Anyone here ever ride a high-level Bianchi?

[saab2000]

It is possible that I will have the chance to aquire a Bianchi FC Liquigas team frame. No, not from the team or anything. Just the one that BianchiUsa sells here in the States. A good friend of mine is a Bianchi dealer and wishes to put me on a Bianchi.

It is aluminum with carbon stays. I know that that is all marketing etc. What I am wondering is how they are? Are they up there with Pinarello or Colnago in the world of racing bikes?

I am not wild about the sloping top tube, but it does appear to be sloping down towards the seat clamp rather than up towards the stem. Seems like a real racing bike.

Any experience out there?

[jerk]

saab-

that bike has little if nothing to do with the bikes the liquigas guys are actually riding. their real bikes don't use carbon stays and are made in italy and designed in italy as oppossed to beeing designed in california and made "somewhere". the frame itself looks really pro and builds up quite light. the one guy the jerk knows who rides one likes it alot. he says it's most like his team sc....which makes sense since they both have full record groups with bora wheels and share a similar geometry.

jerk

[shiftinjon]

The FC Team Liquigas is listed as a Reparto Corse frame, meaning it would be built and designed in Italia.

I've owned a Bianchi Superleggera and it was hands down the best handling bike I've ever ridden, period, bar none, end of story, don't make me list all the bikes I've owned and ridden. ;) Most of the magic in bikes disappeared for me years ago, but the Bianchi was a witchy woman...something blown out of Italy on a gypsy wind.

I would max out the credit card(s) for a Team Issue titanium frame like Magnus rode in Paris Roubaix.

[Argos]

It IS a Very nice bike. If you are looking for a great RACE bike and it fits, go for it. You can even special order the Pro-Tour leaders Kit the DiLuca wears.... Mmmm, White shorts and top.......

[Samster]

I've always liked Bianchi bikes/frames. I don't have a Bianchi road bike, but I do have an aluminum Pista Concept 2005 frame that rides like an absolute dream. And that's a full-on track frame in aluminum on regular roads. They're not Serotta rides, but they are great bikes in the higher end of the spectrum.

--sam

[saab2000]

I know it is not like the Liquigas bikes directly. But it is still probably a pretty good bike.I have looked at Di Luca's and Cipollini's bikes and I know they have custom geometry and no carbon stays. Cipo's bike has no sloping top tube. Alas, this bike is not available.

Still, I am thinking it is probably a decent bike.

The guy in the dealership told me that even though it is a Reparto Corsa, it is still made "somewhere" which is probably not Italy. I don't really care where it is made, as long as it is good.

This is a good/big Bianchi store which sells a lot of expensive Bianchi's. My experience is that if anything ever went wrong they would put me on a new bike immediately. I got a lot of expensive stuff for free or very cheap from this guy. It helps to know people in the industry.

[chrisroph]

We have a big strong dude on our team who rides nothing but bianchis. He loves them although he rides his ti one more than his aluminum one of late.

[coylifut]

owns Ti, Carbon and 2 Aluminum Bianchis. He really prefers the ti one. One of his aluminum ones did fail at the chain stay, but he put mega racing and training miles on it over a 3 year period of time. a couple of low speed tumbles as well.

[saab2000]

I have been underwhelmed by Ti as a bike material. I know it is available in bikes of higher stature than mine, but I don't really see myself getting another Ti racing bike. That said, I would get another Merckx, who designed the Ti bike I have. It handles well.

My next bike is likely to be some form of "stock" bike. I don't really think I need a custom design, especially with the major setback seatposts which are now coming out. The Liquigas sort-of-replica is somewhat intriguing, especially because I can probably get a really good price, like around a grand or even less for a frameset.

[sspielman]

I have a Bianchi XL EV2 from 2000. It has deda SC6110 tubing (in a proprietary shape). I have ridden this bike VERY hard and it does everything that it has been asked without complaint. This was the last year for the non-sloping frame geometry, but it IS somewhat compact. My frame measures 52 cm c to c with a 55 cm top tube...which is plenty long with the 73.5 deg seat tube angle. The front end geometry is pure Italian road race, and the bottom bracket is low enough to allow the bike to descend properly ( I HATE high bottom brackets). As for the more aesthetic aspects.....The bianchi is built in a very workmanlike manner. It is well built, but the welds are not finished to the same cosmetic level as my Cyfac, for example. The paint is top notch, although the lettering is rather more "corporate" than "crafstman. The bike is dead straight and very light. At 145 lbs, I find it plenty stiff. I think of it much more as a weapon than a piece of art.

[sspielman]

Just a data point on the Liquigas Team Bianchis in use as of late... I have noticed quite a few different models in use in photos, but have only seen one model in person. At the Wachovia race in Philadelphia, I had a chance to give Kjell Carlstrom's bike a good examination. It was a carbon frame, entirely painted in the team colors (what a great paint job, by the way). It bore NO RESEMBLANCE WHATSOEVER to the carbon frame currently in the Bianchi catalog/website. The team frame had carbon lugs and tubing that was shaped....well, alot like a C50...ALOT like a C50. Kjell said that as far as he knew, Bianchi made the bikes, but he added that ALL of the bikes that they had been given were very good, but this carbon one was particularly good.