SvenMN 

I have been looking for a proper sized C&V bike for my wife for a long time. A challenge because of her small size, with her modern ride being a size 44 cm CF frame.

Last week we had a discussion about participating together in one of the future L'Eroica events, so in the back of my head I was thinking about a custom steel frame for her.

Fast forward a few days to the annual TC Bike swap. I headed immediately to the bike corral, and there was an extra small forlorn looking celeste Bianchi. No tires, no saddle, low level Shimano bits... but wait... SLX decal... tubular rims... SR headset and seat post... Victory crank... no visible dents... paint and decals look original and decent... Price? stratospheric... oh well, off to check the vendor tables.

A few hours later I made another pass through the corral. The tiny Bianchi was still there, and the owner was there. He asked me to make an offer, which I did and he turned down. An hour later he came and found me, and since it would go to a "good home" we settled on a price.

In the last few days I have slipped on some tubulars, attached a saddle, and adjusted reach and saddle height as to the wife's modern ride. Mounted it in the trainer... The good news it is fits! Other than the need for a higher stem all good! Ready for a complete disassembly and rebuild.

So what is this? As I consider a L'Eroica build I want to be sensitive to originality. Could this have been built originally with a Victory gruppo, and what about the SR headset and seat post?

Only numbers is see so far is on the bottom bracket shell: AX185. Seat post diameter is 27.2 mm. Hubs and pedals look like Victory, haven't checked the BB yet. Svelte Nisi tubular rims. Guessing it is a 47 cm frame.

Thanks in advance.

Bryan

non-fixie 

Can't help with the identification, but that is a nice bike! You must be the best hubby in Minnesota now.

Stevensb 

I second @nonfixies's sentiment. Very nice bike. For fun check out Speedbicycles late 70's and 80's Bianchi collection. Your bike shares many features with some of the higher end bikes shown there - tubing, panto, rear brake bridge, etc. Sorry to say it, but I think the bike deserves an NR or SR build.

Brad

T-Mar

Well Bianchi's first SLX model was the 1985 Cenntenario, which this obviously is not. Apparently, Cenntenario sales were poor and they continued to offer it in 1986 as their SLX model, at least in America. In 1987 the X4 became the USA's SLX bicycle. However, I would expect a 1987 X4 to have the 1986/87 Campione del Mondo decal, bosses for dual water bottles and painted stay caps. The frame looks early 1980s by virtue of the chromed stay caps but the fork looks later. Then again, it could also be a foreign model, which often varied from the USA models. Maybe the X on the shell designates SLX? The first that I would be doing is pulling the bottom bracket and checking the inside on the tubes for the helical ridges indicative of SLX.

Bikerider007

There is something neat about small road bikes, and that one is near the top of any I have come across. Very cool.

noglider 

If it fits her, put her on it. Very small frames with 700c wheels don't always fit, because some kind of compromise is necessary to make the reach a reasonable distance.

Lascauxcaveman 

As discussed at length in other threads, the only problem Eroica would have with that bike is the aero brake levers. Unless the derailleurs are too modern, maybe?

SvenMN 

Thanks all for your responses.

@T-Mar:
I pulled the BB to check the tubing. Definitely has the SLX helical ridges (maybe 5 or 6, hard to count looking from above). Difficult to see in the picture. The downtube has them as well. They are only in the bottom ~half of the seat tube allowing for seat post clearance.

Also noted the Campagnolo fork ends.

And BB is Italian threading with 70-SS axle, appears to be Victory.

non-fixie 

Have a look at this Specialissima.

SvenMN 

The no-name aero brake levers, Sora brakes, and indexed shifter & rear derailleur will not go back on this bike. If I can determine that this bike came with the Victory gruppo then I will be going that direction... and I suppose the Victory triple crankset is unobtanium...

T-Mar

The helical ridges would only be in the BB end of the down tube, seat tube and chain stays. It is a very good match for the Specialissima linked by non-fixie. While it doesn't quite match up with anything in the USA, it definitely wouldn't be older than the 1984 model year based on the presence of SLX. By 1986, dual bottle bosses seemed to be standard, so 1984-1985 seems to be the best candidates.

It's hard to imagine this frame being offered with Victory. Super Record or C-Record would be logical as this would have been the top model in 1984 and only 2nd to the Centenario in 1985. However, it was probably also offered as a bare frame, so could conceivably be built with anything.

italianbiker

I think this is a Specialissima or X3. The right rear chrome was common on those 2 particular models. I believe the precursor to the Mondiale.

T-Mar

I found a couple of European (Finnish and German) catalogue pages that list it as a Specialissima X3. Excellent matches for the OP's frame. Both show it being Campagnolo Super Record equipped. No model year mentioned but again, we know it can't be older than 1984 by virtue of the SLX tubing.

SvenMN 

I appreciate the insight everyone! Thanks!

Last night I disassembled the bicycle. I was hoping to find some more stampings on the frame or fork... Only additional one besides the AX185 on the BB shell was a 47 on the fork steerer tube. The fork certainly appears to be fully chromed, and the frame is looking that way too. Sorry about the grease and grime as I have not given it a thorough cleaning yet.

The fork has the same "patina" as the frame, and the Columbus decals look the same age as the frame decal. It is possible this is a swapped out fork but I seriously doubt it.

The Specialissima, X3, or Specialissima X3 lead is encouraging. However I am seeing some discrepancies in the decals. Most notably the Bianchi double stripe is all dark blue, while every Specialissima I see out there has a dark blue/gold double stripe. The "Made in Italy" decal is similar but different. Finally, the Columbus SLX decal on my frame is not the Bianchi branded version.

T-Mar

The difference in the logo decal could indicate a different model year or a different market. There was lots of variation in the decals. If you look at catalogues you will see variation even within the same model year and market. As for the SLX decal, if you look closely at the catalogue pic, you will see that it is not the Bianchi version, as it only has the wide border at the bottom.

I assume the 47 is the size for matching the fork to the frame.

italianbiker

Good find, that looks like an excellent match.

As far as the decals, discrepancies were normal. They changed year to year and varied by country.

SvenMN 

Thanks for you comments all. Great initial ID @non-fixie & @italianbiker, and great info as usual with a nice find with the German PDF @T-Mar. Much appreciated.

Finished with a thorough clean up of the frame and fork... overall very happy. A bit disappointed with two very minor dents. And some celeste paint discoloration where over time lithium grease leached out of the bottom bracket, headset, and hubs.

SvenMN 

A few more... I am marveling at the brazing and filing on this bicycle frame.

non-fixie 

Thanks for the update, @SvenMN. Your pics confirm my first impression that this is very, very nice frame. Hope mrs SvenMN will enjoy it!

scale

Amazing. I was at the swap and commented on it just after you purchased it. I am glad it went to a good home and it looks like it is cleaning up real well. It is one beautiful bike...thats for sure. I LOVE the fork crown and the detail on the brake bridge.

italianbiker

Paint looks nice and thick, what did you use to clean it with. I wonder if environmental issues caused a drastic change in the celeste paint. The paint reminds me of the rich Gios blue. The late 80's celeste paint seemed to scratch very easily.

SvenMN 

@scale: You mentioned that you thought it was a good one... you were certainly correct! It drew little attention because of its small size and shoddy appearance.
@italianbiker: The paint is thicker than I have seen, certainly thicker than on my French bikes. The discoloration is only in the areas where the lithium grease had slowly worked its way out. Maybe using 1000 grit paper you could take enough of the paint away to hide it... but no way I am not going to risk it. Once it is built it will be harder to notice. I used the usual to clean, polish, and wax.

tarwheel 

You should try to contact BianchiGirl. She's the expert in all things Bianchi.

Very nice bike. I would love to find one like that in my size. My first nice road bike was a mid-80s Bianchi Nuovo Record, and I have long regretted selling that bike.

gomango

I've seen this in person at the swap.

Really nice, for sure.

This would have been tough to pass on were it my size or my wife's for that matter.

scale

^^^^ This! I bet you will get some great info there. She is quite knowledgeable.