Hsolustri

I bought a bianchi sport sx 10 or so years ago and I love the bike. This thing has gotten me through thick and thin but she is really showing her age. The early years she was neglected, bike out in the rain while I was at work. (Worked in a restaurant) so she hung out on the back patio. Now for the past 3 or so years traveling the nascar circuit and living in a motorhome, she comes with me everywhere and everywhere (where there’s a nascar track) she’s been ridden. So because of this bond which I’m sure is nothing exclusive to only me, she’s finally going through a major upgrade. So this is my journey of all the amount of time and research I’ve done on this bike. If you own a 88/89 model year bianchi sport sx. This may become useful as far as component compatibility, bb width, threads, you name it, I’ve looked it up.

about the bike:
Frame: 58cm bianchi/ishiwata cro/mo
wheels; front: araya 700c rim w shimano 32h hub (HB-RA50). Rear; Mavic open sport w shimano 32h hub.
crankset; shimano biopace 52/42
components; shimano sport lx rearderailleur w suntour cyclone m-II fd. 7 speed shimano hyperglide cassette.
Downtube shifters; shimano sport lx 7sp
brakelevers; shimano exage SLR
brake calipers; shimano exage sport
seatpost; SR laprade
quill stem; SR custom
handlebar; nitto Olympiade 115
headset; hatta “vesta”
fork; ? The original fork got wrecked and had it replaced with something generic.
saddle; brooks b17

everything is original but the rear rim, fork, handlebars, and one of the shifters and saddle.

now this is where the magic is going to happen and it probably come off as a “humble brag” but whatever, I love this bike and she and I deserve it.

She’s going to be wearing a shimano dura ace 7700 groupo. I chose this because it’s the last model that has downtube shifters which I love. So I opted for that groupo. Along with 7700 9sp shifters.
because of its Italian/Japanese heritage she’s going to blend between both countries and I like the theme.
compagnolo super record NOS non fluted/short type seatpost
Vintage NOS campy seatpost binder
NOS cinelli black anodized 80mm quill stem.
cinelli giro d’italia 40 cm handlebars
shimano NOS golden arrow brake levers
Columbus SL chrome fork w Cinelli fork crown
selle Italia motica black leather saddle
campognolo sirocco wheel set with campy/hubs and shimano hub body
NOS campy record headset.
mall parts have been ordered and shipped. I’m just waiting to get back home so I can start stripping my bike and powder coat it. If anyone has any questions or concerns about this bike build. Please let me know. Threading, fork size, bb width, dropouts/ etc.

good luck my friends! Pictures will be up soon as I’m still trying to navigate this forum. Thank you for your time.

Spaghetti Legs 

Mmmmm, double butter! That’s going to be a nice upgrade for an old friend. Here are some scans from my ‘89 catalog that might be of some interest. If I remember I’ll go back and add the page with the Sport SX.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/151996...h/26558736489/


Welcome to the forum! You need 10 posts to add pics but there’s a workaround where you can upload them to your gallery and other members can pull them and post for you.

jdawginsc 

She is definitely getting some interesting upgrades @Hsolustri.

If you are rebuilding (and many here would probably say she will be over-dressed...but whatever you feel is right is my opinion)..
1. You might want to check interior tubes for rust, and treat them. If repainting/powdercoating, that will likely be done during the process.
2. Have the frame checked for alignment, threads chased and headtube/BB refaced for the new components.
3. At 58cm, I would think you might need a 42cm set of bars. At 5'11" I most often am in 56-57cm frame size territory, and 40 is too slender.
4. You might need to respace the rear drops to 130 (I think you are probably at 126 or so.)
5. I am curious about the choice of brake levers...why not an SLR (Shimano Dura Ace 7400 series) that would pair better with your dual pivots? Or are you keeping the Exage calipers.? Since you are this far down the rabbit hole, dual pivots are a nice upgrade. Even lower price Campy and Shimano vintages are excellent stoppers. Or Tektro has some nice black ones. I personally think that the Centaur skeletons are cool.
6. The crankset is being kept? Chainrings might be compatible with 9 speed, but might be a bit wonky in shifting/indexing.

Hsolustri

Yes, once the bike is disassembled I’m going to take a drill and a hanger and some steel wool and get down in the seatpost and headtube and use some sort of protectant on the inside. Believe it or not the rear drops are 130. Don’t know how that happened but my hub body has 2 10s spacers behind the 7sp cassette. I did some measurements and it comes to 130 or right there at it. Made sure before I purchased the wheelset, if smaller I’ll space it out but I don’t think/hope I don’t have to. The whole groupset will be 7700 including brakes. It came with sti shifters so I opted for dedicated brake levers and I’m going to use the 7700 downtube shifters I bought separately. Idk why I chose 40, after watching some videos it seemed like the most obvious. If too small, ah well I’ll just get a 42. The frame is a little too big for me as I’m 5’11” too. But like I said this was my first bike and didn’t know much. It has a 110mm stem on it now and I find myself reaching a little too far to be on the hoods atm. So which is why I went with a 80mm stem. I also bought a 90 just in case. About the brake levers, I didn’t know if it would interfere with the 7700 calipers. If this is something I should be more concerned about, please let me know what to look for. I really liked the levers so I got ‘em. Crankset is not being kept. Basically the only original thing will be the frame. Hahaha. But that’s the point. I know it’s overkill for the frame but I don’t mind upgrading her components. It’s a sport sx not a specialissima

jdawginsc 

You don’t have to justify any of the bike's “clothing”. It is a loved bike and will be ridden so it is all good.

So Dura Ace calipers and cranks too...? Be sure you have the right splined OCtalink bottom bracket...I think you need v1.

The Golden Arrow are cool brake levers, but are not inner spring (SLR) so might feel weird with the dual pivots.

There are plenty of cool reasonable non-brifter levers that might match nicely.
Cheaper side Tektro
https://www.ebay.com/itm/36395212383...Bk9SR8Dj2ePhYA

https://www.ebay.com/itm/36394778347...Bk9SR8Dj2ePhYA

I like these of the three
https://www.ebay.com/itm/32357870961...Bk9SR8Dj2ePhYA

My favorite SLR Shimanos (105s)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25551422271...3ABFBMwuPZ4-Fg

And people swear by these, and they don't look out of place
https://www.ebay.com/itm/19531627735...Bk9SR8Lj2ePhYA

Hsolustri

ahhhh okay. Thanks for the info I just assumed they’d work but I will look more into SLR systems. And find a brake lever without shifters. That was my only issue since I’m still keeping the downtube shifters.

Hsolustri

hahaha double butter baby. Thanks for the support.

Wildwood 

Good luck with your upgrades. Nuttin better than a bike that feels right. I ride handlebars 38cm, .

Looking at the Flickr page from Spaghetti Legs I saw the paint scheme from a Japanese Bianchi Special I owned. (or close)
That was a very good bike, sold it to @Lascauxcaveman who did some mods.
Maybe I will see pics of it sometime in the future - hint, hint.

jdawginsc 

They will work, but perhaps not as well as designed. Others may have different experiences, but they just feel right with sprung return levers.

They might even come with cables. Not sure. The ebay ones are a bargain at $20 + 7.50. Buy them before someone reads the thread! Haha (I was tempted)

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-BL-R4.../dp/B000F5LLWG

Bianchigirll 

Have you found the correct size seatpost?

sounds like an interesting upgrade to a good riding basic Taiwanese built frame.

Hsolustri

[QUOTE=jdawginsc;22636745]You don’t have to justify any of the bike's “clothing”. It is a loved bike and will be ridden so it is all good.

So Dura Ace calipers and cranks too...? Be sure you have the right splined OCtalink bottom bracket...I think you need v1.

The Golden Arrow are cool brake levers, but are not inner spring (SLR) so might feel weird with the dual pivots.

There are plenty of cool reasonable non-brifter levers that might match nicely.

yes 7700 cranks, brakes, fd, rd, cassette, bb. Etc. I’ll look into the bb. I know that the bb width is the same as my current however it still has a square tapered drivetrain. I’ll rethread it as it’s English thread and reface it along with the headtube. I’ll look at the links but I do want to keep everything shimano/campy/cinelli. But all components will be shimano. I’m sorry but that’s the way it’s gonna have to be. Haha

Bianchigirll 

[QUOTE=Hsolustri;22636779]Why are you going to rethread the shell? I would think simply finding the correct English thread BB would be a lot simpler.

jdawginsc 

Noooooo...just get the right one. Octalink is relatively easy to find in English thread.

Besides, Italian bottom brackets are wider by 2mm and so you cannot add onto the shell!

And the Shimano BR400 levers is the one I emphasized in the last link.

Hsolustri

[QUOTE=Bianchigirll;22636790]I’m not rethreading the bb to a different spec. Just rethread it with an English thread. Ya know, to clean it up. And also, yes I found a 26.6mm seat post for that model year. It’s a beauty.

Hsolustri

yes I have the right one, guys. All is good. Still keeping it English but while I’m facing it, might as well clean the threads.

Hsolustri

actually I really like those break levers. I kinda wanted something to tie it all together for the period. But yes I’ve learned something new. I’ll go to my LBS and try out the golden arrows (BL- Z306) and try out the BR400’s. I’ve been riding these exage brake levers for so long I don’t know any better.

smd4

I run all Dura Ace 7700, except for the brake levers—I subbed out some BL-7402 levers, to keep everything Dura Ace. Problem is, they’re difficult to find in good condition.

I’m getting ready to swap out the original 7700 brake calipers for some minty 25th Anniversary versions I picked up for a good price.

Hsolustri

so funny you say that! I was just looking up the 7402’s. Found some on eBay that look a little too worn. Came across some nos/nib bl and calipers for $550. Oof. Beautiful pair of levers though.

smd4

I know. Seems like every person selling BL 7402s has crashed them!

Use a cheap placeholder for the levers while you wait for a nicer set to show up.

Hsolustri

like I’ve mentioned in previous posts I have some beautiful unused golden arrows BL-Z306 but it was brought to my attention that they aren’t spring loaded (something I didn’t know I should have looked for) that I’ll try out or at least get an opinion on paired with the 7700 calipers. But maybe the bl-r400 might do the trick? I really don’t like the gray plastic piece under the hoods. And it’s not as beautiful as some other bl sets I’ve seen. But yes, glad we’re on the same page.

smd4

You’ll love the dual-pivot calipers. I also upgraded the cables to compressionless, which improved brake response noticeably.

I personally think the 7700 group set is the nicest looking DA version ever made. I run mine on an Italian frame too, a great combination!

Bianchigirll 

[QUOTE=Hsolustri;22638606]Oh you’re going to “chase” the threads. OK

jdawginsc 

You can likely use the Golden arrow, but the Exage you had were SLR (spring) so I am thinking that you may not like the feel...but try it out. They are definitely old school cool. I have the derailleurs and shifters...haven’t used them on anything yet. Might pass them along.

The BL R400s I have read are great for hooded braking and really comfortable.

Hsolustri

[QUOTE=Bianchigirll;22638696]ahhh yes. Thank you! Chasing the threads, that!

Hsolustri

the frame is actually Japanese/Taiwanese so that’s why I’m running it in the bianchi. And since it was all stock Japanese, I wanted to introduce Italian parts too. Basically everything that’s not part of the drivetrain. A hybrid of sorts but I can’t wait to show you all who are interested. Campognolo makes such beautiful pieces.