Originally Posted by
AdventureManCO
These 700c steel hybrids are always such great bikes. The head tubes are always nearly universally short, which requires one to get creative with handlebar height. But Celeste and Prestige tubing? That is a winner right there.
Whoa, Cowboy! Bianchi marketed this as a mountain bike with 700c wheels and were adamant that it was not a hybrid. From all my reading since acquiring this bike, a lot of people seem to think it was the first attempt at a 29er MTB, but was held back by the narrowness of the wheels and tires of the era. Maybe I'm already an overly sensitive Project 7 owner, haha. In any case, the bike may only be a footnote in the history of mountain biking, but was an interesting concept and attempt to break free from the 26" wheel standard of the time.
But as stated by jdawginsc, they are a blank slate for whatever you want them to be. I may install some mild riser bars for a little more comfort for my aging back, but other than that intend to keep it close to the spirit of its original configuration.