Help determining Bianchi year + tips
09-05-21, 08:43 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Help determining Bianchi year + tips
Hey everyone how are you? Thanks in advance for any help that you may be able to offer in identifying the year of this bike! 👍
it’s pale yellow. weighs 22 lb 10 oz on my hanging scale. It has superthin 23’s(!) is on it that I would like to replace with 28 without adding too much weight. These thin tires are very confidence inspiring and think the wider ones would ride much better. There is a lot of clearance I would love to even do 30’s if I could?
The bricks are the originals and they have these black metal tangs on them that look very different. I would like to improve the braking performance a bit but don’t want to lose the classic look of these brakes. What do you think?
Here is a description of the bike from the seller:
57cm, 12 speed Bianchi Piaggio road bike equipped with Shimano 600 Arabesque components including downtube shifters, front derailleur, rear derailleur and crankset, Grand Compe brakeset. SR stem, Sakae dropbar, Shimano 600 headset, Shimano 600 bottom bracket and Ukai 700c rims laced to Shimano 600 hubs. Full chrome under paint.
it’s pale yellow. weighs 22 lb 10 oz on my hanging scale. It has superthin 23’s(!) is on it that I would like to replace with 28 without adding too much weight. These thin tires are very confidence inspiring and think the wider ones would ride much better. There is a lot of clearance I would love to even do 30’s if I could?
The bricks are the originals and they have these black metal tangs on them that look very different. I would like to improve the braking performance a bit but don’t want to lose the classic look of these brakes. What do you think?
Here is a description of the bike from the seller:
57cm, 12 speed Bianchi Piaggio road bike equipped with Shimano 600 Arabesque components including downtube shifters, front derailleur, rear derailleur and crankset, Grand Compe brakeset. SR stem, Sakae dropbar, Shimano 600 headset, Shimano 600 bottom bracket and Ukai 700c rims laced to Shimano 600 hubs. Full chrome under paint.
Last edited by Amelio; 09-06-21 at 11:25 AM.
09-05-21, 09:03 AM
#2
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The Piaggio decal place it early 1980s but Shimano 600 EX (Arabesque), if OEM, would eliminate 1984. Based on the components and weight, it's sounding like the Canadian market equivalent of the Bianchi Limited, circa 1983. The frame's tubeset would be Ishiwata 022. The serial number will allow us to determine the exact date of manufacture.
The easiest way to improve braking performance but retain the vintage appearance is with a set of modern, high performance brake pads, teflon lined cable housing and cleaning the rim side-walls well. Next step up would be a set of very late 1980s SLR or BRS style brakes, such as Shimano New 105, which would retain the side-pull style but provide a lighter feel and smoother operation with better modulation. Next step beyond that would be a set of dual pivot brakes.
I believe the black brake tangs to which your referring, are the wheel guides, used to facilitate wheel installation by preventing the wheel from getting caught on the underside of the brake pads. They were primarily a competition feature, used to expedite wheel changes during a race.
During the 1980s 23mm tyres were thin but not super thin for mid-range models such as this. 25mm was the standard but it was not uncommon to see tyres as thin as 18mm, especially on the front wheel.
The easiest way to improve braking performance but retain the vintage appearance is with a set of modern, high performance brake pads, teflon lined cable housing and cleaning the rim side-walls well. Next step up would be a set of very late 1980s SLR or BRS style brakes, such as Shimano New 105, which would retain the side-pull style but provide a lighter feel and smoother operation with better modulation. Next step beyond that would be a set of dual pivot brakes.
I believe the black brake tangs to which your referring, are the wheel guides, used to facilitate wheel installation by preventing the wheel from getting caught on the underside of the brake pads. They were primarily a competition feature, used to expedite wheel changes during a race.
During the 1980s 23mm tyres were thin but not super thin for mid-range models such as this. 25mm was the standard but it was not uncommon to see tyres as thin as 18mm, especially on the front wheel.
Last edited by T-Mar; 09-05-21 at 09:19 AM.
09-06-21, 11:35 AM
#3
Let’s discuss bikes
Thread Starter
thanks very much for all that info !!! I tried to thank you yesterday but ran over my 10 post newbie quota.
looks like I’ll be changing these tires after all. I did a 15 km maiden voyage yesterday put her it up on the bike stand to go through it in the tire blew…on the stand!!!
MH08099
looks like I’ll be changing these tires after all. I did a 15 km maiden voyage yesterday put her it up on the bike stand to go through it in the tire blew…on the stand!!!
MH08099
The Piaggio decal place it early 1980s but Shimano 600 EX (Arabesque), if OEM, would eliminate 1984. Based on the components and weight, it's sounding like the Canadian market equivalent of the Bianchi Limited, circa 1983. The frame's tubeset would be Ishiwata 022. The serial number will allow us to determine the exact date of manufacture.
The easiest way to improve braking performance but retain the vintage appearance is with a set of modern, high performance brake pads, teflon lined cable housing and cleaning the rim side-walls well. Next step up would be a set of very late 1980s SLR or BRS style brakes, such as Shimano New 105, which would retain the side-pull style but provide a lighter feel and smoother operation with better modulation. Next step beyond that would be a set of dual pivot brakes.
I believe the black brake tangs to which your referring, are the wheel guides, used to facilitate wheel installation by preventing the wheel from getting caught on the underside of the brake pads. They were primarily a competition feature, used to expedite wheel changes during a race.
During the 1980s 23mm tyres were thin but not super thin for mid-range models such as this. 25mm was the standard but it was not uncommon to see tyres as thin as 18mm, especially on the front wheel.
The easiest way to improve braking performance but retain the vintage appearance is with a set of modern, high performance brake pads, teflon lined cable housing and cleaning the rim side-walls well. Next step up would be a set of very late 1980s SLR or BRS style brakes, such as Shimano New 105, which would retain the side-pull style but provide a lighter feel and smoother operation with better modulation. Next step beyond that would be a set of dual pivot brakes.
I believe the black brake tangs to which your referring, are the wheel guides, used to facilitate wheel installation by preventing the wheel from getting caught on the underside of the brake pads. They were primarily a competition feature, used to expedite wheel changes during a race.
During the 1980s 23mm tyres were thin but not super thin for mid-range models such as this. 25mm was the standard but it was not uncommon to see tyres as thin as 18mm, especially on the front wheel.
09-07-21, 08:17 AM
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This is very curious. I've seen literally hundreds of Bianchi from this period, yet I don't recall seeing one with that serial number format. It's definitely not that of their prime Japanese supplier during the Piaggio era. It's also not from their Italian factory.
I'm not sure how to interpret the serial number, based on a sample of only one Bianchi with this format. Based on commonly used formats, an educated guess would be a 1981 model manufactured in August 1980 but thats early for a mass volume frame with cables routed under the BB shell.
The other approach to determine the year is the via the component date codes. All the Shimano 600EX parts should have a two letter date code stamped on the back. The format is ym, where y represents the year ( with A=1976, B= 1977, C=1978, etc.) and m represents the month ( with A=January, B = February, C = March, etc.) As an example, attached is photo of a Shimano rear derailleur with an IJ date code, which represents 1984 October. Find and post as many date codes as possible. They should be readily visible on the backs of the derailleurs, backs of both crankarms, backs of both brake calipers and the barrel of both hubs.
I'm not sure how to interpret the serial number, based on a sample of only one Bianchi with this format. Based on commonly used formats, an educated guess would be a 1981 model manufactured in August 1980 but thats early for a mass volume frame with cables routed under the BB shell.
The other approach to determine the year is the via the component date codes. All the Shimano 600EX parts should have a two letter date code stamped on the back. The format is ym, where y represents the year ( with A=1976, B= 1977, C=1978, etc.) and m represents the month ( with A=January, B = February, C = March, etc.) As an example, attached is photo of a Shimano rear derailleur with an IJ date code, which represents 1984 October. Find and post as many date codes as possible. They should be readily visible on the backs of the derailleurs, backs of both crankarms, backs of both brake calipers and the barrel of both hubs.
09-12-21, 06:43 PM
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Hello Amelio,
welcome to the forum.
The serial number format from your bicycle has been reported several times in the Bianchi Serial Number Identification thread.
https://www.bikeforums.net/17700604-post687.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/20312636-post1007.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/20558342-post1067.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/20968874-post1121.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/21044299-post1154.html
The serial number location and format is for the well known Japanese manufacturer Tsunoda.
I believe that the first letter in a Tsunoda serial number is for the year of manufacture and the second letter is for the month.
So far all the serial numbers that I have seen for frames manufactured by Tsunoda for Bianchi were manufactured in the same year, as they start with the letter "M".
Tsunoda serial numbers do not use letters in there alphabetic sequence from one year to the next or one month to the next.
I believe that the year letter M is for 1981.
It is hard to know which month letter H represents.
It appears that Tsunuda during this time used twelve letters for the months, but what order they used the letters in is unknown to me.
welcome to the forum.
The serial number format from your bicycle has been reported several times in the Bianchi Serial Number Identification thread.
https://www.bikeforums.net/17700604-post687.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/20312636-post1007.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/20558342-post1067.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/20968874-post1121.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/21044299-post1154.html
The serial number location and format is for the well known Japanese manufacturer Tsunoda.
I believe that the first letter in a Tsunoda serial number is for the year of manufacture and the second letter is for the month.
So far all the serial numbers that I have seen for frames manufactured by Tsunoda for Bianchi were manufactured in the same year, as they start with the letter "M".
Tsunoda serial numbers do not use letters in there alphabetic sequence from one year to the next or one month to the next.
I believe that the year letter M is for 1981.
It is hard to know which month letter H represents.
It appears that Tsunuda during this time used twelve letters for the months, but what order they used the letters in is unknown to me.
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