wagonfanatic

I recently picked up a mid80s Bianchi for a pittance. I know it's a mid-level bike (main tubes are Columbus Formula 2 I believe ) but am trying to figure out the approximate year and model number.

My best guess is either a Rekord 843, a Nuova Alloro , or some other similar mid level club racer.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Here are some specs:
RD is campy.
campy shifters
Omega seat post, hubs
Bars are cinelli
brakes are modolo
crank is Bianchi stamped
saddle is Bianchi
Seat post is 27.2 (makes me think tubes might be Columbus SL)

I will upload some better photos of the drive side here soon

T-Mar

That's a Formula One tubing decal. The Formula Two decal had a dark green border. Formula Two was only used in 1986 and only on the Vittoria and Trofeo, at least in the USA market. The componet mix is representative of the Trofeo. However, white wasn't one of the catalogued colours in the USA market, so it would appear to be some foreign market equivalent. The serial number and a drive side photo would help to provide confirmation.

wagonfanatic

That is super helpful, thank you!

Serial on the bottom bracket is A6 7760.

Here is a basic drive side photo...will upload a better one when I'm back home.

T-Mar

The serial number confirms 1986 model year, as the frame was manufactured at the beginning of the 1986 calendar year However, for a Trofeo, I would have expected Super Record derailleurs rather than Nuovo Record. The Nuovo Record equipped model in the 1986 USA market was the Nuovo Alloro but it used the Formula Two tubeset.

In the new photo, it looks more like a very light pink and a closer examination reveals a darker pink colour by the shift lever bosses and in other regions of of reduced sunlight exposure. The Trofeo did come in an Electic Rose colour, so this could just be an example of extreme weathering

tronnyjenkins 

Whooooaaaa. Yes, I agree with T-Mar's assessment. I have an electric rose Bianchi myself. Mine has (sadly) faded in the five years I have been riding it (sparingly, even). I can certainly imagine pretty drastic fade. THAT bike though, I think it's been left on a back porch or patio. Also, note the newer fork crown on yours.

Old photos of mine from the seller I bought it from here. (I still cannot believe I almost sold this bike. And for $700. I have since decided I am never selling this bike!)

wagonfanatic

Finally got a chance to snap better pics.

I agree that this may the cause of extraordinary fading. I think it could also be a foreign model bike...I'm in Fairbanks Alaska and we get a lot of Europeans who come here to study or work.

Bike feels surprisingly light. I hope it's Formula One tubing as that seems superior and somewhat unique (I know there has been much discussion on the question of Formula 1 vs 2 tubing).

tronnyjenkins 

T-Mar- correct me if I am wrong, but didn't that fork crown and decal scheme come around 1988? I guess it could be some European model or something, but it almost seems as though the frame is younger than the components by five or so years. Oddly though, that component mix was common on some 1983-85 bikes if memory serves. So maybe a warranty frame? Puzzling... Then again, my electric rose bike is a 1985.

T-Mar

Yes, it looks even more pink in the new photos. In hindsight, there's a pink tinge even in the original photos but it was hard to tell if that was just due to lighting conditions. Now it is definitely looking like an extremely weathered and faded finish.

The new photos also reveal that it has the correct model of Modolo brakeset for the Trofeo. The only obvious deviation from the US market version are the front and rear derailleurs. It would be interesting to know if the rear derailleur has an appropriate patent date, which should be stamped next to the cable housing anchor hole.

Yes, there has been lots of conjecture on the Formula tubesets. Bianchi did offer Columbus SL/SP frames concurrently with Formula One, so it would not appear to be a simple rebranding of SL/SP. The timing of the Formula tubesets coincides with the introduction of Matrix/Cromor and they were both found on mid-range models, so Matrix/Cromor based tubesets are my leading candidates. Maybe, one day I'll come across an irreparable Formula frame on which I can perform some destructive testing. Hopefully, that will provide some further clues. Regardless, there would not be much weight difference between Bianchi's Superset SL/SP frames and something based on Matrix/Cromor.

T-Mar

The decal scheme and fork crown are correct for 1986. Also, all the identifiable components are also correct for a 1986 Trofeo, with the exception of the Nuovo Record front and rear derailleurs, but even they are age appropriate, as they were used on the 1986 Nuovo Alloro.

wagonfanatic

Fascinating, thanks for this helpful info.

RD is stamped Patent 72.

I'm a bit confused about why the derailleurs aren't super record, but am trying to get more info from the seller about where the bike came from. And how it got so bleached! I suppose this is the land of the midnight sun...

T-Mar

Obviously, they were replaced at some point. While the reason may be unknown, it at least establishes that the bicycle is a Trofeo.