A piece of history for sale

[choke]

While definitely not a traditional bike I always thought these were rather cool....and you certainly wouldn't run across another out on a ride.

Up for sale is possibly the one and only 1996 Bianchi team bike built for the Paris Roubaix in the US. I am not claiming that this bike was ridden by Zanini in the 1996 Paris Roubaix in fact I know he did not. I purchased this bike from an Italian several years ago planning on rebuilding the shocks and fitting it with the proper running gear but never got around to it. That seller told me that the bike was purchased from the Bianchi racing team but I took his word with a grain of salt, maybe, maybe not. Again, the only thing I really believe in is that this is a team issue bike, it is very special, very rare.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bianchi-Paris-Roubaix-Full-Suspension-Bike-/271006217524?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item3f193ab534

[GuyGadois]

Interesting. I wonder who made that. I thought the coolest part was the rear shock controlled by the shifter mounted on the TT. Seems like it could get in the way.

GG

[AgilisMerlin]

http://bikehugger.com/2012/04/P60

by mike v

snippet:

"The next year Bianchi famously debuted a full-suspension bike for GB-MG’s Johan Museeuw. With the Rock Shox fork up front, the bike used a rear swingarm design adapted from Bianchi USA’s mtb bikes. At this point in this cycling adaptation of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang you might have noticed the American mtb theme. The truth is that the early 1990s was a dark era following the mountainbike boom, and America was plagued by rampant abuse of CNC machines and purple anodized seatposts."

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3135/3067133172_bd2a11a0fe.jpg

and for a little more bang to your bump:

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/paris-roubaix-bikes-how-theyve-evolved-33631/


http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2012/04/04/1333551386739-1l67vjuyzdx57-670-75.jpg

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2012/04/04/1333551386745-iwr8a79aiaun-670-75.jpg

snippet:

"None of those bikes would finish the race, however, and Museeuw's bike failure was particularly heartbreaking. With less than 24km remaining and lagging behind Tchmil by 41 seconds, Museeuw's driveside chain stay broke clean through and a subsequently botched bike change complicated by a jammed clipless pedal ended his chances at victory (though he would go on to win three times).

"That was my first full suspension design for Bianchi, the one that Museeuw rode to eventual embarrassment at Paris-Roubaix," said Matt Harvey, product manager for Bianchi USA at the time and now the head of Enduro Bearings. "I eventually did two designs at Bianchi, but this one was probably the best. [It was] a two-inch short travel design that could be used for cross-country MTB and a road bike. It only had two pivots, relying on the seat stays to flex a couple of degrees, making a much stiffer rear end that didn't wag around. This was also the eventual problem, because a cromoly rear end can flex thousands of cycles this small amount whereas the Italian factory, against my pleading, made it out of 6061 [aluminum] without heat treating it.""

[AgilisMerlin]

glad to see this is not up on the chop block

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec-ujr3zKsk/TwjrHJCarjI/AAAAAAAAMB8/LX5L4-0aU4I/s1600/375329_10150486075498035_224451888034_10590653_185 7294450_n.jpg

[torquer]

Was that Steve Bauer's?
I remember him on really long chainstays late in his racing career. Never noticed that seat, though (not to mention the sinfully short stem;).)

[Gummee]

Was that Steve Bauer's?
I remember him on really long chainstays late in his racing career. Never noticed that seat, though (not to mention the sinfully short stem;).)

Yeah, that's his infamous 'chopper.' I remember reading about that 'back when.'

M

[Black Dog]

That is Steves bike. He had it built for Paris Roubaix.