Anybody know about G. Bianchi?
 

I'z at a cocktail party...this guy comes up to me and says "hey, aren't you the wierdo with a gazillion bikes?"

Well, maybe not quite so harsh, but that was the gist, and admittedly, a bucket full of old bikes is looked on as odd in these parts. Anyway, I admitted to having a few more than I could ride on any given day...he tells me a story about a student tour that he went on in 1984. During this tour he bought a Bianchi and struggled mightily to drag it all over Europe and bring it home. He said that he got kissed on both cheeks by Mr. Bianchi himself when he bought the bike. And, it has been hanging in his garage since 1990 or so...

We're invited to a function at his house, and I go, mostly to see this bike. It is not a Bianchi. It is a G. Bianchi...the group is nothing special, it is a collection of Triomphe and Nuovo Gran Sport. It is in pretty good shape, exclusive of the quarter inch of dirt and spider poop that is all over it. The frame is better than any production Bianchi, except maybe the reparto course frames. I've offered to do a resto for him, and will get some pics if he takes me up on it.

So, anyone have any experience with these?

Steal any good parts off it and swap them with any old crap you have lying around.

Manufacturer of middleweight cruisers?

http://www.rusted.free.fr/moped%20documents4%2049.jpg

Italian cycling shoemaker (click on image for eBay auction)?

http://i1.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/c1/d9/9db8_1.JPG

'Scarpa' means shoe; 'scarpetta' usually means 'little shoe.' Not sure about the seller's translation as 'The Professional's Choice.'

Bianchi is a very common Italian name, which translates as "White" (technically, "Whites") in English. I know about "Ed White's" bikes and ride one myself (see signature), but G. Bianchi is new to me.

Is it painted Celeste?:D

It is blue with gold blocked decals. I spent some time trolling the web last night and found a G. Bianchi that built bike frames for mounting motors on, during the 50's? the site was in Italian.

I dunno. I'll post some pictures if and when he lets me work it over...

That's Guido, Edoardo's nasty, younger step-brother.

I think I've seen G.Bianchi frame with blue paint and gold block letters on ebay about 4~5mo. ago...
Seller was claiming that it was made by the son of Edorado Bianchi...

This all reads a bit too close to F. Maasi.

or that famous American bike racer Guy Lemond...
http://tinyurl.com/yv793q

And I thought it was a reference to that little forklift that came out in the movie "Cars."

this is what I know..
 

Hi Luker,

I think I may have bought that blue g.bianchi that was on ebay a while back. The guy I bought it from said it was a 1982, built in Firenze. I did a web search and turned up very little.. The frame doesn't look anything special, and I can't find a serial number or anything.. The frame is in fairly bad condition paint-wise, so I was gonna repaint it, and thought it'd be nice to get some original decals. so I contacted an italian guy on the web who sells vintage transfers, and he had some, but not the exact same. He sent me a photo, so, i compared it with mine: looking at my bike, it seems they are the same maker, but not the same. He had g.bianchi listed as "Giuseppe Bianchi" so that is possibly correct as the full name...I'd be interested to see what this other g.bianchi is like, and what the decals are....

when I get back over to his house I will get some pictures. Yes, Firenze was the place of origin, and the owner says that Sr. Bianchi had a shop there...he bought the bike direct from the factory, so to speak.

Judging from the headset and the foil decals on yours, this bike originated in the '70's. My friend's bike was from the early 80's. Enough time for a few more to be built. Same color blue, too!

Would like to track down those Decals
 

Cian-
I have a 1950's G. Bianchi that needs refinishing and have a friend who can reproduce them. Did you end up getting those decals? If we had a scan or a trace I can get proper waterslide transfers made. I know its a long shot...

Giuseppe Bianchi (no relation to Edoardo) opened his shop in 1904 in Firenze Italy building and selling bicycles.

By the end of 1940s Giuseppe and his business partner Arrigo Tosi started manufacturing mopeds under the name of Betamotor alongside bicycles. Since then Beta motorcycles have become a hugely successful company still based in Firenze, producing Trials and Enduro motorcycles that have won many world championships. It is unknown when bicycle production ceased.

One of Giuseppe’s grandsons Sergio, runs a successful bicycle shop in Firenze today
source: G.Bianchi (cicliartigianali.co.uk)

Lattz

so now we have back stories of the "other Bianchi" to go with the "other DeRosa"...we live and learn!
I don't think "Maasi" can be included as the "other Masi", tho.

and with the other Mosers... I don't know the Maasi though.. anything CV noteworthy?

Nothing I could find (yet) but there's at least one pic of the DT graphic posted by "Citoyen duMonde" in post #12 of this thread, but no back-story:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-m-ends-i.html

I recall reading some blog entry abut Maasi a long time back but cannot find that now.

But not to be confused with Massi which is an obscure Spanish brand.

...or with Massey, the tractor corp...

Now it adds up. That was/is supposed to be CdM's own creation as a joke, as he was "p1ssed" that people tend to ignore innvoation and craftsmanship if it is not packed in nice labels.
Here's the full article with more pictures,
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=3652
it is in French, but Google Chrome or Edge are your friends when it comes to translation. I wonder if someone pulls out a joke as big as that bike, would he be able to pull out another one with the bike not being his own masterpiece (actually it is truly nice in all details) and just laugh at us scratching our heads, like everyone else who have found it on the web (I personally found on a German forum, where people were either p1ssed, saying its fake - confirms his original reasoning - or being really confused, not knowing what they see, and if its not a Masi, can it possibly be some other master builder they haven't heard of.) So the joke worked as expected :D Citoyen du Monde wherever you are I laugh my A55 off and the bike is magic!!!

I thought G. Bianchi was Mafioso. He was an OG.

Oh! Hang on: I think I hear a penny dropping!
Isn't "Citoyen du Monde" known in the real world as (Stephen) Maas?
I may have his first name wrong but that surname could explain his "joke" Masi.
IIRC he did have a blog (in English)...I was not able to translate the French text in that linked site, so undoubtedly I missed all the really good jokes!
:lol: