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?