hoyc

What bike is this? Any information on it?

I found the exact same one up on craigslist, except just the frameset (with BB) and fork. It is going for $160. The frame is a bit in rough shape but I would repaint it anyways.

However most importantly, I am absolutely in love with chrome forks ever since I saw one my friend had, and I would be willing to overpay for it (to a degree).

So do you think this is a good deal? I asked if he would sell just the fork, but figured if the price is right, I would be willing to upgrade from my Fuji frame on my fixie conversion I have now.



EDIT: Although I did notice this photo did not have the attachments built into the frame for the downtube shifters like the one on CL

hoyc

Keep in mind that this is $160 in CAD, and I think bikes tend to go for a bit more round these parts (but not by too much).

Bianchigirll 

Hello Hoyc. where is this Bianchi? the Canuck ones are bit different than ours. does it look like there were other colors on the 'flag' end of the decal? the brakes are nutted? I hate to dissapoint you but that fork may be an aftermarket replacement. take a few more pics and lets see if we can figure this out.

4Rings6Stars

Hard to tell from that picture...no impossible to tell from that picture as it isn't a picture of the actual bike.

$160 for frame/fork sounds OK if it is an Italian built Bianchi with Columbus tubing and is in nice shape, but if newer Japanese I would skip

hoyc

Bianchigirll, that photo isn't of the actual bike, but here's the actual posting (which i spose would've come in handy before) https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/2274365032.html.

As you can see the "flag" part was scraped off, but Idon't think there was other colour there.

And I'm quite positive the fork is stock as it says "bianchi" on it, along with "i****awa" which i spose may indeed indicate it was Japanese.

edit: aha, that is supposed to say "ishiwata".

Bianchigirll 

well like I saud your bikes are different from ours. I think we will have to wait for one the your fellow Canucks to pipe up.

not too bad looking I might go $150 US on it. does it fit??

hoyc

I found some more information on it from a since deleted classified posting:

High Manganese Steel
P.G. Oji Original Frame Tubes

The other posting I found was also somewhere in Toronto, so perhaps it could be a Canadian thing? It was going for $350 in the other posting but as a complete bike.

This was the photo i found there: https://toronto.lowprice.ca/_images/toronto/612412_s.jpg

randyjawa 

Looks like you have an eighties Bianchi, similar to a couple I have owned in the past.



The bicycle is of Asian origin, not Italian. For the most part, it is well made but does not qualify as well crafted, unless robots are now considered to be crafty.

Though I have built up a few of these bicycles, I have ridden them little. The rides I have taken offered decent ride quality, but nothing truly memorable. That said, please keep in mind that I compare all bicycle to all of those that I have purposely tested. It is tough to match the ride quality of a Cyclops, or Marinoni, or Miele, all Canadian made works of well crafted bicycles.

For a bit of a better look at a bike very similar to the one starting this thread, have a look at this one that has also been converted for Single Speed use...

Value - how much is it worth to you? How much will it sell for? One of the those above went for close to $600, one for closer to $250 and one didn't sell yet.

hoyc

If I can talk the guy down in price I think I will almost certainly take it.

I need a summer bike project, and I just looked up prices for a new chrome fork online and they run about $90 + tax shipping and etc, which will be say $110.

Then again, technically i don't NEED a chrome fork...