# Here's my new SEMPRE!!



## adjtogo

Just got back from the LBS to pick up my new Sempre I ordered a few weeks ago. I changed out the white bar tape for red.


I had black bottle holders put on as well as getting the Polar black/white water bottles.

Black Ultegra 6700 pedals

Changed out the saddles. 

Other than that, everything is stock. 

I bought the 105/mix as I have a Celeste Infinito with full Ultegra 6700. I can swap out components if needed. I didn't have the extra bucks now to get any group set higher than the 105's, but I'm sure it will do me just fine.


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## adjtogo

I also ordered a Garmin Edge 500 computer with the premium heart rate monitor and cadence bundle. That will be here by Wednesday, the day I can go back to riding after having a stent placed in the LED artery two weeks ago. Now I'll be able to monitor my heart, track my ride by GPS, and go back home and evaluate my ride and have stats. Can't wait until it comes in. The Garmin also comes with two stem mounts, so I can switch from one bike to another. SWEET!!


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## tdietz87

Congratulations on a sweet ride! I was thinking about getting one myself (amongst others bikes too, still debating), awesome choice.


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## KM1.8T

Nice ride, enjoy.


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## Lolamunky

Sick ride, you will love it....but with your saddle to bar height ratio how come you didnt choose an infinito?


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## adjtogo

I already have an Infinito I bought in late August of 2010. I've put nearly 3K on it since. I wanted something a little more aggressive for speed and interval training. 

The Infinito and Sempre feel completely different riding them. The Infinito doesn't handle as well as the Sempre due to the forks being a little longer with a taller top tube. The Sempre rolls smoother and handles much better turning and in the straightways. I can ride at a little faster pace on the Sempre than the Infinito. 

I'm entering in the Gran Fondo in Miami and will have a hard time deciding which bike to ride.


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## JaPPster

hello!
adjtogo, im in the mode of buying infinito, that will be my first road bike, im looking into infinito, cuz im affraid that if i buy something more aggresive like sempre, ill have back and neck issues, anyway i love to ride fast and loking for allrounder that can climb and race well, and be comfortable enough for my 100kg and 190cm.. any advice?
thank you! btw seen both your bianchis the look great!!:thumbsup:


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## adjtogo

I had the same thoughts and concerns as you when I decided to get back into cycling last year. I too, have neck and back problems. I have degenerated discs in the neck with narrowing of the disc space between vertabrae plus disc problems in my lower back. So, after riding a Giant Cypress DX Comfort bike as slow as a turtle for over a year and a half, I decided to go back to riding a road bike. The LBS I bought the Giant Cypress DX from also sells Bianchi bikes. I looked at the road bikes back in early March or April of 2010 and was still convinced at that time that I could not go back to riding a road bike as my regular doctor told me I shouldn't. So, looking around the shop and taking a few other hybrid bikes out for a ride, I decided to buy a Giant Rapid flat bar bike. The Rapid had a more upright riding position than most other hybrid bikes I've tried. I wanted to go faster than I could on the Cypress. After riding the Rapid for a few weeks, I found my hands were uncomfortable on the bars as I had very little options for hand placement. So, I took the bike back and got store credit. In May, I needed surgery on my right foot and couldn't ride for over three months. During my recovery, I decided to seek alternative health care for my neck and lower back. I went to massage therapy and saw a chiropractor. I also went to physical therapy and did some strength and stretching exercises. My back and neck felt better than ever. Toward the end of my recovery for the surgery on my foot, I visited the LBS once again as I knew it was getting close to where I could ride again. The LBS owner knew I wanted a road bike and he introduced me to the Infinito and explained the more upright geometry. I did some research online and read a lot of chat board reviews on the Infinito. Once I was cleared to ride, I took the bike home for a few days to test ride it. I found it to be the most comfortable road bike I've ever ridden. The geometry put me in a more upright position, which didn't bother my neck and lower back. So, I pulled the trigger and ordered one. After waiting for a week for it to arrive, I was custom fitted and was on my way. I gradually built up my speed and endurance and continued all therapy for my back. I found myself getting more flexible and more competetive. Within the past few months, I found myself wanted to ride in the drops more than on the hoods. I found myself pushing faster for longer periods of time. 

So, I started to think about buying another road bike about a month ago as I was thinking that if I could ride the Infinito in the drops, then I could ride a more aggressive road bike. I went back to the LBS and talked to the owner. I explained my situation to him and he immediately said the Sempre. I really was thinking Giant TCR Advanced more than the Sempre as I owned a TCR Advanced four years ago and liked it. I decided to borrow a Sempre he had there for a few days. I put nearly 100 miles on it in just three days. That bike was like a rocket compared to the cadillac I was riding. I didn't experience any pain in the back nor the neck area. I found the bike to be a natural fit as it was custom fit as well. 

I'm 100% satisfied with both the Infinito and the Sempre. They both have their purpose. The hardest part of my day is going to be which one to ride. I know I'll end up riding the Sempre every day for a while until I get settled in with a training schedule. Either way, I'm sure glad I bought Bianchi bikes rather than something else.

So, my recommendation would be to evaluate your back and neck situation first. Get medical help if you need it. After that, take an Infinito out for a test ride for a few days. Then take the Sempre out for a few days. Take some notes and buy the one you think fits your needs the best.

When I bought my Infinito, Bianchi had not yet come out with the Sempre. It was only rumored that Bianchi had a new model coming out, but no one had seen it yet. A few months after I bought my Sempre, my LBS had a surprise package delivered to them they weren't expecting. Yup...a Sempre!! I looked at it back in mid-September when they got it in. They quickly sold that one and had to wait a while for a new delivery. Now, they keep one for display and test rides at all times if possible. Many cyclists here have been buying them. Some are buying just the frame set and custom building them, while some like me, buy a complete bike. For me, I found the 105 mix to work just as well as the Ultegra 6700 on my Infinito. The 105 shifts just as quick as the Ultegra. I may/may not upgrade to Dura Ace later on, but right now, I'm just going to enjoy getting back on the bike.

For the saddle, I decided to swap out the Selle Italia San Marco saddle for a Selle Italia Turbomatic Gel Team Edition with the cutout in the middle. I test rode a few other saddles and found this one to suit me the best as my middle area was falling asleep plus my seat bones weren't happy with the Fizik my Infinito had. So both bikes now have the Selle Italia Turbomatic. And a bit of FYI that I didn't know until I bought the saddle, Jan Ulrich rode with that saddle for years.


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## JaPPster

wow adjtogo great review thank you for the time and effort you put into this 'article' . I really dont have back and neck issues as you, i was just trying to say that im affraid of them if i buy too aggresive positioned road bike, i currently own a trekking bike, love it, but deep inside i know that's not the real thing... i had specialized alles sport on test for a day, and was horrified how much effort you must put into braking on desends, compared to my hydraulic shimano xt brakes on my trekking, also sora/tiagra group worked as **** on it, sorry my french... the frame itself was quite stiff and racey, but way to agressive, for anything like comfy ride, maybe its just that im not used of riding positioned like that, and will come with miles? I drove friends cannondale six13 today, i absolutely love it, really handled well, stiff, and suprisingly comfortable enough, but still the position was puting some pain onto my wrists and neck after a while.. but i really like how it rocket away when i hamered down the pedals) so my dilema is that if i buy infinito, i will found out after a while, its not 'sporty' enough when ill get just to it..the same goes with sempre, i dont wanna find out its too painfull for me. i ride almost every day, mostly climbs, around 50-60km( sorry dont know how many miles that is) per ride, also test drive is not an option, so ill have to depend on you guys and your advices;-)
thank you again adjtogo, and sorry for any flaws in my language, i live in europe.
cheers,Simon:thumbsup:


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## kbwh

The differences between the Infinito and the Sempre are mainly two:
The Infinito handles slower, but feels a tad more stable than the Sempre.
The Infinito has a 2 cm taller head tube than the Sempre. (I, who use a 5mm spacer below the stem on my Infinito, would use a 25mm stack on a Sempre.)

Please note: The Sempre is not an "agressive" racing bike. If you want that try a Giant.

Very nice bike, adjtogo.


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## JaPPster

kbwh u sure thats all? what abot bat and kvid damping system infinito uses? this would be much easier, if i owned a road bike before..lol


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## adjtogo

Hey Simon,

Based on what I've read from your posts and concerns, I'd definitely say the Infinito would be a much better option for you just as it was for me when I bought it. With a custom fit, you shouldn't have any issues at all. Keep in mind, that other bike that belonged to your friend was set up for him. His body size is much different than yours. Also keep in mind that a carbon fiber frame is going to feel and react much better than an aluminum framed bike. 

Your toughest choice is going to be choosing a group set to fit your budget. In the US, Shimano built bikes are a lot less than Campy built bikes. In Europe, that's a different story. Campy equipped Bianchi bikes are less. Check out Evans Cycles in the UK and you'll see what I mean. Unfortunately, Evans will not ship Bianchi's to the USA anymore.

Good luck in your choice of bikes!


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## BeginnerCycling

Great looking bike!


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## kbwh

JaPPster said:


> kbwh u sure thats all? what abot bat and kvid damping system infinito uses? this would be much easier, if i owned a road bike before..lol


Didn't I write about the two Main Differences? 

True that the Infinito frame absorbs a bit more road buzz, but there's more in choosing the right wheels, tires and tire pressure.
Disclaimer: I'm a frameset kinda guy. Get a Celeste frameset, hang Campagnolo on it, seat and handlebars to preference, some proper wheelsets to choose from.

But: I'm quite sure that you'd love an Infinito, JaPPster.


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## Lolamunky

kbwh said:


> The differences between the Infinito and the Sempre are mainly two:
> The Infinito handles slower, but feels a tad more stable than the Sempre.
> The Infinito has a 2 cm taller head tube than the Sempre. (I, who use a 5mm spacer below the stem on my Infinito, would use a 25mm stack on a Sempre.)
> 
> Please note: The Sempre is not an "agressive" racing bike. If you want that try a Giant.
> 
> Very nice bike, adjtogo.


What would you say qualifies a Giant TCR over a sempre as aggressive....all the angles are about the same


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## JaPPster

great, thank you guys.. ill try to get some test ride of them both.


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## kbwh

The Giant has shorter wheel base, in particular the shortest chain stays you can get. There's also more quick handling built into the Giant fork geometry (neither Giant or Bianchi show their fork rakes), whereas the Sempre trades that for more straight line stability.

Not saying that the Giant is twitchy beyond rideability, though. Logged 500 km on one in four days in April, and I adapted during the first day.


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## 8weapons

I have a Sempre Veloce, pretty much the same except running Campy gear, just wondering where would you start to upgrade and save weight on that spec?
I cant find the weight of those wheels anywhere, apparently they are rebadged Maddux R5.1 wheels (??!!)


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## kbwh

A proper wheelset will be where I'd put my money. Those stock wheels are meh. Good for training.
Campagnolo Zonda is a winner, or maybe you could look into what Zen Cyclery can offer at a comparable price (if you're in the USA).


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## adjtogo

I'd probably start with the wheelset, however, I really am enjoyng the way it rides just the way it is.


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## cinelliguy

I am with kbwh on the wheelset, nice bike and I do bet it is just find riding now.


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## adjtogo

I'm changing out the tires tomorrow from the Vittoria tires to Conti Gatorskins as I've had two front flat tires the first two days of riding the bike. The Vittoria tires are not meant for the crap all over the roads here in Florida. Pick up trucks, dump trucks, and other pulled trailers are allowed to haul crap without a tarp covering, therefore, lots of junk gets dropped over nearly every road that I ride. I switched to Conti Gatorskins on my Infinito when I first bought it and have had just a few flats in nearly 2900 miles since the end of August.


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## adjtogo

Thank you!!


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## 8weapons

[anyone care to take a guess what these wheels weigh? maddux RX5.1 Lite apparently

Thinking Campy Shamal wheelset


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## Lolamunky

FYI you can mod out an Infinito to ride like a sempre if you wanted as well....I'll post pics of mine soon. 0SB FSA K-Force Light Seatpost.....-10 degree stem AND you can take 6-8mm off your stack height if you change the headset cap from cane creek or FSA. I went from 15.5mm to 9mm by reducing the cap and then dropped another 8mm by going from a -6 stem to a -10. I ride with my bars at the same height as if I ran a -6 on my via nirone with only 1 X 5mm spacer and the via nirone is a 20mm lower head tube.

The only caveat is you need to have a size thats on the small end like you would buy for a crit bike. I am 5'9" and ride a 53cm with a 135mm stem and both my infinto and via nirone handle like every other "crit" bike I have ridden including Tarmac and Orca. 

Seat tube angle only matters if you either have short femurs or are riding in TT bars...and steering tube angle only really matter in crazy tight turns and even then its more about your ability to turn than anything else.

Personally I love both the sempre and infinito....now if only they made a non SL version of the Oltre for under 3K for the frameset


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## adjtogo

I agree that you can modify the Infinito to have the same geometry as a Sempre, even though it would take a lot of work, but I wanted the best of both worlds, not just one and not just the other. I now have flexibility in the way I ride and train with both bikes as opposed to having just one. Next step...maybe a time trial bike...next year. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy riding both.


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## a_avery007

or long femurs and need more than 25mm of seback on your post and your saddle slammed all the way back


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## adjtogo

About to go out on the longest ride with the Sempre today, almost a 50 mile group ride. I've been on a few 30-35 mile rides this past week with it. I changed out the Vittoria tires for Conti Gatorskins. My Garmin Edge 500 w/cadence and heart rate monitor is now installed on the bike. I also changed out the bottle cages to Lezyne cages for now. I swapped them out for free at the LBS. Waiting on the Bianchi red/black cages to come in. 

Probably going to swap out the wide alloy handlebars for FSA compact carbon ones, just like the Infinito has within the next month or so.


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## BianchiTyler

*My Sempre 105*

I have just put blackburn carbon cages on it and am getting new Mavic ksyrium SL's put on Friday with pro3 race tires. I can't wait. I will post more pics with the Sl's probably Monday or Tuesday. 

Blackburn CF cages
Planetbikes- turboflash 1 watt
Cateye Strada Wireless computer
Cateye HL-EL 135 front light
Lizard Skins DSP premium bar tape
Ultegra 6700 pedals Silver
(coming soon) 
Mavic Ksyrium Sl Wheels
Michelin Pro3 Race tires


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## BianchiTyler

Oh, and I haven't had any problems with my Vittoria tires that came stock on the bike. I have put 600 miles on them so far and no flat. I am in Georgia.


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## tkmeister

My frame is in the same color. I love my Sempre. I think it has a nice F1 car look to it. I just finished upgrading components to Sram Force. I don't have enough post count to insert a photo yet. 

How are Pro3 tires? I am running Conti GrandPrix 24mm but want to find a good tires in red so I can match, oh, vanity...


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## adjtogo

I had Pro 3's on another bike. Good race tire, poor training tire. Too many flats led me to switch to Conti Gatorskins for all my bikes. My tires are all black, I don't know if they come in different colors.


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## psycholess

why did you post this? now i have to go buy one


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## adjtogo

Posted it to show what a beautuful, lean fast machine she is!! She's a pleasure to ride!!


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## tkmeister

Yes, she is beautiful. Here's mine. I need to do a proper photo shoot.


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## adjtogo

tkmeister said:


> Yes, she is beautiful. Here's mine. I need to do a proper photo shoot.


What bars do you have on your bike? They look different than the ones that came with it. They look like the FSA carbon ones I have on my Infinito.


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## tkmeister

adjtogo said:


> What bars do you have on your bike? They look different than the ones that came with it. They look like the FSA carbon ones I have on my Infinito.


FSA Wing Pro Compact. My bike doesn't have any of the spec parts since I got it as a frame only.


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## BianchiTyler

Here is a quick Mobile pic of my bike with the new Ksyrium Sl's


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## pickled

How do you find the sram force?


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## tkmeister

pickled said:


> How do you find the sram force?


I like Sram. It's got more responsive clicks on the shift and I prefer it over really mushy 105 I had before.


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## bottecchia_eja

adjtogo said:


> Just got back from the LBS to pick up my new Sempre I ordered a few weeks ago. I changed out the white bar tape for red.
> 
> 
> I had black bottle holders put on as well as getting the Polar black/white water bottles.
> 
> Black Ultegra 6700 pedals
> 
> Changed out the saddles.
> 
> Other than that, everything is stock.
> 
> I bought the 105/mix as I have a Celeste Infinito with full Ultegra 6700. I can swap out components if needed. I didn't have the extra bucks now to get any group set higher than the 105's, but I'm sure it will do me just fine.


Bellissima!


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## adjtogo

Recent upgrade by mechanical default. I replaced the front 105 derailer with an Ultegra. The 105 froze up and wouldn't shift during a ride. Took it to the LBS. They replaced it with another 105 under warranty. Rode that a short time, and it too froze up and wouldn't shift. The difference in price to upgrade from the 105 to Ultegra was only $19,85. I have about 600 miles on the bike now. Very nice!! I alternate riding the Sempre with the Infinito. I want to enter into the Gran Fondo Miami, and at first, I was thinking of riding the Sempre, but think the Infinito would do my body better with the longer wheel base and more upright geometry.


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## tkmeister

I did 70miles on my Sempre this past weekend. It was pretty comfortable and probably will try doing a century before the summer is over. If I had the Infinito, I would probably ride that for long distance. Choose the right tool for the right job.


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## Oncojeans

*Advice on Selle saddle fittings*

Hi - absolutely fabulous Sempre - congratulations.
I just bought one myself and want to replace the San Marco saddle with a Selle SMP Pro which I recently bought for my old Specialized, However, the rails in the Selle are wider set than those on the San Marco, and I can't get it to fit properly on the Sempre.
Any ideas, or am I just an idiot? Do I have to replace the seat bracket, or am I missing something?
All suggestions great fully received


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## Billy Boy

Now THAT is a reason to ride!!!


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## Billy Boy

Talk about jealous


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## kbwh

Oncojeans said:


> I just bought one myself and want to replace the San Marco saddle with a Selle SMP Pro which I recently bought for my old Specialized, However, the rails in the Selle are wider set than those on the San Marco, and I can't get it to fit properly on the Sempre.
> Any ideas, or am I just an idiot? Do I have to replace the seat bracket, or am I missing something?
> All suggestions great fully received


That's weird. Both the San Marco and the Selle SMP should conform to rail width spec. 
Anyway. I'd just squeeze the rails on the Pro inwards to make it fit the clamp.


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