# First Road Bike Ever: I Went With Bianchi



## skhan007 (May 18, 2012)

Several guys on this forum helped point me in the right direction with choosing my first road bike. I had a short list of about 4 different brands/models and after going out, test riding, going to different shops, dealing with different salesmen, and doing my homework on this forum and manufacturers sites, I went with a 2011 Bianchi Sempre. 

It all turned out so well and I had a great experience with the LBS. Took her out for 15 miles today and it was great! Coming from the background of primarily being a mountain biker, I felt like I went from driving a pickup truck to a Porsche. 

Am I officially in "Club Bianchi" now? I think I'm going to be in great company with you all!:thumbsup:

Cheers!


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## slitespd (Nov 2, 2004)

Very nice!!! Enjoy the ride. My 1st road bike was a Bianchi too but
not that nice. Way back them they didn't make them like that.


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## iclypso (Jul 6, 2011)

I had to adjust my monitor settings - for some reason that Bianchi appears black rather than celeste  I joke, I joke...that's really a great looking machine and, having done your homework, I'm sure you'll enjoy it infinitely more than if you just picked the first shiny thing the LBS put in front of you. What were the deciding factors in your decision? Did you go through a professional fitting?


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## Tantivious Todd (Feb 13, 2012)

Beautiful machine! Congratulations on the purchase.


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## Lolamunky (Jul 28, 2010)

very nice....now replace the wheels....never ride stock wheels. Every time you ride stock wheels god kills a kitten, think about the kittens.....


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Lolamunky said:


> very nice....now replace the wheels....never ride stock wheels.


Excellent advice if you're a bike snob. 
For the remaining 99% of cyclists... ride those wheels and enjoy! :thumbsup:


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## Tantivious Todd (Feb 13, 2012)

Lolamunky speaks the truth. Reparto Corse wheels are great looking and really complement the appearance of the bike, but they are a bit heavy. Which, I suppose, doesn't really matter unless you are racing or want to be competitive on group rides. 

Rest easy in the fact that your bike is a wonderful performer out of the box, so just ride the thing and save your pennies for lighter wheels if you are the type that upgrades. If not, glow with the notion that you have a great bike that looks fantastic.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Tantivious Todd said:


> Lolamunky speaks the truth. Reparto Corse wheels are great looking and really complement the appearance of the bike, but they are a bit heavy. Which, I suppose, doesn't really matter unless you are racing or want to be competitive on group rides.


 Not the truth if you're not a snob or not racing. 
Plus you contradict Lolamunky since he says "never ride stock wheels" and you say it doesn't really matter.


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## Bianchi-67 (Mar 3, 2012)

Congratulations. Great looking bike. I have a six month old Bianchi VN7. Wish I had a Sempre though. I think the wheels and tyres need to be upgraded IMHO. Enjoy the ride.


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## Tantivious Todd (Feb 13, 2012)

tlg said:


> Not the truth if you're not a snob or not racing.
> Plus you contradict Lolamunky since he says "never ride stock wheels" and you say it doesn't really matter.


Okay. Whatever. At the risk of being drawn into a semantics argument, there was no contradiction because an exception was stated after the word "unless", as is usual in the English language. 

We were all being friendly here. Lolamunky's statement was tongue-in-cheek. Go troll other threads to burn snobs on your stake.

To the OP: Again, I say, fantastic bike. I am envious of it even in its stock form. I really love the blue that comes on this bike as well.


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## jazzbolicious (Oct 12, 2011)

Wow, that's a pretty nice first road bike! I think you made the right choice here, since you'll be able to resist the urge to upgrade for a lot longer. I bought a bottom of the line Giant OCR back in 2007, and have upgraded several times since then. Would have saved a lot of money by going all-in right off the bat like you did! Congrats!


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Tantivious Todd said:


> At the risk of being drawn into a semantics argument, there was no contradiction because an exception was stated after the word "unless", as is usual in the English language.


Oh sheesh. Yea play semantics. He said "never ride stock wheels". You said "doesn't really matter unless...". Per the english language anything less then never is a contradiction of what he said. 



> Lolamunky's statement was tongue-in-cheek.


 Was it? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't necessarily read that way. Especially to perhaps some newbie who just spent a lot of money on a bike and now has to wonder what's wrong with his wheels. 

Simply stating "never ride stock wheels" or "I think the wheels need to be upgraded" without an explanation, is quite frankly aweful advice. 
Probably since the explanation would indicate that there's no justification to do so. 



> We were all being friendly here. Lolamunky's statement was tongue-in-cheek. *Go troll other threads to burn snobs on your stake*.


 I suppose that's how you try to be friendly


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## Lolamunky (Jul 28, 2010)

Tongue and cheeck, but still somewhat serious...its not a snob thing. You paid almost 3K for a bike and then wont spend $300 more for wheels that will impact the feel of the bike more than the frame?

If I had to choose between a $500 frame and $2000 wheels vs $2000 frame with stock RC wheels I would take the cheap frame with the good wheels because you will enjoy the ride and be faster with better wheels than frame......not being a snob, its physics. If your wheels are heavy at the rim and flex your ride will feel terrible comparatively.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Lolamunky said:


> Tongue and cheeck, but still somewhat serious...its not a snob thing. You paid almost 3K for a bike and then wont spend $300 more for wheels that will impact the feel of the bike more than the frame?


Really? $300 wheels are going to impact the feel of the bike? Not going to happen. 

That would be money wasted since if he had $300 more to spend, it is always better to put it into the new bike rather than upgrades.



> If your wheels are heavy at the rim and flex your ride will feel terrible comparatively.


 First off, there's no correlation to heavy wheels and flex so that's irrelevant. Actually, light wheels are more likely to flex.
If your wheels are heavy, you might add a few seconds to your ride time. Hardly justification to rush out and buy new wheels.


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## Lolamunky (Jul 28, 2010)

1. Vuelta 1450g ALU clinchers can be purchased for about $300...the hubs/rims/stiffness are all MASSIVE improvements over RC wheels. There is NO UPGRADE on a bike that will improve your ride more than your wheels/tires.

2. Heavy does not mean flex less and either does light weight. Flex is based on the quality of the material and the spoke count/type. Reparto Course wheels are particularly heavy and flexy because they are cheap. When you buy a stock bike you are buying a frame and a groupset....the rest of the bike is filler so you can ride it home before making major changes. 

3. I'm going to try and find you the math so you can see the effect of rim weight vs rolling resistance so you can see what I am talking about. Without citation I can tell you that at low speeds (below 18mph'ish) you are looking at 25% resistance from wind and 75% rolling resistance from your weight + bike + force needed to move the wheels. Above 24mph it reverses and its 75% wind. IF you are doing TTs wheel weight doesnt matter and you want aero qualities.....most other types of riding the weight of the rime/tires/tubes will determine the ride quality more than any other piece of equipment on the bike.

4. Get 1500g or lighter wheels and put Mich Pro3's with lightweight Mich tubes...you will lighten your bike by almost 2 full pounds at the end of the wheels where rolling resistance is highest. If you cant immediately feel the difference then check yourself for nerve damage


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## T K (Feb 11, 2009)

Jeez! The guy is all pumped about his new ride, can he just enjoy it for a bit? Skhan007, don't get caught up in the great wheel debate. Ride those wheels till they fall off. By then you'll know enough about what you need to make a wise new wheel choice. Congrats and just go enjoy your new bike.


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## skhan007 (May 18, 2012)

Lolamunky said:


> 1. Vuelta 1450g ALU clinchers can be purchased for about $300...the hubs/rims/stiffness are all MASSIVE improvements over RC wheels. There is NO UPGRADE on a bike that will improve your ride more than your wheels/tires.
> 
> 2. Heavy does not mean flex less and either does light weight. Flex is based on the quality of the material and the spoke count/type. Reparto Course wheels are particularly heavy and flexy because they are cheap. When you buy a stock bike you are buying a frame and a groupset....the rest of the bike is filler so you can ride it home before making major changes.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this advice and all other recommendations! Yes, I'm a newbie, but looking forward to learning. I'm in no rush and I'm not competing on the bike, so I'm happy to take all this information and do my homework on what will be a wise use of my funds to upgrade the bike. 

Deciding factors: Ultimately, I rode MANY really nice bikes and the Bianchi rode as well as the other brands/models and since it was a 2011, it was on clearance. I like Shimano shifting over SRAM (which was fine too, but I've been used to Shimano after 12 years of mountain biking). Last and certainly not least, I felt the LBS that was selling the Bianchi went really above & beyond to help me. I did a pro fitting and the bike technician went out on a series of test rides with me, making tweaks back at the shop in between. He probably spent an hour with me just riding and tweaking. REALLY great service.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Lolamunky said:


> 1. Vuelta 1450g ALU clinchers can be purchased for about $300...the hubs/rims/stiffness are all MASSIVE improvements over RC wheels. There is NO UPGRADE on a bike that will improve your ride more than your wheels/tires.


You're under the assumption that there's something wrong with the OP's ride. I haven't heard him complain. "Improve" your ride is very subjective.



> When you buy a stock bike you are buying a frame and a groupset....the rest of the bike is filler so you can ride it home before making major changes.


Utter B.S. 
If that were even remotely true, bikes wouldn't come with wheels. Since most people don't "ride it home". They pick up their bikes with their cars. 



> 3. I'm going to try and find you the math so you can see the effect of rim weight vs rolling resistance so you can see what I am talking about. Without citation I can tell you that at low speeds (below 18mph'ish) you are looking at 25% resistance from wind and 75% rolling resistance from your weight + bike + force needed to move the wheels.


Oh please... save the lighter wheels make you go faster argument for another thread. And even so, if you're not racing... a few extra seconds on your ride means absolutely nothing. 



> 4. Get 1500g or lighter wheels and put Mich Pro3's with lightweight Mich tubes...you will lighten your bike by almost 2 full pounds at the end of the wheels where rolling resistance is highest.


 Now we're changing wheels, tires and tubes.  Lets just tell the OP to get a new bike while he's at it. Look how miserable he is riding his "tank".
"Took her out for 15 miles today and it was great!"


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## skhan007 (May 18, 2012)

T K said:


> Jeez! The guy is all pumped about his new ride, can he just enjoy it for a bit? Skhan007, don't get caught up in the great wheel debate. Ride those wheels till they fall off. By then you'll know enough about what you need to make a wise new wheel choice. Congrats and just go enjoy your new bike.


Thanks!

I appreciate what everyone is saying here- You guys are trying to help me understand info about my bike and possible upgrades, including wheels. It's all good. 

I'm buying everyone a virtual beer now. Let's all be happy, get off the internet, and get on our bikes!:thumbsup:


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

skhan007 said:


> Thanks for this advice and all other recommendations! Yes, I'm a newbie, but looking forward to learning. I'm in no rush and I'm not competing on the bike, so I'm happy to take all this information and do my homework on what will be a wise use of my funds to upgrade the bike.


 Good! Ride your bike and enjoy it. Don't let people imply that there's anything wrong with it or that you need to change anything.

If you're happy that's all that matters. If/when you're not happy, then look at making changes.


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## T K (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks for the beer! It's hot here. Been painting the house. Outside is yellow, but I did paint the bathroom *Celeste*. Tee hee!


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## Lolamunky (Jul 28, 2010)

@TLG

My advice is intended to help someone new to road cycling to enjoy his purchase more than if he left all the components stock. If I hadnt been educated about the difference wheels/tires make I would have thought my Infinito I got years ago was a clunker because the Fulcrum 7's were so terrible compared to the light weight wheels I put on a year after buying it. 

The "ride it home" was figurative for starters, I dont even need to address that.

Lighter wheels are not about shaving seconds off your best times, they IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE RIDE WHICH IS WHY YOU'RE ON THE BIKE TO BEGIN WITH. I cant make that any more clear.

Tires/tubes are the cheapest upgrades for any bike and have a MASSIVE impact on ride quality. I dont even need to qualify this because its so commonly known and well accepted.....again not about improving performance, this is good advice simply based on the improvement in ride quality you will experience.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Lolamunky said:


> My advice is intended to help someone new to road cycling to enjoy his purchase more than if he left all the components stock.


Well your first comment was simply "....now replace the wheels....never ride stock wheels".
That's not helpful at all. To anyone.



> The "ride it home" was figurative for starters, I dont even need to address that.


Which doesn't change the fact that "the rest of the bike is filler so you can ..... make major changes" is utter B.S. Very few cyclists ever upgrade their wheels. Yet they're out there riding and enjoying their bikes. Go figure. 



> Lighter wheels are not about shaving seconds off your best times, they IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE RIDE WHICH IS WHY YOU'RE ON THE BIKE TO BEGIN WITH. I cant make that any more clear.


This is totally subjective. Lighter wheels alone are not indicative of better ride quality. 
And if the rider already enjoys the ride quality? The OP seems to be enjoying it just fine. 
My wheels are stock. Kinda on the heavy side too. I have no intention or need to upgrade them. The ride quality is great.

Unlike you who thought your Infinito was a clunker, the OP doesn't seem to think his is. You're proposing solutions to a problem he doesn't seem to have. 


> Tires/tubes are the cheapest upgrades for any bike and have a MASSIVE impact on ride quality.


No argument that tires/tubes are the cheapest bang for the buck. 
But "MASSIVE"... just more subjectiveness.


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## scorchedearth (Mar 22, 2012)

My first road bike after many years of mountain biking is also a Bianchi. It is a wonderful machine and I love every moment on her. I went out with a local group of roadies yesterday and got humbled nicely.

But I'll be back next week anyway


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## KM1.8T (Aug 11, 2007)

Congrats, probably not your last. Enjoy.


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## skhan007 (May 18, 2012)

KM1.8T said:


> Congrats, probably not your last. Enjoy.


You're probably right! I'll enjoy the heck out of this one, but then I see myself amassing more knowledge from all you guys here, then upgrading parts. 

I also keep having thoughts of "should I have bought the [insert other brand/model here] for $[insert several hunderd to thousand here] more?" I keep telling myself that I should be happy for now and I did well with the price.


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

T K said:


> Jeez! The guy is all pumped about his new ride, can he just enjoy it for a bit? Skhan007, don't get caught up in the great wheel debate. Ride those wheels till they fall off. By then you'll know enough about what you need to make a wise new wheel choice. Congrats and just go enjoy your new bike.


Word!

SKHAN007, great bike. Thanks for sharing...now get your arse out the door, ride your new bike and stop reading posts. 

Peace out!


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## Lolamunky (Jul 28, 2010)

Just so you know your frame just came in 5th in the Tour of California against riders on bikes with frames costing 3X as much. The Sempre is a bonified race frame at a mid level cost.....just get rid of those wheels and you have a pro level bike.


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

Lolamunky said:


> Just so you know your frame just came in 5th in the Tour of California against riders on bikes with frames costing 3X as much. The Sempre is a bonified race frame at a mid level cost.....just get rid of those wheels and you have a pro level bike.


Fabio did a great job riding his Sempre. On stage 7 (Ontario to Mt. Baldy) Sempres took 2d and 3d places. 

I think they rode Impulsos on Paris-Roubaix.


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## skhan007 (May 18, 2012)

Lolamunky said:


> Just so you know your frame just came in 5th in the Tour of California against riders on bikes with frames costing 3X as much. The Sempre is a bonified race frame at a mid level cost.....just get rid of those wheels and you have a pro level bike.


Wow, that is amazing. Very cool to know!

I am very much enjoying the bike and just came back from another smooth 15 miler. Going to do 25 miles on Sunday. 

Tell me what you guys recommend for wheels/tires in terms of upgrades. I'm not looking to do this immediately, but definitely intersted in learning what would make a great bike even better-- this is a good education. I am taking TK's advice from an earlier post and NOT getting caught up in any wheel debates. But I know that as a newbie, there's a lot for me to learn as well.


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## KM1.8T (Aug 11, 2007)

You can go crazy on wheel prices and selection. Just look for a nice set aroung 1500grams or so and you will notice the difference. Good luck and the best wheels are the ones you like.


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

skhan007 said:


> Wow, that is amazing. Very cool to know!
> 
> I am very much enjoying the bike and just came back from another smooth 15 miler. Going to do 25 miles on Sunday.
> 
> Tell me what you guys recommend for wheels/tires in terms of upgrades. I'm not looking to do this immediately, but definitely intersted in learning what would make a great bike even better-- this is a good education. I am taking TK's advice from an earlier post and NOT getting caught up in any wheel debates. But I know that as a newbie, there's a lot for me to learn as well.


I run Ambrosio Excellence rims laced to Record hubs on both my 2012 Bianchi Infinito and my 1989 Bottecchia SLX. 

Not the lightest rims, but very solid (flex free) and totally bomb proof. As a bonus I can mount a tire on these rims without resorting to using a tire tool.


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## Gcruz (May 7, 2012)

Congrats! I'm in the same boat! My 1st road bike was a Bianchi too! Nice choice in colors even though the consensus is classic celeste green is the way to go. I went with a red / white / black combo too


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

T K said:


> Thanks for the beer! It's hot here. Been painting the house. Outside is yellow, but I did paint the bathroom *Celeste*. Tee hee!


Hah! A Colnagista friend of mine insists on reffering to Celeste as "Bathtub Green"

Great bike, skhan007! 
As for upgrades take it one step at the time. What I would NOT do first is changing parts of the drivetrain. Handlebar shapes do not get much better than the FSA compact so leave that. If you're happy with the stock saddle leave it as is, and if not try some alternatives. 

Do make shure you have a proper fit: An investment here is probably the smartest you can do for your riding enjoyment. Certified Spesh BG* and/or Retül fitters should be fine. If a fit session doesn't start with your feet and your flexibility walk out.

*The nice thing with Spesh BG is that they have most of the stuff needed for getting your feet corrected for in situ and the Spesh BG saddles have many sizes and shapes too.


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## skhan007 (May 18, 2012)

bottecchia_eja said:


> I run Ambrosio Excellence rims laced to Record hubs on both my 2012 Bianchi Infinito and my 1989 Bottecchia SLX.
> 
> Not the lightest rims, but very solid (flex free) and totally bomb proof. As a bonus I can mount a tire on these rims without resorting to using a tire tool.


Excellent! I will look these up and do my research.



Gcruz said:


> Congrats! I'm in the same boat! My 1st road bike was a Bianchi too! Nice choice in colors even though the consensus is classic celeste green is the way to go. I went with a red / white / black combo too


Yeah, I saw your Infinito. That is a bad-ass bike for sure!


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

skhan007 said:


> Excellent! I will look these up and do my research.


Just remember though, the Fulcrum R5 are decent wheels and have received excellent reviews.

Ride them until they fall apart while saving your money. Just my $0.02 worth.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Let me add my two cents to that.


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## Lhorn (Nov 9, 2011)

I like my Fulcrum Racing 7s. Just sayin'


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

kbwh said:


> Let me add my two cents to that.



Well? 

BTW, and FWIW, I followed your suggestion of not buying a bike as a "kit" and instead buy up the individual components. 

I am doing that with my new bike (Rule #12 or "n+1") and I've managed to save a few pesos over the kit price.


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

kbwh said:


> Let me add my two cents to that.


Well???


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

That's four!


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## bottecchia_eja (Jul 18, 2010)

kbwh said:


> That's four!


OK I am now officially confused.

BTW and FWIW I decided to follow your advice and with my new bike,(see Rule #12 or "n+1) I will buy the frames and parts separately.

I think that I will save a few drachmas that way (Greece has already been kicked out of the EU, right?)


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

I do believe that we agree 

The Norwegian PM just said that he was very disappointed with our no to enter the EU in 1994 but right now it's not to bad... 
Drew a laugh from Cameron and Merkel that one.


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