Shoud beginner stay away from BIANCHI??

jimmythecuckoo

fto-si wrote:

I started my cycling obsession with a compact Bianchi , don't think it done me any harm.
In my opinion I don't see why you should stay away from Bianchi bikes at all.

have got one with a compact and it is the best bike I have ever had... much better than some that have cost three times as much.

giant_man

I would have said they are fine for a beginner, either double or triple groupset. Certainly not overly ambitious as a manufacturer.

wildmoustache

bianchi are fine. not a hugely desirable brand, but some decent frames for sure.

weight is less of concern on a triple than the smooth running and maintenance of the thing, which IME is much harder than with a double/compact.

with a compact you can have 50-34 and 12-27 at the back which is a pretty massive gear range

fast as fupp

one of the most famous italian frame manufacturers not desirable?


Hahahahahahahahaha!


as opposed to?

redddraggon

fast as fupp wrote:

one of the most famous italian frame manufacturers not desirable?


Hahahahahahahahaha!


as opposed to?

Bianchi are famous , yes, but they are only the Raleigh of Italy. De Rosa, Pinarello, Colnago they are more prestigious brands.

wildmoustache

fast as fupp wrote:

one of the most famous italian frame manufacturers not desirable?


Hahahahahahahahaha!


as opposed to?

no, they're not really that desirable, at least not amongst those who are really into bikes ... they might be amongst those getting into it who know that they are a famous name.

essentially bianchi are attempting to be the italian brand that goes head to head with spesh, trek, giant et al. and indeed in italy they sell all manner of bikes across the board.

evans have sold vast numbers of bianchis which says something ...

they're nothing wrong with them at all, but I don't think they're up there with say de rosa, Look, Pinarello in the desirability stakes. see the seperate thread on desirability for further evidence.

giant_man

Totally agree. They're not Pina, De Rosa or Colnago absolutely not. Just because they're italian manufacturer doesn't make them the pinnacle of cycling frames.

The Raleigh of Italy sums it up nicely redddraggon.

redddraggon

giant mancp wrote:

The Raleigh of Italy sums it up nicely redddraggon.

8) Of course I mean Raleigh when Raleigh were good, not the rubbish they are know.

fast as fupp

even colnago make cheapo frames these days-are they trying to be the raleigh of italy?

ricadus

redddraggon wrote:

giant mancp wrote:

The Raleigh of Italy sums it up nicely redddraggon.

8) Of course I mean Raleigh when Raleigh were good, not the rubbish they are know.

Well actually Bianchi themselves are now owned by a larger company, so they are not the pure-bred* Italian company they once were... so maybe the Raleigh comparison isn't so far off.

http://www.cycleurope.com/ce_corp_1.html

(*maybe sort of a Swedish-Chinese-Italian cross)


P.S. regarding the bike spec, unless the rider and/or the bike is carrying a lot of weight, then I suspect that a compact with something like a 13-29 cassette will give you plenty of low gear options to get up the hills around Sheffield.

I'm not convinced of the fitness argument regarding starting with a triple; I think it's more to do with rider confidence.

redddraggon

fast as fupp wrote:

even colnago make cheapo frames these days-are they trying to be the raleigh of italy?

I don't know why people get offended when they find out Bianchi are not the super prestigious brand they think they are. The only thing Bianchi really have over the likes of Trek or Giant is that they are Italian, just as Treks and Giants are technically very good bikes you wouldn't say they are prestigious brands.

hodsgod

aznulrizal wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

There are Bianchis with Triples, easily one in each price range.

http://www.bianchi.com/en/products2008/Road_Y8B11.aspx

http://www.bianchi.com/en/products2008/Road_Y8B09.aspx

http://www.bianchi.com/en/products2008/Road_Y8B54.aspx

http://www.bianchi.com/en/products2008/Road_Y8B44.aspx

And I think Triple is overboard for a lot of people really, a compact would be fine, a 34-25 smallest gear is plenty small enough.

You must have got them from the website... however LBS in the UK don't stock them.

i live in Sheffield by the way and it's really hilly around here... and i really think that i would need a triple. Anyone disagree?

I used to live in the Sheffield area and yes it is bloody hilly. It depends on your climbing ability though, my guess if you are asking the question you probably need a triple. I have one and it was definitely needed in Sheffield.

RedAende

redddraggon wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

one of the most famous italian frame manufacturers not desirable?


Hahahahahahahahaha!


as opposed to?

Bianchi are famous , yes, but they are only the Raleigh of Italy. De Rosa, Pinarello, Colnago they are more prestigious brands.

more prestgious than mass market taiwanese in my opinion, not as prestigious as the other italian brands, but then again they start at a much cheaper price, or they did until colnago started selling taiwanese bikes.

To stay on topic, I have a new compact (bianchi 8) as didn't fancy a 53/39. I think triple is overkill. Bike is so much lighter than my mountain bike that hills are much easier and after only 4 months riding I am thinking of fitting a smaller cassete to increase the gearing.

jswba

hodsgod wrote:

i live in Sheffield by the way and it's really hilly around here... and i really think that i would need a triple. Anyone disagree?

I live in north Sheffield, and don't consider myself much more than a beginner. I used a triple for about a year and found it OK, but used the granny ring less and less. I now use a compact (with a 12-27 cassette) and it's fine. I tend to work a little harder on long climbs, but don't miss the granny ring one bit. The compact looks much nicer too (and is less of a pain to clean!). 8)