vintageaddict

Hi all! New vintage enthusiast here!

I'm looking for help in identifying this vintage (seller claims it is) Bianchi, album link with images is below.

imgur.com/a/QKdZqhS

All help is appreciated, I've never seen a tange cro mo decal like the one on this bike, it only states "tange cro mo special tubing".

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EDIT: now looking for help in identifying the Campagnalo drive train on this Bianchi (album link below) , and confirming the model of the Bianchi bike, please see the newest thread posts!

imgur.com/a/EzJtyvp#DMpzDBD

Bianchigirll 

Hello and welcome to the forums. This is a HOT MESS! The frame seems to be a 90ish mountain bike (MYB) or more likely a lowe end “all terrain bike” (ATB). Someone looks to be trying to run 700c or 27” wheels instead of 26” MTB wheels. I can’t really make out the model name. The tubing sticker is normal for the Asian made Bianchis using Bianchi Special tubing made by Tange. The components? WOW. I can’t make heads or tails of the rear derailleur but I am betting very little is original to the frame. Those Mafac Racers are nice brakes but this should have cantilever brakes on

it.https://imgur.com/a/QKdZqhS

vintageaddict

Thanks Bianchigirll !

What about this Bianchi, are the photos in the below album enough to narrow down which Piaggio era model it was?

imgur.com/a/ayqgn8Q

From what I can gather, I think it was made in Japan, and came from a lower end line of models with high tensile steel? Suntour cyclone derailers, crank looks like it says 'sugino gs'

Bianchigirll 

Are these bikes in Canada? I think this one is a ‘81 Limited but maybe with a replacement crankset. Most US bikes didn’t have a chrome fork so unless this is Canadian the fork is a replacement

vintageaddict

Yep, these bikes are in Canada!

jdawginsc 

These are almost certainly not US market bikes, do you think? That lettering on the first one looks other-countryish... New Zealand? One of those one-off MTBs? Cervino, Maxx or something?

verktyg 

I'm only seeing one bike, the dark green one with a black fork.

That one has all the hallmarks of a bike that was cobbled together with a collection of parts from a bike co-op???

The tubing sticker says Tange Chro-Mo but it could have gas pipe wall thickness tubes. The dropouts are stamped steel which is an indicator of a lower priced bike. The fork doesn't match which is an indicator of a replacement...

My question about a frame or bike without the original fork is WHY??? What happened? Frequently forks are replaced because the bike was run into something like the back of a car.

Do you own the bike or are you considering buying it? Not wanting to come across snobby, saying someones bike is UGLY is akin to commenting about their mother or their dog...

The problem that I've seen with a bike like that one over almost years of messing with them is they quickly become a can of worms just trying to get them to operate safely!

If you're looking to buy it: RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY!!!

Remember though, rubber wheels beat rubber heels!

verktyg

cb400bill

Pic Assist

vintageaddict

I was thinking of buying it but not anymore! I appreciate the advice!

T-Mar

The subject bicycle is Japanese manufactured entry level model. Based on the decal scheme it should be 1983-1984. The Cyclone rear derailleur would appear to be owner upgrade, as the Cyclone derailleur of this era was the Mk II version and the the bicycle also uses lower level DLW shift levers and ARX front derailleurs. It appears to have 700C wheels or at least Presta valves. The combination of 700C and ARX during this era would make it a Bianchi Bici II which employed a Ishiwata Magny main triangle mated to hi-tensile stays and forks. MSRP was $350 CDN in 1984 and claimed weight was 25 lbs..

T-Mar

Regarding the green bicycle, I don't think it is quite as bad as it's being represented. The Bianchi Special CrMo tubing was typically economical, seamed, Tange tubesets and far from gas pipe. Generally, they correlated to one of the seamless, Champion tubesets. In this case there's no mention of butting and it has stamped dropouts, so it's likely Tange #5 equivalent in the main tubes with hi-tensile stays and fork. The fork appears to have a Bianchi Special decal and contrasting forks were a trend in the very late 1980s, so it may be OEM.

The decals are 1988-1989 but there's no CdM decal, so I'm leaning towards 1989. Stamped dropouts with a plain gauge CrMo main triangle suggests a frameset equivalent to the USA market Alante.

Still, it's highly frankenbiked, with a wide range of components. The owner would have to be just about giving it way for me to consider it.

vintageaddict

Thanks T-Mar !

Another modified Bianchi here, I think this is a 1989 Camapione d'Italia? (noting that I'm from Canada and assuming this frame was purchased in Canada) Album link is below, seller didn't provide much in the way of photos.

imgur.com/a/EzJtyvp#DMpzDBD

Can anyone confirm that the geometry of this frame is more "relaxed" than the Brava and more high end racing frames of that era? I'm looking for a bike to do 100-300km rides up mountain highways, I guess the difference between a touring frame and a racing frame would be preference?

And with regards to the Campagnolo drivetrain (seller claims it is), would anyone be able to confirm which model and year it came from? Apologies for the grainy photos it's all that was provided, the seller claims it's 3x8 but from the photo appears to be 3x6?

Thanks everyone!

T-Mar

The decal scheme indicates 1988-1989. Again, I'm not seeing a CdM decal, so it would appear to be a 1989 model. The Columbus decal appears to have a silver background which would indicate a Cromor tubeset and make the bicycle a Canadian market Bianchi Brava, in which it would have been originally equipped with Shimano New 105. It does appears to have the OEM New 105 headset.

The Campagnolo components appear to be a mixed bag. The crankset appears to be mid-2000s, 3rd tier, Centaur. I can't positively identify the others but the derailleurs appear to be slightly older.

I'm always cautious when I see things like coiled derailleur cables that the owner couldn't be bothered to trim and a nose down saddle. However, my biggest concern in the disparate frame sizes of the bicycles that are being considered. The ATB frame was medium size, the white road bicycle was small but this one is very small. Based on the stem height, post extension and saddle set-back, it is obviously too small for the current owner.

Edit: Photo assist.