Look what I found
 

Hope to be riding it in the next few weeks or so. Found the paper in the BB. That always makes it interesting.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...615985506.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a2638a3da.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1b511893e.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...036f356bd.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c45951db7.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...05143075d.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b181a0de3.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b1388d748.jpeg

There is a bike that deserves attention. Beautiful. Congrats!

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and a most handsome Ed White it be!

luttuce know what datum you discover on the axle locknuts

thinking 'lxiv-'lxv...


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I love everything except those all-too-fragile looking spokes and rims. I'd be sitting down and building wheels with something more recent.

Wow. Great find!

Paging cudak888 ! Kurt has been working on the same frame with the integrated lugs/headset.

That is my favorite Bianchi color scheme. Absolutely awesome find. Not sure if @MooneyBloke is right or not (I would definitely check the strength of the wheels), but they probably will polish up handsomely. Looks my size too...haha.

Excellent find! It’s in such great shape, the paint and chrome on this look like they’ll polish to a near new appearance.

That is one awesome find and a great beauty!

No. Release tension, clean rims, inspect, lube threads, rebuild yes.

‘some guys get all the luck.
‘I got my share previously, nave to buy it now at market rates.

If my eyes aren't deceiving me, there is rust on those spokes. They should be replaced. I've tasted the tarmac often enough, sometimes with broken bones, that I think staying with old and potentially unreliable parts where safety is involved is not at all bright. I'd feel far more comfortable if the wheels were built with something more recent. The wheels I built for my road bikes with DT db spokes laced to Mavic Reflexes have taken a lot of abuse, but I don't feel they pose a risk. Those old wheels on that Bianchi are something I wouldn't trust having had the experience of breaking a rim while I was sprinting. That was a hard crash, and I was very lucky not to break any bones.

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wheels -

"usually" one would expect to see FIAMME red label rims here

since the subject rims are unferruled they may be NISI, although there certainly were plenty of other unferruled tubular rims at this era...


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Nice bike. Probably worth quite a lot as well.

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in case you are curious regarding the Bianchi integral headset forum member bulgie has made a study of both the Bianchi version and of the Campag-Bianchi version which he has posted here -

​​​​​​Bianchi Specialissima and Gran Sport headsets



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A very beautiful bike and an incredible find , care to fill us in with a little backstory? :D
Best, Ben

Very nice. It even has a Campy Record RD, the intermediary step between the Gran Sport and the Nuovo Record, and I believe only made for a handful of years and thus rarer than NR or GS.

I'm no fan of celeste. I hate it on pretty much on anything . . . except a Reparto Corse Bianchi. Those should all be celeste, although Bianchi had some nice other colors as well,

It is hard to have a catastrophic failure on a 36 spoke wheel. Once reassembled stress relieving will let you know if something is not up to snuff.

DT spokes… I discovered them in 1975, won a box in a race. The 2.0’s were at the time as thick as one could go with a Campagnolo hub.
decades later they changed the length of the elbow, more recent production hubs have thicker flanges. I don’t like washers at the hub.
‘there were complaints. A running change did correct much of the dimension change.
‘I still don’t like. Go Sapim if the spokes need replacing. Part of the decision is how the bike will be used.

Umm... the rim that broke under my sprint was a 36.

No experience with Sapim. My current road wheels were built in the early 2000s, so DTs from back then: 15/16 w/ alloy nipples in the front and non-drive rear. 14/15 w/ brass nipples on the drive side just 'cos those are wound so tightly on hubs with a high cog count cassette. The only other brand I've used was the Wheelsmiths that I put on my three speed utility bike; I forget if I ordered db or straight.

‘something preceded the failure.

WOW!!!!! Super cool scooter ,I love the blue handlebars , fork and spokes. Ok I'm kidding . Very nice bike in the shape I like to find them. Looking forward to progress reports .

Not entirely sure, but one of these in great condition might hang from Hrach's ceiling at Velo Pasadena.
Amazing find for you. Looking forward to seeing the cleaned-up version.

I find it sort of funny. Someone finds a real treasure and the following thread works itself in the direction of spokes... It is a vintage bike from a desirable brand - in a complete and wonderful condition, suitable for a gentle restoration.

OP - congratulations! What a wonderful find and as some has already written it looks like it will clean up to a very high standard. I started my late 60ies Specialissima restoration/preservation from a far worse case and it cleaned up OK. With yours you can come to a much better result.