reconnaissance

By "murder" I mean cut off the cable stops on the top tube and the shifter lugs on the down tube. Would you?

This is a 1993 Bianchi Virata with "Exclusive Bianchi Superset" Tange "Ultimate Ultralight Prestige". The paint is in great shape (3 stage red and white). If I go to cutting and grinding mode. But I'm tempted.

Pro's:
Cleaner lines
Fills an empty riding niche (My other two bikes are a Trek 510 and Trek 850 so I can switch it up)

Con's:
Damaged paint
Irreversible and permanently a fixed gear/ss bike

I have $200 in it, for those that are curious.

RandomlyWest

Mm ... gonna say no.

acoustophile

If you never plan on riding it as a road bike then grind away. I've done it to an old Bianchi Classica and don't regret it at all. The cable stops could be useful if you ever decide you want brakes though.

Trakhak

Don't do it. Affordable fixed-gear bikes are far commoner than they were when drewing road bikes that way was the fad, 15 years ago. If you stick with bike riding, sooner or later you'll want to use that Bianchi as a road bike. Example: the bike that I now ride most often on work days is a mountain bike that I'd owned for 25 years but hadn't touched for the previous 10 years.

TugaDude

I wouldn't. Find a frame that suits, don't try to make this one into something it is not. But then again, I hang out in the Classic & Vintage forum, where removing bits is tantamount to blasphemy.

On the other hand, I can see an argument where if it fits and you will own it for a long time, do whatever it takes to make it "perfect" for your purposes.

It is in great shape apparently. Perhaps you can sell it and step up to a more desirable frame.

abshipp 

I wouldn't.

I did this to a frame that was cracked at the BB and still regretted it.

A few months later I realized that it would have been a great frame to put on a trainer for the winter, but now it does not have provisions to mount shifters and gears...

Speedway2

If the paint is in "great shape" I would restore as a geared bike (or sell the frame to someone willing) and get another frame for your SS project.
Vintage bikes in "great shape" are getting rare.....sad.

joesch

NO.

Buy or trade for a track frame if those bits bother you.

rustystrings61 

No. The dropouts are too short, anyway! Either find a modern or semi-modern single-speed specific frame, or keep your eyes peeled for something vintage that originally had clamp-on fittings for everything. Don't be afraid of French or Italian threading - one of my favorite fixed-gears is built on an old Gitane frameset where all cables had clamp fittings. The only sign it was built as a derailleur bike is the ancient Simplex derailleur ear, and Gitane built some of these with the plain dropouts that require hangers.

Rolla

I like the "conversion proud" look of keeping the cable bits intact.

jack pot 

Mm ... gonna say yes ... street cred ......................... you aint losing either way

caloso

Yeah, no.

Gresp15C

Nobody's going to fault you for converting a cool frame into a cool bike. Leave well enough alone.

veganbikes

That's a hard no. I had to rescue a Proteus frame from a friend who was going to do the same. If you want a clean frame buy the correct frame. If this weren't made of really nice steel and in great shape I might say sure but honestly I would rather have that versatility down the line. Problem Solvers makes a great set of downtube shifter boss covers if you are so worried and the cable stops are going to be handy if you decide to run brakes at some point (brakes are handy for unpredictable road conditions)

If I were doing something to that bike I would ditch those god-awful Serfas tires (or maybe just tire) and get some decent tires. Otherwise I would use it as a road bike, it looks like the drop outs are vertical not semi-horizontal so it isn't a good candidate for a fixed gear and would be fine as a single speed with a chain tensioner but I would rather have that as a nice geared bike. Get a proper fixed gear frame.

Trakhak

By the way, "murder" means to convert all color to black. The correct term for heedlessly desecrating a frame for fixie use is "drew."

Happy Feet

My personal guideline for altering a bike permanently is: Does it have some value as a collectible/representative item. If not - it's your bike and you can do what you want as long as you are willing to accept the consequences ie. can't revert to geared or effected resale value. I don't know road bikes or Bianchis that well so I can't comment on that model in particular. If it's something that is valued or vintage then there is the preservation component to consider.

In general, If the bike is something enthusiasts would not be too excited about as a stock model why restrict yourself to preserving it as such? Who would you be doing that for?

speed king

I wouldn't.

hsuBM

I’ve thought about doing it to a few frames.

My conclusion is always “to do it well enough to have been worthwhile would take as many hours as the OT hours I’d have to put in at work to buy a Waterford or Bilenky. And I’d rather have a Waterford or a Bilenky.”

nightfly

It's your bike. Do it.

jimijames

I never had a desire to remove braze-ons. Bike stays with me temporarily, the next owner might appreciate braze-ons for cables. They were never on my way when I was riding the "fixified" bike

Happy Feet

While that may be a valid point for you it really only holds up if one considers working on bikes a chore. For others, taking the time to do it right may be an enjoyable part of the hobby.

One problem I have with the "sell and buy another" pov is that I really hate the process of dealing with people when trying to sell bikes. There is a lot of time wasting there too.

PIFFLE

Hemmed & hawed this for a few years with fix-converted 501 Peugeot and am glad I did not.

If I had, I most certainly would have stripped & powdercoated which would have been a mistake because it has Peugeot's fabulous '88 marque with a "Fabriqué en France" and fun colorways (white, yellow, orange, red angled striping on sparkle black), and I am now pondering a rebuild with new gravel oriented wheels/tires and might even go freehub/brakes so I can actually bomb down inclines again ;o

If you plan to un-do your fabulous factory paintjob for a more minimalist aesthetic then go for it, otherwise, I say spend time/money/energy elsewhere because you'll never notice those little bits in the saddle and they may come in handy some day!

downtube42

I would not.

In fact out in the garage I have a bag of braze-on cable stops, rack mounts, bottle mounts, and downtube shifter lugs I purchased to add to my vintage Windsor. That was before I sold it in a moment of weakness. I should make those available for shipping costs rather than take space in the garage.

Your bike, your rules, obviously.

dcee604

I vote for NO. As others have said, find a dedicated SS/Fixed Gear frame, this one's too nice! (And maybe I secretly want it...haha, as I love old Bianchi's)

reconnaissance

The Serfas tire is shot and the Specialized tire is on its last leg, so they’re going in the trash soon.

the more I ride the bike the more I think I’ll restore it as a road bike—the red & white looks great on it. And as someone pointed out, the time spent filing and sanding and repainting would be equivalent to buying something already built up. Besides, I already have a set of Columbus tubes and horizontal dropouts, to build a fixed bike. Just working on a good jig for it.

thanks, everyone for your input.