thereis not real way to tell what it was. I waould say the frame is closer to early '80 judging by the circle B on the staycaps and the over the BB cable routing.

how do you like those rims? I bought two pair, one silver like yours and one darker last fall. I had them built on some bronze STX hubs and they are great wheels.


so is that 7spd index with the twist shifters?

1 Lugnut

Yes they are indexed twist shifters, or Bullet Shifters . I also have them on another bike similar to my wifes'. They work OK. For some reason better on my bike, than hers. Slightly different models me thinks?

Yes, I like FIR rims. I've had several sets of wheels built around them. All have held up great. Len at the Bike Nook in SF was big on them a while ago. Don't know much about them currently though. I only have the one's that are on my wifes bike now & one other 'hard anodized' set on a Mondia.

funkflex

I figured some of the parts were upgraded. Thanks for the info BianghiGirll.

Bianchigirll 

Hello Funkflex. you Special is a dead ringer for the '84. double check the brakes are they 600 or "Z" series BRZ-57? someone just upgraded the RD and shifters to make it index. great looking bike nice and clean and shinny.

funkflex

Thanks BG! Yes, the brakes are Shimano BR- Z57's.

stien

This thread and the Wikipedia page on a serial killer with the last name Bianchi are the only things that come up in google search. Aw man.

Posting my serial tonight, along with better pictures hopefully, to add to the DB.

uga8589

I frequently find answers via the search engines on BF. However, I am stumped on this one. I enjoy restoring old Bianchis and passing them along to people that will enjoy them. I recently purchased what I thought was a 1984 Bianchi Nuovo Racing model. However, once I started inspecting and disassembling the bike, I wonder if the information that I was given is correct.

First, here are the specifics on the bike:

Spacing is 126 mm, 27.2 seatpost.

Drop outs are stamped Bianchi

Serial Number off the bottom bracket is S103 1.4 on the seat post lub is S52.

Decals say Made in Italy and Tre Tubi Rinforzati Bianchi Special Produzione Columbus (Grey/silver in color)

The paint is red, but the scratches show some hint of celeste.

The Bianchi decals are silver.

The seat stays are B that have a circle around them.

The fork has no number stamped on it, but the fork lug has a B stamped on each side of it. The Columbus decal says "Foderi Forcella Bianchi Special Columbus" Gray in color

The components are as follows:

Ofmega headset, crank, and bottom bracket


Modolo Speedy Brakes (Black) with Modolo Black drilled Brake levers.

Campy Novou Record front and rear mechanical. The rear mechanical has a Pat. 84 stamped on it.

Campy Shifters.

The hubs are ofmega and the rims are supposedly Wolber Gentlemen 81 Super Champions They are (after cleaning) a bright chrome.

The bottom cable guides are located on top of the bottom bracket. Somewhat reminding one of the braze on Campy cable guides, but these are fixed to the bottom bracket.

The rear brake cable guides are eyelets that are attached to the top tube.

Quill stem and handlebars are Cinelli.

Interestingly enough, the cable housing to the rear mechanical is a steel spring type housing, not the rubber housing that you would expect by 1984.

Here are the issues that I have that make me question the year and the model.

The paint - This is the first non celeste that I have ever thought about repainting. There are several scratches/scrapes and there is a hint of celste underneath? Did they paint all frames with celeste and then use the celeste as a primer? Has the frame been repainted. One of the down tube decals has a little crinkle in it. I realize this could be from years of washing, heat or some other reason, but it just makes me wonder.

After reading all of the post, it seems as if any model with a "S" in the serial number came from Japan. If it is from 1984 should it have a Paiggo decal?

The mix of components is what made me believe that it was an Italian made Novou racing model. I know that the Japenese actually made a superior product, but it would bother me that someone sold me something that was not what it represented to be.

I would appreciate any help that you all could give me. It will impact how I handle this project. Again, thanks!

Bianchigirll 

according to the catalog it sounds like an '84 except for the brakes but that is something that could have changed either during production or by the owner. as for the color Ferrari red was the other color for the bike. I doubt it was painted Celeste the red but it is possible that Celeste colored primer was used. however the silver decals sound odd, can you post some pics?

Roger M

I don't think this is C&V yet, but I will post anyhow. I got this last week.

I wasn't in the market for a 'Late Model' bike, but this popped up and the price was right. I think I have it narrowed down to a 98 or 99 Eros. It has Campy Mirage(9speed) stuff on it, with a Veloce rear derailleur and Avanti brakes. It has been used and abused and cosmetically it hasnt been kept up very well. I think the owner kept up pretty good with maintenance though, as it rides awesome. My first experience with Campagnolo, and I will say that I like this A LOT. I think this is a 61 in Bianchi sizing, but I am not sure. It fits me great, but i would fit the next size up even better. I like the quill stem, it is a pretty long reach size and works well for me.

The serial number is WA8071853A









This bike came up one day in the morning, on CL. The adventure to buy this bike was my greatest yet of all of my bike purchases. The bike was located in Ballard, which is roughly 30miles from our house. I decided to take my daughter with me and to take the bus to pick up the bike. We took her MTB with us on the bus, and then Rode bikes from the ballard to home. We picked up the bike and then rode to the Ballard locks(only a mile or so)








We rode the Burke/Gillman trail all the way up to Woodinville. It was her longest ride so far. It was a great ride for both of us(even though I did'nt get to ride at a fast pace on the 'new' bike. We stopped at the Recycled cycles to buy some parts, then at the UW. I drafted her most of the way, so I didn't pedal much. It was really a great adventure for the both of us.

Sorry for the long story, but it was part of the purchase.


I have since cleaned the bike up, but it is full of chips and scratches... time for some Celeste touch up paint.