RollingBuffalo

Hi guys.. I'm am not too familiar with Bianchi... Did they make any low end stuff? From what I can see nothing jumps out at me. .. Sorry this is the only pic... Can anyone figure out what we have here? And, what it might be worth ? Thanks... It has Shimano shifting components.

shoota 

They most certainly did make "low end" and that there is one of them. That being said it's still a very rideable bike. If it's in great shape I wouldn't want to spend more than $200 give or take.

RollingBuffalo

well I didnt want to wait for all the responses so I went and jumped on it. . She said there were a lot of calls. Everything seems to work fine... Has some rust on the handlebars... I ended up getting it for $25.

Aubergine 

shoota 

That's what we call a "no-brainer."

You're lucky you got it, nice score.

fietsbob

Bianchi USA has been sourcing bikes from Pac Rim Factories for decades..

RollingBuffalo

Anyone able to tell me what year it is or how I figure it out?

Aubergine 

wrk101

Doesn't matter what the brand name. Brand means very little. Stamped drop outs, claw RD hanger, steel bars and seat post, low end components, etc. You really don't have to know all the brands out there. Low end/entry level bikes are easy to spot.


Your question really answers itself. Did Bianchi make low end stuff? Well, this is an example of such a product. They typically had others make them for them and slap Bianchi decals on it. You can't make a good bike look like this one. Technically, they didn't make it, they had someone else make it. But its a Bianchi.

Want to know the year or close to it? Google bicycle component codes, many parts on that bike will have them. Exact year has no bearing on value. I bought one of those for $11, thought I would get a few useful parts off of it. In the end, I realized there was not a single part worth keeping, so I sold it to someone else as a project. As typical, the Bianchi name created a lot of interest, more than it was due. I had a guy drive 100 miles one way to buy it. A week later I saw it up on C/L for ten times what I sold it for, in the same neglected condition. It reappeared on C/L for over two years, with the price slowly dropping. It finally dropped off C/L so I guess the guy found a sucker to buy it.

In my market, in that condition, its a $25 bike. Take the kid's seat off, put new bar tape on it, clean it up, and maybe its a $75 bike.

TugaDude

I think at the price you paid it will be a great starter bike. You can and should learn how to maintenance everything from the wheel hubs to the brake and shifter cables. This website is a good resource for wrenching on older bikes and Park Tool has many nice videos as does Youtube. Have fun learning! Then when you are confident, invest in a nicer, vintage bike to restore.

T-Mar

It's an entry level model and appears to be circa 1985-1986, possibly a Strada or one of the Sport variants. The serial number should tell us the the exact year, while pics of the major components and tubing decal, if any, should allow us to determine the model.

StarBiker

I have sold similar brand Bianchi's. I like to know where all these people are that pay these prices. If this bike was mint I might get $150. MINT! And that goes for DC, Balto, Philly markets.

wrk101

Around here the figure would be less. The bottom is dropping out on the basic, entry level vintage bike market. And a rusty one, even lower. The great stuff still can bring pretty serious money. Maybe my market sucks, or maybe others haven't sold bikes lately. There are collectors looking for special stuff in my market. Of course, the basic stuff outnumbers the special stuff 50 to 1.

eja_ bottecchia