# Mid 80's Bianchi Campione d'Italia



## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

picked up this bike last night. it's in fair condition, it's been sitting in a garage for a while. there's some rust in spots and a few nicks or scratches in the paint. The drivetrain is campagnolo nuovo record 6 spd, brakes/levers are modolos, and the crank is sugino. wheels are mavic MA40's. 

I'm still thinking about what i want to do with this bike. 1) it's in good enough condition to spot repair paint/frame blemishes, clean up the components, repack the hub/true the wheels, get new tires, and ride. or, 2) i could completely recondition and repaint the frame, update the components to modern 8/9/10 speed, space the drop outs for a modern wheelset. or a mix of these 2 options. this bike will probably be my commuter, but i'd also like for it to be Pretty. 

first thing is to take off the components and do a full inspection this weekend.


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## jumpjibe (Mar 3, 2008)

*our refurbished CDI (1987 model)*

To inspire your effort on the Campione you just picked up, I will try to attach some photos of ours. (Will need to resize the pix -- later.)

This one had a complete overhaul in early 2011 -- new cables (without changing the outside wraps), crank and hub rebuilds. One item not yet addressed is the original brake hoods.

A week later, another attempt at attaching some photos. There is no doubt that this is a Campione d'Italia, as I am the original owner & I know what the decal said. Chainstay is by far the worst of the paint repairs.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

very nice, that would be great!


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## nickillus (May 3, 2006)

That would be on my shortlist to do a restoration. Beautiful frame and celeste. How can you go wrong?


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## icemonkey (Sep 6, 2010)

Awesome bike! They are so good. I ride my '83 around 50 miles a week in the mountains and I love it. Your lucky, my cranks and hubs are Ofmega OX not Campy. Beautiful. I have some (Stem, Bars etc etc) spares floating around if you need anything pm me. One thing that saved me - I replaced the modolo sinterised pads with coolstop salmon (huge difference) but to get them out of the holders freeze them. The cold shrinks the pads and they fall out of the alloy without bending anything. GREAT BIKE


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

icemonkey said:


> Awesome bike! They are so good. I ride my '83 around 50 miles a week in the mountains and I love it. Your lucky, my cranks and hubs are Ofmega OX not Campy. Beautiful. I have some (Stem, Bars etc etc) spares floating around if you need anything pm me. One thing that saved me - I replaced the modolo sinterised pads with coolstop salmon (huge difference) but to get them out of the holders freeze them. The cold shrinks the pads and they fall out of the alloy without bending anything. GREAT BIKE


Not that charlox5 is unlucky, but odds are he has a Nuovo Racing same as you. The only components that don't seem to match are the Grand Sport (NR) derailleurs (which may have shown up on the 82 model), but his crank is an Ofmega with a Sugino crank bolt cover and I'll bet the hubs and headset are also Ofmega. As you know, it is still worth cleaning up and a solid performer.


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

My first real steel bike was an old Bianchi like that. Nice!

I think Option 1.


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## icemonkey (Sep 6, 2010)

Im fairly sure the components are all Campy Nuovo Record including the headset - its only the cranks and hubs that are Ofmega CX on the 83 - not that im complaining I just like symmetry. The hubs are great Charlox, and mine spin beautifully - in fact im so inspired im going for a ride!


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

icemonkey said:


> Im fairly sure the components are all Campy Nuovo Record including the headset - its only the cranks and hubs that are Ofmega CX on the 83 - not that im complaining I just like symmetry. The hubs are great Charlox, and mine spin beautifully - in fact im so inspired im going for a ride!


I did not mean to say your bike was a Nuovo Racing with the lower components, yours appears to be indeed a Campione d'Italia, what I was trying to point out was the Nuovo Grand Sport Derailleurs (front and back) on charlox5's bike make it appear it is a Nuovo Racing or other Bianchi model below the Campione d'Italia level.

Edit; Did a little more research the bike model is Allegro


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## icemonkey (Sep 6, 2010)

No problem - had a great ride to boot. Just love that bike, great color - often I find celeste a bit pale, the old celeste seems to have a touch more blue. Nice.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

onespeedbiker said:


> I did not mean to say your bike was a Nuovo Racing with the lower components, yours appears to be indeed a Campione d'Italia, what I was trying to point out was the Nuovo Grand Sport Derailleurs (front and back) on charlox5's bike make it appear it is a Nuovo Racing or other Bianchi model below the Campione d'Italia level.
> 
> Edit; Did a little more research the bike model is Allegro


more on this...a friend believes it's a nuova racing because of the drop outs. 

after my initial investigation here are some measurements and the S#.

S#: 3M 1044

Seat Tube Length *56.5	cm*
Top Tube Length (C-C)	*55	cm*
Headtube Length *145	mm*
Wheelbase Length * 105	cm*
Seat Tube Angle 
Fork Rake *43	mm*
Headtube Angle 
Chainstay Length *415	mm*
Bottom bracket Drop * 52	mm*
BB Shell width *68	mm*
Stem Length (C-C) *110	mm*
Stem Angle 
Seat Post Diameter * 27.2	mm*
Handlebar Diameter * 25.6	mm*
Stack * 545	mm*
Reach *482	mm*

Angle measurements forthcoming...

If it is downstream of the CdI, i don't mind too much. might mean that i overpaid, but it also makes it easier to strip, sandblast, and repaint the bike without worrying if i'm "destroying an original celeste painted bianchi." Speaking of paint, there's enough rusty spots where the paint was damaged along the top tube and elsewhere to make me think that i should strip/sandblast/repaint to get ahead of the rust. i do very much like this particular shade of celeste and would like if the paint mixers could match it pretty closely.


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## Maybeck (Sep 30, 2004)

charlox5 said:


> more on this...a friend believes it's a nuova racing because of the drop outs.


It is not a Campione 'd Italia frame. It is a Nuovo Alloro/Nuovo Racing or Rekord level frameset.

The CdI's were one level above this one with Campy drop-outs, no fender eyelets, and some chrome accents.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

yeah the consensus here and elsewhere is that it is an alloro, which means this thread should be titled differently, but has not as of right now.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

yeah the consensus here and elsewhere is that it is an alloro, which means this thread should be titled differently, but has not as of right now.


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

charlox5 said:


> yeah the consensus here and elsewhere is that it is an alloro, which means this thread should be titled differently, but has not as of right now.


Yes, but it's a real cool bike that needs to be cleaned up and ridden; don't you dare upgrade this bike, it is a classic retro that anyone would gladly own and/or ride. You may want to add some decals, which are available in black from Bianchi or ebay or more expensive blue from <a href="http://www.velocals.com/servlet/the-Bianchi-1960--dsh--1990/Categories">here</a>


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

onespeedbiker said:


> Yes, but it's a real cool bike that needs to be cleaned up and ridden; don't you dare upgrade this bike, it is a classic retro that anyone would gladly own and/or ride. You may want to add some decals, which are available in black from Bianchi or ebay or more expensive blue from <a href="http://www.velocals.com/servlet/the-Bianchi-1960--dsh--1990/Categories">here</a>


yeah, that's the current issue facing me right now. i've got a 7800 group lying around waiting to be used, or i can try my best to restore the original components in usable condition (from what i can tell). 

finally got the crankset off last night. required the help of my blowtorch, a 2-lb sledge, a gear puller, lots of cursing. I still haven't gotten the driveside BB-cup (would you call it a "cup" for an internal square taper BB?) and it's an annoying circular piece of metal with only 2 flat sides for a boxwrench of large-ish size to grip. and it's seized like hell and i don't have a proper way to get any real leverage on it yet....

the headset is also trashed. lots of rust and not a speck of grease left. i think it's an easy decision to go with the Tange 1" non-sealed headset at rivbike (though if people have other suggestions, i'd appreciate it. can i clean up the balls and bearing cups and regrease it? campagnolo headsets worth the extra money, aside from the campagnolo factor?). the stem is also quite funky, at least the portion that was inserted into the fork. a strange brown/white chalky substance on the stem bolt that doesn't look like oxidation of any form, the bottom of the stem looks pretty corroded, or is covered in corrosion from the steerer tube. i think the stem is salvageable, however--gotta clean it up first.

there's a healthy amount of rust on the interior of parts of the tubeset or in hard-to-access spots: head tube, BB shell, fender eyelets/brake mounts. can all of it be sandblasted off?


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

charlox5 said:


> yeah, that's the current issue facing me right now. i've got a 7800 group lying around waiting to be used, or i can try my best to restore the original components in usable condition (from what i can tell).
> 
> finally got the crankset off last night. required the help of my blowtorch, a 2-lb sledge, a gear puller, lots of cursing. I still haven't gotten the driveside BB-cup (would you call it a "cup" for an internal square taper BB?) and it's an annoying circular piece of metal with only 2 flat sides for a boxwrench of large-ish size to grip. and it's seized like hell and i don't have a proper way to get any real leverage on it yet....
> 
> ...


I hate to ask, but do you have the tools for this? Such as a crank puller? (the idea of using a sledge hammer on a crankarm makes me want to cry). If not don't try and force anything using makeshift tools. As far as the stuck bottom bracket cup goes, 1) there is a special tool for this <a href="http://www.parktool.com/product/crank-and-bottom-bracket-wrench-hcw-4"> Park </a>, most wrenches won't work. #2 remember this is an Italian bike meaning the bottom bracket does not have reverse threads. If the bearing surfaces are not pitted to badly they can be reused. I would recommend new ball bearings as they are very cheap and plentiful. Pretty much any steel bike is going to have rust inside the tubes; some obviously worse than others. Chromoly is surprising resistant to deep rust, but you need to inspect the frame for any bubbling under the paint or cracks. Other wise I've heard of pouring fine pea gravel into the frame to knock off the rust and then it's never to late for frame saver.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

haha i got this lecture elsewhere this morning.

getting the driveside crank arm off was a bit of a struggle. I attempted it with a gear puller (from the collection of automotive tools i have in the garage). The Non-drive side was simple enough. plucked off the arm without much drama. Probably because the symmetrical exterior of the crank arm gave the gear puller a nice even surface to pull on. 

but the drive side wasn't as easy. the webbing of the crank arms made for an uneven, non-symmetrical surface to pull on, and while I could exert pressure on the square taper behind the crankset, it wasn't enough.

overnight soak in PB blaster didn't do much either. at which point, i grabbed the blowtorch and slowly heated the crank arm to see if the heat would work it loose. still no dice with the gear puller. at which point, I took the bolt that threaded into the square taper and secures the crankset, threaded it halfway, secured the frame, and gave the bolt a gentle tap with the 2-lb sledge. popped out without much of a fight. 

people might think i got the crank redhot or was trying to plasma cut my way through it, but i made sure to heat it slowly and keep the temps low enough to prevent any damage to the aluminum. having re-shaped a few kickstarters in my time, it was orders of magnitude less BTU than is required to get a kickstarter hot enough to bend. and i know steel is not AL and AL may be more sensitive to heating, but think "heatgun on steroids"

the "fixed cup" (courtesy of bianchigirll on BF) may get outsourced to the LBS. the bearings in the BB looked pretty trashed. the adjustable cup bearing race looked pretty cruddy, the fixed cup side doesn't look much better. there's an ever present rust-old grease-pb blaster slurry that's residing in my bb shell that i need to clean out and take a better look at the races. 

anyway, regarding the "proper" tools, i've destroyed enough motorcycle and car parts over the years to know when i'm overdoing it now (i hope). I just tend to think that once you get something that's seized, it's seized. you can go with heat, leverage, the BFH, or the dremel and hope for the best. i'm aware that bike parts are probably more delicate than car or moto parts, but i think i've learned to be gentle.

any opinions on oxacylic acid or electrolysis? i don't think there's any terminal rust problems, looks superficial, but i'd like to be sure before i dive into refinishing. 

thanks for your input!


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

charlox5 said:


> haha i got this lecture elsewhere this morning.
> 
> getting the driveside crank arm off was a bit of a struggle. I attempted it with a gear puller (from the collection of automotive tools i have in the garage). The Non-drive side was simple enough. plucked off the arm without much drama. Probably because the symmetrical exterior of the crank arm gave the gear puller a nice even surface to pull on.
> 
> ...


I know nothing of oxacylic acid or electrolysis, but there are some cool processes out there that may work. As far as using the right tools, you'll be lucky of you didn't trash your crank; it's the price one pays for bike repair tuition  Hopefully I'm wrong, but heating an aluminum crank will adversely effects the heat treatment and the square taper interface. Also aluminum does not turn red, but it heats from the inside out, so one minute your heating a crank and the next you have molten aluminum; aluminum's melting point is half that of chromoly). If you are going to rebuild a bike you will need a few bike specific tools or you'll be paying a much higher tuition. With a steel frame, seized is rarely seized. If you have the proper tools and a little patients you R&R any part on a bicycle using only the proper tools (maybe a length of pipe for leverage) some penetrating oil. BTW, think Campy Nuovo Gran Sport; these parts are still affordable, look and work great!

edit:
Looked up oxacylic acid (OX) and it seems to be some nasty stuff; many say distilled white vinegar works just as well.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

I cleaned up the headset and once all the old grease was blasted away, it doesn't look too bad. the races aren't pitted and the bearing cages look fine. thankfully, i think it's in good enough condition to re-use, since i was having a philosophical dilemma regarding a replacement (tange vs. campag vs. cost?)

I also had a chance to weigh things on the new Harbor Freight hanging scale. I'm sure it's fairly inaccurate as far as scales go, but it was interesting to see how much things weigh.

The Bianchi frame and headset races weighed ~5.36 lbs. the fork was about 1.66 lbs. mavic MA-40 27" front wheel with unknown tire/tube ~1600 grams, IIRC. I suppose i could get into weighing all the components too, and comparing their weight to modern groups if people are interested, but imo, i'm not too concerned with a couple pounds here and there. 

I'm out of town this weekend, otherwise i'd start the process of stripping the existing paint. and rust removal. I don't want to get too deep into a chemical process like acid dips, since disposal is always tricky, so i think i'll try vinegar or electrolysis (which produces a iron rich byproduct that is supposed to be good for lawns). 

any opinions on cold spreading techniques? I've read the sheldon brown article regarding cold spreading and would like you guys' real world opinions on the deed.


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## graymoment (Jul 1, 2011)

Great bike. I can't wait to see the pics of it all cleaned up and put back together again.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

It's about time I updated this thread.

When I last left you all i was still in the process of removing equipment and de-rusting. I eventually got the bottom bracket out, as well as the headset and everything else. I de-greased and subjected the frame to a electrolysis solution and de-rusted it. Dewatered the frame, primed it, and am currently working on spraying it celeste in my PVC pipe constuction DIY paint booth. I had a paint shop paint match the original shade of celeste, as it was in the pictures above (since "celeste" changes from era to era), and i'm spraying the frame with an acrylic enamel. I'm filling in any engraved places on the frame (seat stay "B's", and the fork crown "B's") with a metallic gold paint infill. I just ordered the decal set for a 80's Nuova Racing from velocals and using whatever decals are applicable for my alloro, and i'm planning spraying the bike with a 2-part clear. All in all, I'm excited about how the frame is going to look when finished. 

on the component side, i sourced a 10speed Centaur group. I'm trying to figure out a way to get silver brake levers on the brifters/commands vs. the black levers that are on them now. The crankset is mostly silver (with a somewhat unsightly campagnolo badge on the drive side crank arm). rear derailleur isn't silver enough either, wondering if i can trade for a 10sp campagnolo RD that doesn't have that carbon arm on it. I saved all of the original 3TTT stem/bars and the original headset and seatpost. I'm planning on polishing all of those pieces to get a nice lustrous finish (hence my preference for all silver components) that i think will look great contrasted against the rest of the bike. 

the wheels are the only additional item i have yet to acquire. I don't have any campagnolo 10 compatible wheels in the garage that will go with this bike, so i'm planning on building a set of wheels specifically for this bike. I thought about going with late 90's era Zonda/Shamal/Atlanta 96--but at the cost of buying those wheels, then converting the freehub to work with campagnolo 10, it'd be more than i'm willing to pay. Instead, i'll try to build an aluminum, silver/polished, aero profile wheelset on my own, using XR-380's, and hubs from bikehubstore. Since XR-380's are difficult/impossible to find in silver, i'm going to have to strip the black anodizing from the wheels, then polish the aluminum. 

so far the critical path is paint, then wheelset. everything else should be a breeze! i'd really like to find a pantographed bianchi stem to use on this build, if anyone has any leads on one.


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## davcruz (Oct 9, 2007)

If I had known you needed that stem I could have saved the one I sold with my too small 86 Giro about 4 months ago. Nice little 100mm Panto Bianchi stem.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

ah damn, that sucks. I'm sure one will turn up eventually...I can always put one on later.


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## icemonkey (Sep 6, 2010)

Hmmmm. 90mm stem? I may have one. I may need kidney or liver transplant, what blood group are you? pm me.


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## triumph.1 (Jun 21, 2011)

I just found this thread. Do you have update pictures, looks like a cool project. I just picked up an 85 campione and it will be here in the morning via fed ex.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

i've been so bad about taking pictures, which is a shame, but once the weekend rolls around and I can get some painting done, i'll snap some.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

nothing exciting but a pic from the weekend









primed and waiting for paint. i've got a strada LX frame that i'm currently prepping for a new celeste paint job alongside this frame so i didn't get to actual spraying yet. setting up my paint booth and mixing and all that stuff is such a pain, might as well bang it out at the same time. 

you can't see it in the picture, but the seat stays and fork crown engravings have been filled with gold paint, and masked with some putty ("bluestick" putty, which i found in a drawer in my garage. we'll see how it works out, i thought about using silicone or bondo, but worried about getting either one out of the negative space cleanly.


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## Ecrevisse (Sep 27, 2011)

Maybeck said:


> It is not a Campione 'd Italia frame. It is a Nuovo Alloro/Nuovo Racing or Rekord level frameset.
> 
> The CdI's were one level above this one with Campy drop-outs, no fender eyelets, and some chrome accents.


It looks earlier than mid 80's.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

Ecrevisse said:


> It looks earlier than mid 80's.


i think using the serial #'s we've determined that it's an '83. 

got around to finally putting my makeshift paint booth together last night (sch 40 PVC + 1 mil sheeting + duct tape + box fan + filter) so as soon as i'm done prepping this bike's cheaper cousin (a Strada LX frame i bought for $15), we're ready to spray some celeste. 

I also got the original seatpost, bars, and stem out to prep them for polish. The 3TTT bars/stem are anodized, so i'll have to strip the anodizing before polishing. The seatpost polished up really nicely to a semi-lustrous satin after a quick effort with some 1500 grit, 2000 grit, and aluminum polish. Not sure if i want a mirror finish or more of a satin--too polished might be a little too ostentatious, since i plan on stripping and polishing the rims i eventually buy to match the bars/stem. 

Sadly, the seatpost has some really deep gouges in the back--sanding them out isn't possible without removing a lot of metal, so i'll have either have to look at it as a little bit of patina from the bike's former life, or get a new seatpost.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

Polished up the seatpost last night. 

During sanding









Final Product









Started with some 220 grit and wetsanded out the milled finish. The seatpost is a SR Laprade, which is disappointing because it's not Campagnolo, but then again, it kept me from feeling bad about molesting the piece. Moved onto 400, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grits, and finished it with an aluminum polish. The finish isn't as bright as possible, but has a really nice satin-y sheen, which is what I was looking for. 

Aircraft stripper didn't pwninate the anodizing on my stem as well as i thought it would, so i'm going to try again with some lye. I'd like to get stem/bars to the same satin finish.


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## Drummerboy1975 (Mar 14, 2012)

Beautiful!


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

Some more polishing last night.
Before








After









Lye really does a number on anodizing. A few less steps on the sanding last night. 220 > 400 > 1000 > 1500 > 2000 > polish. The dremel + polishing wheel made getting the curves and nooks/crannies much easier than by hand. The results are ok, but there's some sanding scratches i missed, and I'm starting to think that the brighter the shine on these parts, the better. Once I have time to set up my new bench grinder for polishing, i'm going to go nuts.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

a progress update:



















Bike is now painted, decal'd, and primed. Got a set of decals from velocals for a nuovo racing and used 70% of the set. Fitted most of the campagnolo centaur group to the bike, but, still need to mount the brakes. I made a thread elsewhere, but basically, modern recessed brake nuts + 80's steel frame requires some drill work and some jiggering. you've seen the work i've done on the stem and seatpost. Saddle is a honey suede San Marco Regal. Leather bar tape for the bars. 

does anyone think that the old school bar shape + modern commands looks a little awkward? my jury is still out on that. i have a separate thread in W&T about the kinlin XR380 wheelset i built for this bike https://forums.roadbikereview.com/wheels-tires/first-wheelset-build-feedback-appreciated-273710.html, tires will be Vredestein fortezza duo comp gumwalls in 700x25c. 

Now that i'm nearing the end, i'm very excited to RIDE this thing. i realize i've put a lot of effort into this build, and regret some mistakes i've made here and there (mostly with the paint job--clumsiness kills!) but i never intended for this to be a 10/10 example of my (un)formidable skillset. mainly i wanted it to be pretty, and ride nice, and I think i've mostly accomplished that. anyway, 100% completion pictures and the first ride should be very exciting for me.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

also, forgive the hell hole that is my garage. ever since i broke down my paint booth and opened boxes and boxes of parts, i've been too lazy about tidying up. once these last 3 projects i've got in the backlog are done (this one, my MTB you can see in the background, and a strada LX commuter built from a $15 fame and spare parts) the garage will be completely overhauled (epoxy floor, drywall/insulation, LIGHTING!!, tankless water heater, etc etc)


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

This is gonna be nice! :thumbsup:


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## manimalsteel (Jun 7, 2012)

update? progress so far looks great


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

been riding the bike to and from work, but yesterday was the official maiden voyage of this build. 44 miles from the Anaheim Pond to bolsa chica and back (SART/PCH). It rides beautifully. 










A short pitstop at Dog Beach to snap a crappy cell-phone pic and take a break from fighting the sea breeze.

The fenders should be going on this week (hammered VO fenders) and I'm debating going brooks in honey for the saddle and the bar tape. it bothers me that the bar tape and the saddle don't match very well--but a B17 and brooks bar tape aren't cheap. Need to re-position the shifters and re-wrap the bars too. 

Here's the final build list:
83 nuovo alloro repainted celeste
campagnolo centaur groupset w/ compact cranks and 12-27 cassette
gieppeme headset
3ttt stem and bars (original)
Sakae fluted seatpost 
Custom Polished Kinlin XR-380 28 radial/28 2x, BHS wide front hub/Superlight rear, sapim laser spokes
700c x 25 Conti GP4000S 
San Marco Regal 
Nashbar leather bar tape
speedplay X5 pedals
VO braided steel cable housing

My poor Ti bike is probably going to get neglected for a while! I haven't done a final accounting, but the overall cost of this build will probably depress me a little. Off the top of my head, I think I spent about $1500 all told--most of it going to the groupset and the wheel build.


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

You said you got the bottom brackett out?

For future reference if the drive side threaded part is seized you can leave it on, just clean it up from the inside/other side and put the new bearings and grease in with frame on its side, non drive side up. I did this with my old Bottecchia and rebuilt crank spins like a dream!


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

BacDoc said:


> You said you got the bottom brackett out?
> 
> For future reference if the drive side threaded part is seized you can leave it on, just clean it up from the inside/other side and put the new bearings and grease in with frame on its side, non drive side up. I did this with my old Bottecchia and rebuilt crank spins like a dream!


yeah i eventually got it out with the help of my bench vise, leverage, and some penetrating grease. Installed a centaur ultra-torque BB after facing the BB.


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## davcruz (Oct 9, 2007)

I think it turned out great and I look forward to higher quality pictures. Love the old Bianchi bikes!

How do you like the Regal? Have you ever ridden a Rolls and if so would you call them similar? I bought a Rolls and it will not work for me, can you say numb nuts. I like the Regal and was thinking of trying that but don't want to throw another $120 away on a saddle that may not work for me, I even sprang for the Ti rails on the Rolls....50 miles on the saddle and no way it will work. I am bummed, thing looks new.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

davcruz said:


> I think it turned out great and I look forward to higher quality pictures. Love the old Bianchi bikes!
> 
> How do you like the Regal? Have you ever ridden a Rolls and if so would you call them similar? I bought a Rolls and it will not work for me, can you say numb nuts. I like the Regal and was thinking of trying that but don't want to throw another $120 away on a saddle that may not work for me, I even sprang for the Ti rails on the Rolls....50 miles on the saddle and no way it will work. I am bummed, thing looks new.


thanks! i've got some plans for a proper photoshoot, hopefully next weekend. 

I've never ridden a rolls, so i'm not sure how it compares to the regal, but the regal is fairly comfortable for me. It's still breaking in and my sit bones are used to a different saddle, so i get a little bit of hot butt if i don't give my sit bones a rest by changing positions, but all in all it's a comfortable saddle. I do feel more pressure on my perineum with this saddle than with my other (which has a cut out), but it's not painful.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

some hi-res pictures from a photoshoot in long beach yesterday.


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## icemonkey (Sep 6, 2010)

Wonderful job mate. Really looks the biz.


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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

davcruz said:


> How do you like the Regal? Have you ever ridden a Rolls and if so would you call them similar? I bought a Rolls and it will not work for me, can you say numb nuts. I like the Regal and was thinking of trying that but don't want to throw another $120 away on a saddle that may not work for me.


I rode a Regal for a decade back in the day. I swore by it. I kept it so long it went from being in fashion, to old fashion, to retro fashionable again. Wide, rather flat back, with a narrow mid section. However, I have since switched to Rolls. Similar overall shape, but slightly more rounded back with a more substantial mid section. There is also more padding on the Rolls. The Regals are quite hard but the shell does give some in the middle. My Regal and two Rolls I have are real, all leather 80s/early 90s saddles. I found both Rolls as NOS a few years back. The re-issues you can buy today are the same shape and mold except I have noticed changes in material and amount of padding. Make sure if you go that route, you're getting real leather. I have seen some synthetic material used on the new saddles which, IMHO, is just not the same.


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

Well done and those Kinlin rims look great on your Bianchi!

Ninja polishing skills too! Which I had the patience for that.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

BacDoc said:


> Well done and those Kinlin rims look great on your Bianchi!
> 
> Ninja polishing skills too! Which I had the patience for that.


thanks, i really like how the wheels turned out. i didn't quite get to a mirror finish--up close there's some sanding marks, but it was pretty awkward getting the wheels on the bench grinder/buffing wheels, but looks good enough to me.


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