I tried to get this in one post but since there is a 10 picture limit – and this post is useless without them I hope it is OK to make three parts of it.
Since I today found this old thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...ake-sense.html
And it made me so happy I thought it would be appropriate to pay back to this site a little.
I have made some observations while I have investigated my Caurus Proto and I would like to share it with those here that might be interested. During some years I have collected material and today I no longer can trace where I have found the pictures. Let us call them "borrowed" from the net. I hope no one takes offence. If so and you own the rights to any of the pictures - let me know and I will remove yours if you want to.
Bianchi Proto was top of the line between circa 1987-8 to circa 1992-3 (in catalogs from 1988 to 1992). It is a TIG welded frame in Columbus MAX tubes. There are some brochure pictures and in these they are always equipped with Campagnolo C-record. I do believe many, if not all, were sold as bare frames here in Europe - standard here and I think that might differ from the US. The bikes found on the net and whom one can imagine being somewhat original or at least period correct has everything from full C-record, C-record "Century-finish", black Croce dŽAune to Chorus - and some have a mix of C-record and Chorus. Often Chorus brakes to C-record.
Being very expensive at the time it was of course not a big seller. I guess this “The Bianchi Proto thread” will not be a hundred pages…
To my knowledge - the ones with a "Proto" decal are always celeste - except some with Gewiss team colours. But I have seen “Gewiss” without a Proto decal.
This was all fine - until some Bianchi: s in MAX tubing surfaced with "Caurus" decals and totally different paint jobs. Some of them also have "Vento" decals. Normally Caurus and Caurus Vento are low to middle range Bianchi: s. All united by somewhat peculiar (nicely put) paint combinations. Black and pink, black and neon green, etc. But also some that has Caurus decals and are painted in the coveted celeste.
I own one of these Caurus MAX frames. Until I registered here I did not know more about the Caurus version Proto. I had searched and searched but no luck. Why would they call it a Caurus? Why a top of line frame in the murky waters and name of water pipe bikes (Bianchi has of course always done that - painting low end bikes to look like pro bikes but to my knowledge have they never used the name also). To what purpose, on which markets, etc? Then today I found this - provided here on the site by @
mrjav
http://www.ciclimasini.com/images/90...i%20Caurus.pdf
And I am forever thankful. There it is - documented in black and white - or should I say black and green... It makes the resurrection of my "Modello: Caurus Proto" so much more fun and rewarding. Thanks again!
Other catalog pictures I have found:
And a German one sold on ebay - and observe that they have named it "Spezialissima Proto". Not Specialissima but Spezialissima and then they top it off with Caurus decals. Talk about confusing us nerds when trying to follow up on history...
An overview of my observations:
The early Proto: s has on top of TT wire guides and conventional under the BB wire routing - with a stop ferrule under the right chain stay. The BB has cast guides for the wires (as you might have noticed English is not my native language and if what I write seems odd - that could be the reason...). Decal on HT. This one has serial F030
This one - small and bad pic - is from ebay and it has serial F058. It has wire guide on top of TT and a braze on number plate holder.
A Gewiss team colour one with thru TT wire routing - both entrance and exit on top of TT (normal pre ergopower and when one still had a choice of aero or "normal" cable routing from the brake handles). Rear der. wire thru chain stay. Observe the, non smooth looking, TIG-welds. Decal on HT.
