tjspiel

It's '92 Bianchi Project-3. Sort of a predecessor to the modern '29er. It came with 700C X 45 tires and has room for wider. It's got a lugged, double-butted Tange Infinity frame.

This winter I experimented with a road bike using relatively skinny (32 and 35 mm) studded tires while in past years I've used a MTB with fat studded tires. Not really completely satisfied with either and after kicking around some different options I settled on the idea of getting one bike that could take both skinny and fat studded tires. I already have a spare wheelset.

I'll be adding dirt drops or similar but as my wife reminded after realizing I had brought home another bike, I've got some other projects around the house to complete. The drops will have to wait until fall.

Oh well. In the end she'll be happy 'cause this bike can serve as my all-rounder and I'll be able to sell both my old trusty RockHopper and Pegueot, - eventually

cyclefreaksix

That's a real beauty! Congrats and enjoy!

kolossal

Real beauty. IMHO, a full rear fender and higher handlebars would be even better. Still, me likey!!!

mechanicalron

OK, call me the dumb-dumb here but I have to know,,, what are dirt drops? Sweet bike btw.
psssst, could use a front fender.

tjspiel

Dirt drops are basically drop bars for offroad use. The drops flare out more than traditional drop bars:




Fenders: The front fender on the Bianchi now was quickly borrowed from my RockHopper. I used to have a full rear fender on that same bike but it was impossible to keep centered properly over the the tire. Eventually one of the stays would start catching on the knobbies. I got so frustrated with it one day when I was in a hurry to get home that I just tore it off. After that I just used a seat post mounted fender which was sufficient for keeping my back dry. Eventually I'll put a full rear fender on the Bianchi.

Handlebar Height: They'll be both higher and lower than they are now I like drop bars and since I plan to be able to use this bike offroad too, the tops will be a bit higher than I would otherwise have them, - probably around seat height. Finding a shorter reach stem with enough rise might be tricky.

Here's an example of what it may end up like:

mechanicalron

I got so frustrated with it one day when I was in a hurry to get home that I just tore it off. Yea I can relate to that, ha ha ha! I spent so much time farting around with a dumb fender one time I did the same thing. But I was at home with tools! THANK YOU for the dirt drop info and I found this for you. You can fix the stem problem with a stem column adapter or conversion quill. Zoom, Nitto and Profile Design makes them so you can use a threadless stem with your 1" fork so the sky is your limit with stem size!

AaronAnderson

That's awesome!

fender1

Funny, I completed my winter bike just in time for springas well!

1986 Schwinn Passage w/ Sturmey Archer 3 speed and a mish-mash of parts from my parts bin(s)

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tjspiel

Thanks. I may go that route. Threadless stems with a rise seem more normal looking with drops than quill stems do.

tjspiel

Nice bike !

There was a Passage on the local craigslist not to long ago for a pretty decent price. I was tempted.