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My First BIANCHI...

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Thanks very much for this update.

Great to see that she's coming right along.

Aesthetic suggestion -

if available to you, she would look best with Celeste, blue or silver cable casing rather than black. appreciate you may be using what is to hand. ;)

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Automobiles -

not only does there appear to be a vast array of makes and models but scales as well. think i see everything from 1/87 up to 1/18. when a new arrival warrants it do you perform resprays? airbrush?

every last item in batcave appears "clean as a whistle and neat as a pin!" :)

mine own living quarters are more of what i have seen termed the "pile-o-maniac" school of interior decor. :rolleyes:

no lady present to keep this elderly bachelor maintaining a semblance of civilisation.

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All best wishes with your first Bicicletta Italiana.

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Thanks very much for this update.

Great to see that she's coming right along.

Aesthetic suggestion -

if available to you, she would look best with Celeste, blue or silver cable casing rather than black. appreciate you may be using what is to hand. ;)

---

Automobiles -

not only does there appear to be a vast array of makes and models but scales as well. think i see everything from 1/87 up to 1/18. when a new arrival warrants it do you perform resprays? airbrush?

every last item in batcave appears "clean as a whistle and neat as a pin!" :)

mine own living quarters are more of what i have seen termed the "pile-o-maniac" school of interior decor. :rolleyes:

no lady present to keep this elderly bachelor maintaining a semblance of civilisation.

---

All best wishes with your first Bicicletta Italiana.

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Thanks @juvela.

Scales on the cars range actually up to 1/12 (the cars on the stand under the TV). My son bought the TV after I fell off a ladder and broke my wrist back in November. Recoup time in The Batcave!
IMG_3159.JPG
IMG_3161.JPG
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This part of the house (attic) used to be my airbrushing studio when I did freelance illustrations while working full time as an Art Director (now retired). I have AC, heat, TV and stereo so it's my "go to" place. Although the basement is finished, I still prefer this area. Oh, and older bikes are down there...

As far as cables, I agree with the colors you've said. For now I'll keep these on there until I decide how far I want to go with this project.

My wife has over the years has accepted all of this, even showing me bikes she thinks I might be interested in. Go figure! At one point years ago I thought I'd come home from work and find some at the curb.

I keep busy with all of this, and just finished building, by myself, the attached Lodge for my two Grandchildren. Took six days but it was worth it.
My daughter's husband works long hours, and it was something we bought the kids to have for the summer in their new house. Never a dull moment!
 
Blue would work nicely, as would white if I do white handlebar tape. Lol...maybe brown to go with all the rusty scrapes...:rolleyes:
 
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Reggisella Nota -

finally found some images of cycle's gone walkabout saddle pillar.

it is a San Marco GS.

the 1044 seen in the machine on ebay is not original.

View attachment 813045 View attachment 813046 View attachment 813047

View attachment 813154


Beautiful seatposts, certainly worth having, and a nice piece of research,
but since I lived the bike boom, I've never been impressed with the catalog perfect collector's fantasy.
(I'm impressed with SunTour Cyclone, and after '75, many Campy RDs were functionally upgraded by smart owners)

A living bicycle was an exercise in improvement. On my '77 Raleigh Grand Prix (frame dated May '76, purchased fall '76), the 2-pc post/clamp went the way of the steel rims in 1980.
Replaced it with the smallest LaPrade, 26.2mm, which in turn, turned on a lathe to 25.7mm to just my ride height.
In the not all seatposts are created equal department, nothing is pressed on the LaPrade - it's a one piece casting and machined - ok, and re-machined.
Recently re-used that custom seatpost on my '57 Raleigh Lenton GP.
Wfa1hMV.jpg

Lou had a catalog-perfect 1960 Lenton GP that he altered for functional hill-climbing. I think he might trade for my '57 Lenton in a heartbeat, not that it's offered.
1dng6f3.jpg

And to be fair, they're apples and oranges - mine was an answer to how to build a bare frame and fork without altering it.
My 1986 Bianchi Trofeo has blue cable housings and bar wrap that are OE. The color works well with the blue decals.

View attachment 815695
speaking of functional upgrades, Tad's Bianchi looks even better wearing his blue spiked butterfly platform pedals
hCUQdvG.jpg

though it might look equally cool with the strada pedals, toeclips, and the right-color Cristophe reinforced fabric straps
q1jMeSQ.jpg
 
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I never thought to ask this, but does anyone out there have a catalog page they can scan for me of this bike when it was new?...PLEASE??:)
 
what juvela said, 1980 Bianchi catalog just isn't available online - since the company changed hands that year, there may not have even been one.
If you look at the '82 catalog, it doesn't show model details other than frame dimensions.
found another bike with a downsloping top tube in the '73 catalog, the Model 68 Special
 
have another datapoint to add to the forward-down-sloping top tube/ steep head angle base.
This bike was posted on CR. It's a Gitane women's hour-record bike, c. 1962, currently with 650b conversion.
"RECORD WOMAN de 'lHEURE Champions du Monde, "on chrome seat panel.

You can see it has the same aggressive front end with low bars, if set up with the stock wheels.
google won't let me copy the image, but this link should show it
they do kind of look like they've been chasing parked cars.

I was able to copy this image of a Castelli track frame built with similar aggression
caselli-track.jpg


also this L/E Eddy Merx replica offered in 2012
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKa_ckwQVJ_rxMp5yoCbIrmultg27rsOReGfXAXv2bHvuadjaA.jpg


back to add this '88 Team Fuji with sloping top tube
1988%2009%20Team%20Fuji.jpg
 
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You can see it has the same aggressive front end with low bars, if set up with the stock wheels.
google won't let me copy the image, but this link should show it
they do kind of look like they've been chasing parked cars.

Thanks anyway @bulldog1935 , but the link won't open. Wild looking frame on the Castelli, though!

I need to get back to working on the Bianchi (and the '52Rudge!) at some point. The Lotus threw me off balance, but it's nice to have a bunch of projects to be working on. I don't like being bored, lol! :D
 
yep, it only opens on a computer that's already opened it through CR, and you have to be a member to read CR
 
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