alanbikehouston

The "Rivendell Reader" is a small bicycling magazine (about forty pages per issue and about four issue per year). If you want a copy of Issue 37, contact Rivendell at rivbike.com.

The subscriptions are $35 for three years. About half the magazine is about bikes and bike products sold by Rivendell. The other half is about anything in the world of cycling, old or new, that interests Grant Peterson.

Issue 37 included a review of the "Mazama", a bike for BIG, BIG guys from C-Motion Cycles, a note on why you should consider running up a hill with your bike instead of pedaling, a "rewrite 'The Raven' poetry contest, a review of the Shimano BL-400 brake lever, a profile of Lynn McClintock, age 87, who rides 5,000 miles a year, an article explaining the concept of "trail" in a bike fork, how to control "wheel shimmy" at high speeds, the review of the Bianchi San Jose, a note on why your handlebars need to be higher, and why Maynard Hershon is fed up with motorists trying to kill cyclists.

At about $3 per issue, it is a MUCH bigger bargain than the $2 cup of coffee up at the corner. Every issue is worth keeping and re-reading.

Loooty

I asked this question in a San Jose thread in the single speed/ fixed gear forum but this thread is obviously a better place...

I thought I remembered looking at a San Jose with low rider rack mounts on the fork. I don't see these threaded holes on the picture that Bianchi has up on their site.

Am I crazy?

Also, for you owners out there, anyone running both fenders and a rack on this thing as a commuter? It looks like the rear only has one set of eyelets.

brokenrobot

joshr's san jose, pictured in this thread, has lowrider eyelets... but I saw one in Boston that definitely did not.

Ken Wind

The one in my LBS has the eyelets. Perhaps it's an option when you order it?

Deanster04

Because it would be in Poor taste!

brokenrobot

I'm guessing it's a matter of manufacturing stock. The Volpe (same frame) has the eyelets and the San Jose at least officially does not; perhaps they've sometimes used Volpe forks when San Jose fork stock was low?

zippyh

The few San Joses that I've seen (including mine) have the eyelets. Mine was purchased back in January.

The Bianchi website actually specifies "rack mounts" in the fork description for the SJ.
The picture at the website doesn't show them though. Not even when embiggened.

brokenrobot

Maybe the spec changed after the first run was made and the photos were taken? I've seen them both ways in person...

nrixez

I recently picked up a San Jose. If you're interested in my general thoughts about the bike I wrote an article on my blog about it: https://dandalism.blogspot.com/2006/0...y-22-2006.html

Mine has rack mounts on the fork. It's not the type of mount that goes straight through the fork; one can't for instance run a Tubus Duo ( https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tubus_racks.asp#Duo ) rack on the front... instead I've put a Jandd front rack ( https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FREXT ) on it.

I recently did a short camping tour with my SJ in northwest Wisconsin. If you're interested you can read about it here: https://dandalism.blogspot.com/2006/0...kend-trip.html .... In general, this bike rocks... it's very versatile; I've ridden it several hundred miles since I purchased it a month ago.

-keith

xlntRider79

I FINALLY got my San Jose today (I have been waiting since November, but my LBS (a small, one-man operation) couldn't get his hands on one), so I thought I'd give you another review. I decided to get a complete bike because I could replace both my broken fixed gear (conversion) frame and my cyclocross rig with a single bike for slightly more than the cost of a new singlespeed frame (I was thinking about an on-one or a surly)...anyway enough babbling, the review:

The Good:
+Frame feels solid as a rock. If they left room for fatter tires it could be ridden as a 29'er mountain bike. The paintjob looks "old school cool" it and fits me perfectly. i got a 55cm (I'm 5"10, 32" inseam) the flat spot on the top tube sits comfortably on my shoulder
+brakes: also solid as a rock. branded "cane creek" but the same design as tektro or nashbar cantis that I have seen/ used. however, the cane creeks come with kool stop cartridge pads, which are much nicer than the aforementioned cantis.
+brake levers are also cane creek. the balance between leverage and cable pull is perfect, and they have big, fat hoods, so they feel just like shimano brifters.
+The alex rims are doublewalled with eyelets, a machined sidewall and wear indicators. They hook up with the brake pads nicely

Neutral:
#The bars are a pretty standard ergo style, a little on the wide side with a shallow drop, would be nice if they were flared a bit like true cross bars. The lack of alignment and centering marks is a bit annoying
#Stem was way too high for me. I felt like I was on a comfort bike! Fortuately you can flip it over and it becomes perfectly flat...makes the bike look faster too, if you don't mind the upside down bianchi logo.
#The tires arent' knobby enough for 'cross and not smooth enough for the road. Perfect for crushed gravel or grass though. I traded the WTBs in for some michelin road tires, which I'll run on the road until 'cross season
Gearing: matches the tires, a good all 'rounder but not fast enough for the road and too high for sloppy CX courses
#Fake fur stipe on the saddle looks cool. The seat is well padded and comfy, the center is recessed and the shell has a center cutout, but a tad too "plush" for me. Plus, I can't imagine the furry saddle would hold up well to cross racing...ever see a plush toy that got left out in the rain?...eww.
#Seatpost is generic, but gets the job done
#The crankset is a sugino double, with a chainguard (definitely not a bash ring though) in the outsde position. it seems to be coated with black plastic rather than painted black, which could mean it has a more durable finish. Unfortuately its not nearly as stiff as a hollow shimano crank.

The Bad:
-The price went up I had to pay more ($620), because the LBS had to pay more, because the regional bianchi distributor raised the price because of the shortage of these bikes (damn that law of supply and demand)
-Bottom bracket is a touch too low for my liking (might be sketchy as a fixed gear), and it's an obsolete square taper design
-Plastic pedals are a joke...for the price they could at least give you some aluminum ones with clips
-Hubs: In addition to not being flip/flop, the rear hub isn't sealed with a rubber boot, so I'm guessing they'll need to be regreased frequently. The cones on mine were overtightened a bit, but they spun smoothly when I adjusted them properly.
-Weight: mine weighed in at 21 pounds...a bit porky for a singlespeed.

The bottom line:
A fun ride, despite some cheap components and the higher price. buy it for the frame and customize the rest to your liking!

pdxtex

call me a pervert but the san jose gives me a woody. :O that bike is sooooo drool worthy.

miraclebubbles

Just curious if anyone has seen an 07 yet in the Hunter Green color? Better yet, can someone post a photo if they have one. My lbs has ordered one for me to check out but that is still a week plus away. Thanks in advance.

IchbinJay

Bianchi is notorious for changing specs. It even says in their catalogs that they 'reserve the right' to change specs without notice. This usually entails either switching bosses/braze-ons. For instance, my Volpe only has 2 bottle mounts, but it is spec'd out on the website and catalog for 3 (as most touring bikes today are). This also has happened with the Pista. For some reason, some of them come with a front brake while others dont'. They're just weird like that. No rhyme or reason other thatn the bottom line I guess. I still think they're the best bikes out there though.

jase1

I recently bought a San Jose after looking at different bikes online, lurking on this site, and going to a few shops. I wanted to get a Kona Jake because it was the least expensive cyclocross bike I came across, but no one around had them smaller than 55cm and I didn't want to order one without riding it first. I saw a few cannondales and treks but they were out of my price range. They looked nice though. I saw the San Jose at my LBS and after a week I tried it out. I love the ride and it wasn't very expensive. I'm used to Single speed as I usually ride BMX. I posted a message yesterday about my concerns about the standover height, but aside from my neurosis about the standover, the ride was what sold me on the bike and its what keeps me riding it every opportunity I can. I took it on some light trails (with some loose gravel and mud) and it performed well. I don't know much about the gearing, but I felt it to be about right, unless your going up a major hill.

Jase

xlntRider79

I did my first cross race on my 06 San Jose today (actually a weekly training ride put on by a local shop) the bike was super smooth in some rough stuff, including a "singetrack" section. The brakes were great but the stock gearing was a bit tall for my liking....not too bad for cruising through tall, soft grass, but it didn't accelerate out of corners/after dismounts too well and I had to dismount some stuff that I could have ridden in a lower gear. I'll probably keep the 17t cog for flat, dry courses and run a 20t cog for mud/snow/hilly courses.

Hawaii Jake

I just picked up a San Jose today, as an alternative to a pista as a daily commuter. I'm enjoying the bike so far but can't really do a full write up until I ride it a bit more...The tires will need to go for street only application, and the gears run out way to early on the flats, which is no good here in honolulu. Ill post some pics and a write up in a couple days

-Jake

Johnnyvu

The 07 version has a flip flop hub. My girlfriend is going to get one (in the 44) it's the only single speed that I can find that's got a great price and actually fits her. All the others stop at 50 or 48cm. Actually thinking of getting one myself and putting on a better set of wheels (plus chucking that saddle) and racing single speed cross on it. So outta shape right now no sense embarrassing myself on my real cross rig. Plus I'll have two sets of wheels for her, one slicks and one cross instead of the crappy compromise tires on it. My knees are rough from my skate board days and my fixie can do a number on them as well, so a freewheel sounds like a good idea all over again.

xlntRider79

I'm bringing this dead thread back to life to sing the praises of my 06 San Jose. I did my first race on it today and finished second in the B category. In the last three seasons on geared bikes my best finish was 9th! I ran it geared 42x20, which was perfect a course full of wet soggy grass and muddy ruts. Only complaint I had was at the finish I sprinted so hard for the line that I managed to pull the rear wheel forward in the track ends, but (thankfully) the chain didn't derail until after I had crossed the finish line.

ducati

Here's mine, in commuting trim:

dwainedibbly

My 2006 didn't have a flip-flop hub, either (in case somebody is keeping score), but it does have rack mounts on the fork, and 3 bottle cage mounts.

jeffreyahorn

Here is my Bianchi San Jose after 5 hours of work (build wheel, new fork, mount brakes, new cable) and way too much time spent thinking about this bike whilst in medical school lectures:





When the bike was stock, I had a few complaints but loved the bike overall:
1) Stock brakes are weak, and since I wanted to go fixed in the city/winter, I knew that I would either have to upgrade the canti's or think of something else.
2) Brake chatter with the steel fork was annoying and constant down the hills of Pittsburgh.
3) No flip/flop hub, but I built a new wheel to correct for that (not pictured).

Overall, the bike was good, and now I think that it is great.

JAH

nomad87

Just thought I would chime in...
I bought this bike when I got to school in August, I love it and I have been riding it nearly everywhere. Right now it is inactive as it is being converted to a fixed gear, but it really is an amazing bike. Just for facts I got it for $550.
-Geoffrey

NormanF

It has a threadless Aheadset stem which means raising the bars that high is impossible with the stock stem. No way to pull it up higher. Fortunately, placing a Delta Stem Riser between the headset and the Bianchi stem will raise it to saddle height. That makes the bike ride more comfortably.

Kirinlight

I love my San Jose but I'm having a hard time keeping up with my fixed gear friends. I'm pedaling twice as much. I need to ride faster and smoother, any suggestions?

Ken Wind

Do you have slicks on there? If you are still using the tires that came with the bike, then changing those to road tires will drastically increase your speed. Thinner, smoother tires at a higher pressure will have less rolling resistance.