# Bianchi Pinella Boron question...



## scwolf (Mar 27, 2007)

Is this a "racing" geometry bike, or can it comfortably be ridden regularly for 30-50 miles, plus the occasional century? I'm debating between switching my 06 Virata for the all steel 06 Pinella frame, mostly because for a similar price, I'm getting an all steel "Italian made" frame. I know that the 928 C2C probably has the right geometry, but I want a Bianchi steel bike right now (although the wife is loving her 928 C2C). I understand that being made in Italy is no guarantee of quality or workmanship, but it's purely for value/collectibility issue 20 years down the line when I can say to my son, "Here, you can ride my rare Italian made bike." But then again, maybe in 20 years, Taiwanese bikes will be rare because all the bikes are made in Vietnam?

More importantly though, I would not consider the swap if it turns out that the Pinella is more of a tight geometry racing bike (like a Specialized Tarmac or Cannondale) than I had wanted. I won't be doing any races or crits, but I will be peddling hard in 2-3 hour intervals.

Anybody with a Pinella that's comfortably done long rides who can give me an idea if this bike is appropriate? 

Thank you Bianchi lovers!


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## Suchapinch (Apr 9, 2006)

hi,

i have a 2004 xl boron frame (2003 to current are the same). i have no complaints with the ride quality. the ride to and from the loop i ride is VERY schetchy and i never feel like the bike is doing anything nasty to me. it is a good deal stiffer than my old bianchi specialissma steel frame, but also much lighter and i feel like it is a trade off in terms of stiffness, speed and weight (a positive trade off).

i'm interested in what you think of the virata's ride. a friend of mine just bought one, but since he rides a 53 and i ride a 61 i won't be able to find out first hand. the virata acually uses the top of the line dedacciai 16.5 tubes, while the boron is the 14.5 (lesser?). but, the boron frame has a more oversized down tube and that foam suffing.


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## dwwheels (Feb 28, 2007)

I have owned the Pinella for approx. a month now and it is a dream to ride. It disappears under me while riding as long as 4 hours. The bike is very comfortable and I am comparing "comfortable" to a Bianchi Brava (steel) and a Klein Quantum (full aluminum). it is listed in Bianchi's reparto corsa line of bikes and I too was worried about a tight geometry, but I would not give this bike up for the world. 

The bike's handling is crisp in twisting descents w/o being twitchy or erratic. The bike is very smooth and a hundred times more bike than I expected. I chose the Pinella after riding the 1885 (nice riding, but the alu feel I was trying to get away from), 928 (liked it, but for the money and 105 components, I went Centaur and steel), the San Mateo (harsh alu feel like my Klein), the Veloce (nice, but not as nice of a ride as the Pinella), and the Virata. 

The Pinella's boron is great riding steel (stiff w/o being at all harsh, and smooths out the roughest of roads) and you must at least ride and decide for yourself. I started out looking to purchase a carbon or an alu/carbon framed bike, but stuck with the steel. Good Luck.


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## Kung Fu Felice (Apr 17, 2007)

Alas, the Pinella in my size appears to be a rarity and before they had a chance to locate a 53 for me, I took a test ride on the new fangled 928 C2C... I was hooked on this geometry. The ride fit me like a glove and I left with the C2C/Ultegra before I knew what happened.

I'm lurking on ebay for the Pinella though... so there's still hope!


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