# bianchi?



## dobber (20 Dec 2010)

i have decided i'm going to purchase a bianchi road bike(my first bike in 30 years!) i have around £700 to spend,would i be able to get a new bike for that kind of money or should i be looking at second hand?any advice would be greatly appreciated..dobber


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## Garz (20 Dec 2010)

You can get a new one for that price range but your best off either scouring for an end of line model with a large discount or going second hand.


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## gbb (20 Dec 2010)

The C2C Via Nirone with Campag Xenon in my LBS is IRO £740 Dobber...it was £760 a few months ago.

Look at Evans (for want of somewhere else)...i see three models
Via Nirone, Xenon @ £674 ( i assume thats a 10 speed). Same as mine, durable on every front, been a very good bike.
Via Nirone, Sora @ £595. ( i assume 9 speed) Nothing wrong with Sora (based on my 8 speed experience)
Via nirone, Shimano 2300 @£524( i assume 8 speed) 2300 a relatively new offering (i think) set below Sora.

Personally, Shimano on an Italian bike doesnt seem right (but thats just my thoughts...lights blue touch paper  ...and runs).

Lovely bike...but i'm biased


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## Russell Allen (20 Dec 2010)

You should be able to find a Via Nirone for that kind of money, certainly the Xenon (get it in celeste and white) but my preference would be to hunt for a discounted 2010 tiagra equiped model. You will not be dissapointed, I have the Ultegra version and its a lovely bike. My other suggestion would be to look at an Orbea Aqua I tried a few bikes and it came down to a Via Nirone or an Aqua. The via nirone is slightly more sure footed/stable and the orbea felt punchier and a little more flighty.

Via Nirone Xenon

Orbea Aqua


Both in your price bracket and both devine

Regards

Russell


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## e-rider (20 Dec 2010)

only go secondhand if you REALLY know what you're looking for.

£700 is plenty to get a nice road bike for general weekend riding etc. There is really no need to spend more as you'll want to chnage a few things here and there anyway (saddle, tyres etc.).


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## Peter10 (21 Dec 2010)

I have the Nirone Sora 2010 bike. I'm in no way an expert cyclist so it does the job getting me to and from work and doing a few training rides. It has one of the best paint jobs I've seen on a bike too .


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## gbb (21 Dec 2010)

tundragumski said:


> *only go secondhand if you REALLY know what you're looking for.*
> 
> £700 is plenty to get a nice road bike for general weekend riding etc. There is really no need to spend more as you'll want to chnage a few things here and there anyway (saddle, tyres etc.).



Agreed. If you buy secondhand and find the transmissions worn, you're looking at up to IRO £100 to replace chain, cassette and chainrings.


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## Chrisc (23 Dec 2010)

+1 for the celeste and white Nirone with Xenon. Got mine in April and it's been great. Best part of 3000 miles on it now and I love it.
Dunno what size you need but JE James where I got mine have a 50cm and a 61cm on sale at £619 at the mo. You ought to be able to pick a 2010 model up within your budget.
Here's mine.


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## amnesia (23 Dec 2010)

I absolutely love the look of the Nirone in Celeste, but WTF is going on with the curved downtube on the cento strade models ???


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## dobber (23 Dec 2010)

yeah the celeste is cracking,i'm 5'9"and have been told i need around a 53cm frame


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## Garz (23 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> yeah the celeste is cracking,i'm 5'9"and have been told i need around a 53cm frame



Really?

I'm 5'6" and have a medium (56cm). Who 'told' you this?


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## dobber (24 Dec 2010)

i telephoned a local bike shop and they told me,so you think the 53cm will be too small for me mate?


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## Garz (24 Dec 2010)

Maybe not too small just be careful. I started out with a small boardman which fit me well, however when I purchased my latest machine spending over £2k I wanted to make sure it fit properly so got a bike fitting first. I ended up being in between Small and Medium and was told to go for the Medium as it raised the Head Tube up which a smaller frame can't. With the new sloping dimensions of different manufacturers its harder to call but at 5'9" I would say your definitely a medium or a 54.

However I'm no expert, some others on here are far more experienced than me but I recommend getting a proper fit to be honest.


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## MrRidley (24 Dec 2010)

I'm 5'10" and have a 57cm, i think a 53 would be way to small for you.


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## dobber (24 Dec 2010)

thanks for that info everyone,there's a 53cm bianchi road bike for sale on ebay and the seller states he's 6ft and the bike fits him perfectly?


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## PpPete (24 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> thanks for that info everyone,there's a 53cm bianchi road bike for sale on ebay and the seller states he's 6ft and the bike fits him perfectly?



sounds pretty unlikely to me !


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## redjedi (24 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> thanks for that info everyone,there's a 53cm bianchi road bike for sale on ebay and the seller states he's 6ft and the bike fits him perfectly?



There's no way a 53cm would fit someone 6ft tall.

I'm 6ft and ride a 59cm Bianchi 1885. I could have gone for the 57 but I wanted the taller head tube. I then replaced the stem from 130mm to 90mm to give me a perfect fit.

I would say look for 55 or 57. If you don't know exactly what size you need I would go to a LBS to buy your bike. £700 is a lot to spend on a bike and you don't want to end up with the wrong size and be uncomfortable.

If you've got an Evans near you, ask them to get a couple of sizes in for you to try out, they have lot's of deals on 2010 models at the moment

http://www.evanscycles.com/categori...ce_from=&price_to=&sort=&per_page=20&x=30&y=7


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## dobber (24 Dec 2010)

i am relieved i didn't bid on that bike, there's bike shop a few miles from where i live called m.steel cycles so i'm heading there next wk


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## Russell Allen (24 Dec 2010)

I am 5'11" with a 32" inside leg, i had a professional fitting for my Via Nirone and a 55 was the best fit.

regards

Russell Allen


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## Garz (24 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> i am relieved i didn't bid on that bike, there's bike shop a few miles from where i live called m.steel cycles so i'm heading there next wk









Good decision dobber!

Let us know what a proper fit says.


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## dobber (24 Dec 2010)

will do mate


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## Chrisc (25 Dec 2010)

I'm 5-11 with 33" inside leg and a 57 fit me perfectly. 
Can't beat sitting on it.


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## Rebel Ian (26 Dec 2010)

My Bianchi (which I love) is a 57 and I'm a shade over 5'10". A 53 would be way too small even for me let alone someone 6'.


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## GM (26 Dec 2010)

Rebel Ian said:


> My Bianchi (which I love) is a 57 and I'm a shade over 5'10". A 53 would be way too small even for me let alone someone 6'.




+1


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## dobber (27 Dec 2010)

hello guys,i located an evans cycle shop approx 20 miles from where i live, went today and the 55cm bianchi is the correct size for me,bought the via nirone 7 veloce for £800 , collect it end of the week and i can't wait to get my hands on it!!!


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## Rebel Ian (27 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> hello guys,i located an evans cycle shop approx 20 miles from where i live, went today and the 55cm bianchi is the correct size for me,bought the via nirone 7 veloce for £800 , collect it end of the week and i can't wait to get my hands on it!!!




Great choice. Mine is the same bike although with a couple of enforced modofications (new wheels). It's a fantastic bike - hope it's in Celeste?!


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## dobber (28 Dec 2010)

yeah it is


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## Rebel Ian (28 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> yeah it is



The ONLY colour for a Bianchi!! You'll now get the inevitable and ongoing debate with family and friends as to whether it's green or blue!!


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## dobber (28 Dec 2010)

haha the bloke in the shop said 'you want it it in green? and i said no blue!


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## Garz (28 Dec 2010)

Good, good dobber! I'm glad for you and didnt think a 53 sounded right for your height!

Happy mileage.


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## dobber (29 Dec 2010)

thanks mate and everybody for the help and advice


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## lanternerouge (29 Dec 2010)

Great thread for me as I was about to come on here and ask the same thing - got my eye on this one 

Is there much difference between this and the xenon version?


Oooooh this is exciting!


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## Rebel Ian (29 Dec 2010)

There's a few differences in components but both are cracking bikes for the money IMO. Personally I'd go for the Veloce at that price (£300 off).


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## lanternerouge (29 Dec 2010)

Yeah good call RI!

Now if I just cancel that SKY subscription....


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## youngoldbloke (29 Dec 2010)

lanternerouge said:


> Great thread for me as I was about to come on here and ask the same thing - got my eye on this one
> 
> Is there much difference between this and the xenon version?
> 
> ...



Xenon (and Mirage) have been discontinued by Campagnolo, their 'entry level' groupset now being Veloce. (Roughly equivalent to 105 IMO). Looks a great buy at that price!


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## lanternerouge (30 Dec 2010)

Awesome, just ordered the Via Nirone 7 Veloce 2010!

In celeste of course


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## lanternerouge (30 Dec 2010)

Dobber and Rebel Ian, can we have a celeste Via Nirone club??


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## redjedi (30 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> hello guys,i located an evans cycle shop approx 20 miles from where i live, went today and the 55cm bianchi is the correct size for me,bought the via nirone 7 veloce for £800 , collect it end of the week and i can't wait to get my hands on it!!!




Good work Dobber. I look forward to seeing the pics in here as soon as possible.



Rebel Ian said:


> The ONLY colour for a Bianchi!!




Is the correct answer Ian




And so much nicer than the standard black, red or white that all other bikes come in.



lanternerouge said:


> Awesome, just ordered the Via Nirone 7 Veloce 2010!
> 
> In celeste of course



More good news


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## dobber (30 Dec 2010)

lanternerouge said:


> Dobber and Rebel Ian, can we have a celeste Via Nirone club??




why not


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## dobber (30 Dec 2010)

on a different subject guys, what helmet do you recommend? are the bern watts helmets any good for road biking?


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## redjedi (30 Dec 2010)

Any helmet would work, but the Bern Watts ones don't have much ventilation so you may get a bit hot. In summer especially you want as many vents as possible to stop from over heating.


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## dobber (30 Dec 2010)

right,so i suppose the yakkay cycle helmets would be the same i.e. ventilation?


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## gbb (30 Dec 2010)

lanternerouge said:


> Great thread for me as I was about to come on here and ask the same thing - got my eye on this one
> 
> Is there much difference between this and the xenon version?
> 
> ...



I have the 2008 Xenon equipped version, thats a cracking price for Veloce. Cheapest in my LBS is circa £750 for Xenon, so veloce for £799 is fabulous.
Better groupset basically, Veloce caplipers instead of 'unbranded' ones, FSA handlebars, apart from that, its the same give or take. Some bikes have different front forks...mine has full carbon, the one advertised is carbon with an alloy steerer.
The xenon equipped one i has has been faultless, just normal wear on chain etc. I'd recommend without hesitation.


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## lanternerouge (30 Dec 2010)

gbb said:


> I have the 2008 Xenon equipped version, thats a cracking price for Veloce. Cheapest in my LBS is circa £750 for Xenon, so veloce for £799 is fabulous.
> Better groupset basically, Veloce caplipers instead of 'unbranded' ones, FSA handlebars, apart from that, its the same give or take. Some bikes have different front forks...mine has full carbon, the one advertised is carbon with an alloy steerer.
> The xenon equipped one i has has been faultless, just normal wear on chain etc. I'd recommend without hesitation.



Brilliant gbb, I really can't wait to get my hands on it now!!


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## gbb (30 Dec 2010)

Some duff info on my last post... 
Xenon in my LBS..£650 not £750
What i found was IF you want the newest model, in my case, it was (at the time) just as cheap in my LBS compared with Evans. They score if you want older stock.
At the time, mine was £599, that came with full carbon fork and carbon wrap seatpost...evans were no cheaper...but remember, that was for the latest model at that time.


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## lanternerouge (30 Dec 2010)

yep, it's all got more expensive hasn't it??


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## dobber (31 Dec 2010)

yeah it has, but it's worth it!


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## Rebel Ian (31 Dec 2010)

lanternerouge said:


> Dobber and Rebel Ian, can we have a celeste Via Nirone club??




Absolutely! You start riding from Stockport and I'll start at Slough and we should meet up around Birmingham!!!!


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## martint235 (31 Dec 2010)

Oh why did I look in this thread? Just completely fallen for the Via Nirone 7 105 that Evans have and they're even getting in a 63cm frame in April......


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## lanternerouge (31 Dec 2010)

hehehehe go for it martint you know it makes sense....!!


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## lanternerouge (31 Dec 2010)

Rebel Ian said:


> Absolutely! You start riding from Stockport and I'll start at Slough and we should meet up around Birmingham!!!!




Yeah man yeah! We can have una giornata bianchista 

Or maybe we should cycle here


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## dobber (31 Dec 2010)

when i saw the bike in the shop it was the first time i'd seen one in the flesh (or metal)i was totally blown away by the beauty of it,i collect and restore 60's vespa scooters and it was right up there with the best of them


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## Rebel Ian (31 Dec 2010)

dobber said:


> when i saw the bike in the shop it was the first time i'd seen one in the flesh (or metal)i was totally blown away by the beauty of it,i collect and restore 60's vespa scooters and it was right up there with the best of them



When I did London to Paris last year one of our group had a Bianchi in Celeste. Love at first sight....I had to have one!!!


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## Vikeonabike (2 Jan 2011)

I daren't....If I did....everything in my world would turn Celeste...I'd even consider renaming my daughter Bianchi Celeste....No NO NO NO!


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## lanternerouge (2 Jan 2011)

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me, VOAB!


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## Rebel Ian (2 Jan 2011)

Vikeonabike said:


> I daren't....If I did....everything in my world would turn Celeste...I'd even consider renaming my daughter Bianchi Celeste....No NO NO NO!



Biancha is a perfectly reasonable name for a girl!


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## Morning Glory (7 Apr 2011)

I've just ordered a Via Nirone Xenon and this thread's been a great read. I've got one question though that I'm almost too embarrassed to ask, how do you pronounce Bianchi? Is it Bian-chee or Bian-key?


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## philipbh (7 Apr 2011)

Bian-key!


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## gbb (7 Apr 2011)

I was thinking about this today funnily enough (and mentioned it in a post the other day)...had my celeste Bianchi over two years, and still love the look, love the bike.
But, two years worth of commuting and riding takes its toll. Gave it a real good clean today (at work, all's quiet  ) Cranks are scuffed where my shoes have been rubbing, frame has quite a few chips on it, they've all been touched up with a similar colour...and at times, its beginning to show it's use. Completely stripped the calipers today and cleaned all in the recesses of the castings, cleaned out the hole in the front forks where the brake nut goes (you get a lot of crap build up in there)...ditto the rear mount. Lubed the brake cables where accessable
But, the only thing thats failed on it has been the BB. 
Its given lots of TLC mind, headsets been stripped and lubed (i was mildly surprised to see slight corrosion in there where the wet gets in), checked the carbon steerer for cracks (just because i'd got it apart).
Mechanically, its 100%. Fitted a new chain today as well.
Rode like a maniac tonight, funny how giving the bike some TLC re-invigorates you as well.

I can't think of another bike that is as visually pleasing as a celeste Bianchi.


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## coco69 (7 Apr 2011)

pm sent


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