phat bahsturd

I bought an 80's (i think) steel bianchi celeste green frame for 100 bucks last week. It has some dings on the paint here and there, i'm going to get some touchup paint off of the bianchi website though. Did i get a good deal? It weighs about 5lb., on my bathroom scale, how does that compare with new bikes?

I'm trying to get some ideas for how i should equip it. I'm looking to have at least a shimano 105 quality powertrain... but i need ideas for handlebars, seats, wheels, tires, pedals, etc.

So basically, i know what i want in my powertrain, but i have no idea for the other stuff. I'm also looking to spend no more than 700 dollars on everything, but keepin mind i'm getting the shimano 105 powertrain at wholesale prices. So, i need parts that are good, but not too expensive. Probably no carbon fiber seatposts for me.

sch

The rear triangle is narrower than the 130mm standard for road bikes for the past 10yrs or so. You might want to look into having it spread.. It is probably
126mm wide, you might think no big deal but steel bikes are tough to spring apart by hand to mount the wheel, it is worthwhile if (maybe a big if ) you can
find someone local to do it. You can put 1" threadless on the bike but will need a new fork, headset and stem if you do. This seems pointless, but it would allow you to get a carbon fork. Nashbar sells carbon forks of yester year periodically for $80-150. 5# is frame only? or frame + fork. 5# for frame only sounds about par for mid grade steel frames in the early 80s. My
PX10 was in that range. Needless to say the frame is heavy but it is not about the bike really. You won't notice the weight. Most frames now are in the 2.8 to 3.8# range for carbon, Ti or Al. Current day high end steel is around 4#. Not for nothing metallurgical advances. These wgts are sans fork. Steve

roadfix

Hey Phat.......I've got a great idea! Stop messing with derailleurs, shifters, and things. Just build it up as a fixed gear and come on over to the 'singlespeed & fixed-gear' forum.

phat bahsturd

Oh, I mean the frame AND the fork. Do you think i got a deal on it, though? A hundred bucks for a frame and fork isn't bad, but you're right, it's going to be hard to find a stem to fit this headset. Also, i think you have a point about the rear triangle too, but i had a bike mechanic friend of mine check it out with me. She said it'd be possible to cram an 8 or 9 speed back there with the wheel, it'd just be alittle harder to get the wheel on and off. What do you think?

I am thinking about upgrading the fork to carbon... but it all depends how much the shimano 105 group costs.

MichaelW

105 is about right for the frame. Check out good value Al stems, bars and posts from 3TTT.

multisport4life

If you spend $700 on it, whether it is worth it or not will depend on what you get to put on it. About 2.5 or 3 years ago I picked up my first road bike for $700 at a LBS. It was a '97 Bianchi Veloce with a mix of Campy components. I still have the frame/fork but I'm not using it. The fork is steel and it has a quill stem. The wheels kinda suck but they are fine for training. The group is an 8-spd setup, but it has Veloce or higher components all over the bike, even a record front hub, chorus headset, crank and bottom bracket. My point is...if for $700 you can get nicer wheels, a comparable group and a carbon fork then heck yes it is worth it. If not, you may have been able to do better shopping in the used section of your local bike shop. It also depends on what you want to do though and what you like. Personally, I couldn't ride a Bianchi with Shimano, but I do understand the word "wholesale" very well. Good luck with whatever you end up doing with it. Since it is celeste, maybe you should try to go vintage with it?

lotek 

PhatBahsturd,

I am the voice of Dissension,
I am that nagging voice of the Retrogrouch.

if I may point out a few things.

1) The frame is ITALIAN steel, putting Shimano (or any
other japanese) components on it will cause irreversible
cosmic chaos, Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!
Put campagnolo on it.

2)Now if you're gonna do that, put period correct stuff on it.
N. Record, Super Record, or Croce D'Aune (and pronounce
that one!). Friction shifting. 7 Speed max.
You should be able to pick up drive train reasonably on
e-bay, or from vintage cycling sites.
For what its worth I bought full Chorus 8 speed gruppo
for less than $400 including wheels from Campy Only site.

Now, wasn't that helpful?
Marty

multisport4life

Now that sounds sweet. I'll second what lotek said. I've never gone retro, but only because I haven't had the extra time and money. Someday...

The Terminator

Yeah, if you don't put Campy on it........"things"....could happen. You might not be able to get ...protection... if you need it. Marlon Brando might be coming to visit.

phat bahsturd

Hmm, I dunno about campy stuff... i don't really want to go retro or spend the cash on the new stuff... what is the comparable group of campy that competes with 105's?

lotek 

I'd say Veloce competes with 105.

If you're not going to do the retro thing
I'd say either Veloce or Mirage (which while "lower"
than veloce, is still a pretty good gruppo), which
shouldn't set you back too much.
Total Cycling has Veloce for $336 (approx) and
Centaur for $465 (approx) Both without hubs or headset.

Marty

BaldEagle1776

I bought a Bianchi Giro frame and fork at a swap meet in April and built it up with Shimano components from Ebay and Nashbar. Other than my girlfriend leaving me and my hair falling out and the IRS chasing me; nothing bad has happened to me this year.

Nashbar has a quill stem in the catalog, but if you have a friend at your LBS, you may be able to beat Nashbar prices. I think you can also buy a threadless adapter which allows the use of threadless stems.

I would recommend caution on Ebay for used components. My experience is the cost on Ebay for used is close to the mailorder/internet cost new. Nashbar and PerformanceBike frequently have 10% or 20% off coupons.

I enjoyed building the bike and love riding it. I would recommend you go for it with Shimano 105 components as you planned. Pay attention to rotating weight (wheels, tubes, tires, crank, cassette, chain). My only regret is that I went too cheap on wheels.

Good Luck and Enjoy your Bianchi.

phat bahsturd

Hmm, totalcycling.com looks really good. Their campy veloce group is only 330! that's pretty good, doesn't look like they have a triple chain crank though...

I'm about to get my wheels soon, though, i met a guy who is about to hook it up with some mavic helium copies. The heliums haven't been manufactured for a while, but a new company makes them now. They weigh 1400 grams for wheels and hubs! I'm getting them for about 200 bucks... what do you guys think?

lotek 

As for the Veloce group it isn't available in a triple.
Centaur does have a triple but I'm not sure of the price.

I'd be careful of the Helium wheels, they were great
race wheels, but not for heavier riders, I think
about 165# was about the max for them. I seem to
recall that they went out of true alot, there were also
issues of spoke nipples consistantly pulling thru the rim.
This was not Mavics best design. Again, they were
race wheels, not made for everyday training.

Who is making the Helium copy? Or is it someone
selling Helium rim on a OEM hub?
It may infact be a total redesign and not have the
same issues that Heliums had.

Marty

phat bahsturd

I think the guy said the company was IRD aka Interloc...

Also, i called him again today. Instead of 200, he told me 300 today. I don't think i'm going to jump on it, i don't need wheels that light anyway.

phat bahsturd

Oh yeah one last question: Is the veloce group really comparable to shimano 105? I've never ridden a bike equipped with veloce stuff. How is the build quality, materials, feel, ease of use, reliability, etc. compared to the shimano?

I'm asking this because veloce seems to be campagnolo's second to worst group.