Can you help to identify these frames, bikes or parts?

Ok, first check...
Scales are working fine. 125g yoghurt weighs in at 131g on the scales, which seems about right allowing for the packaging.

Off to the basement again with the digital scales, giant spanner and a bottle of fine Belgian beer (La Chouffe)...

Fork off. Various bits of headset off too.

Second check...
Fork + several bits of headset = 816g
Frame with rest of headset (+bb) = 2112g
2112g + 816g = 2928g (stacks up against the 2925g original weigh-in)

So, without hammering the rest of the headset off the frame...
Headset weight is approx 200g.
Say half of that weight is on the scales with the fork?
2112g - 100g = 2012g.

BB weight approx 300g?
2012g - 300g = 1712g

I took off the seat bolt, but still on the frame are the rear dropout screws, and the bottle cage screws. I'm going to take that lot as 12g.

So that gives me a frame weight of 1.700 kg (give or take about 50g I reckon).

The frame is 52cm, so upscaling that to 54cm would surely not be more than 1.800 kg...?

The acid test is the weight (the fact that yours has no chrome rules
is out for a high end frame). A bianchi Specialissima in Columbus SL
should weigh no more than 1925gr, frame only.

Your three tube tretubi del mondo will likely be 2100gr+.

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Promising phil, promising... if only you could find a late 70's bianchi catalogue

This is getting Dammitesque. :)

some dimensions here

Thanks for that, an interesting read.

Still confused about the their whole naming logic, Superleggera, Specialissima, Super Corsa, Reparto Corse, Campione del Mondo, Rekord, etc. Seems very 'fluid'.

Oddly, it says it's a 1980 catalogue, but then page 2 say 'Frame Dimensions 1982'.
And then adds yet another raft of model names: Sport, Touring, Special, Pro, etc...

Weight-wise, I'm waiting now for Colnagodaft to tell me it's definitely a Raleigh Night Burner, 'cos it's got the same number of wheels as one he's got in his workshop...

I favour your initial proposal of Specialissima, but what is strange is the CDM sticker on the seat tube.. edit: no it's not, as bianchi were champione del mondo in '73&74

yeah, the catalogue's a bit mismatched, but interesting none the less

clean, restore, build, ride, enjoy - it's a nice frame :)

It's definitely a Bianchi...

How much did you pay for the bike, out of interest?

But seeing as you're being so generally ungrateful/sarcastic, here's a link to a Bianchi frame number registry which will hopefully help you on your miserable way (there are several others, but seeing as you're so eminent, I'm sure you can find them yourself):

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/Bianchi/Bianchi_Reparto_Corsa_registry.htm

Can anyone tell whether this is an Athena chainset? Seller has the group set listed as chorus / Athena but looks to me like it's all Athena... Sorry to break up the bianchi saga ;-)

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Chorus first gen. The Athena is much chunkier/uglier. Clean looking as well. And it looks like the bonus ball Campagnolo self-extracting bolts which are worth £25 any day.

It's not a saga, it's just the usual story 'Good old boy spins plausible yarn to gullible buyer, who in turn pays well over the odds and can't believe it's not a top of the range Superissima'.

I hope he spent the easy earned cash on something frivolous ;)

Thanks, if it's in good nick what's a fair price for said chainset do you think?

You're welcome! Hard to say without detailed pictures, but with the bolts got to be worth £50+. The option without self extracting was dust caps/bolts which can be £20 also.

Yes 1G Chorus: the crown rises into a lip around the crank bolt (like a volcano) and the spider arms are more shapely (compared to Athena).

But they're just the regular, Allen key bolts (+1995?): self-extracting bolts have two pin holes for the spanner. Pretty sure cranks for self-extractors have a left-hand thread too, so you can't retro-fit the bolts.

2G Chorus inherited CDA cranks, which had a flat crown and self-extracting crank bolts.

Free from heel rub, with chainrings and Campag chainring bolts, £25/£30 is fair.

PS I haz the correct bolts...

any spiral/helix points to Columbus SL

SLX, no?

But seeing as you're being so generally ungrateful/sarcastic, here's a
link to a Bianchi frame number registry which will hopefully help you
on your miserable way (there are several others, but seeing as you're
so eminent, I'm sure you can find them yourself)

That's not really fair, is it? I'm not ungrateful (sarcastic, yes, but that's kind of normal on here), and genuinely do appreciate your input (or did to begin with, at least), but that doesn't mean I have to be steamrollered into accepting your claims without checking to see if they hold up. Which, so far, they mostly haven't.
And then if I dare to question your opinion you just ignore any counter-evidence and refuse to answer. Hardly inspires confidence in what you say, does it...?

How much did you pay for the bike, out of interest?

I'll answer you, if you'll finally answer me...

• Your first 'virtually identical' link. It wasn't really identical, was it ?
  
• Your 'no chrome = budget model' law. Are these links all just bullshit claims then?
  speedbicycles.ch/velo/436/bia­nchi_specialissima_professionale_1974.ht­ml
  speedbicycles.ch/velo/298/bia­nchi_super_specialissima_1976.html
  speedbicycles.ch/velo/265/bia­nchi_specialissima_1976.html
  
• The 70s/80s question, the cable clips versus top tube braze-ons?
  
• The frame weight. It's not "2100gr+", it's 1700-1800g, well below your claimed 1925g maximum for a Specialissima. And it's only one size down from the 54cm model that was based on. How does that fit with your theories about tube types and frame models?
  
  

And this bit...??

It's not a saga, it's just the usual story 'Good old boy spins
plausible yarn to gullible buyer, who in turn pays well over the odds
and can't believe it's not a top of the range Superissima'.

You don't even know what it cost, so how can it be "well over the odds"...?

I paid 400€ for the whole bike on leboncoin.fr, here in Paris, which 5 years go was equivalent to about £330-£350. It wasn't advertised as any particular model, just a 'vintage Bianchi', in my size, and kitted out with Campag Nuovo Record groupset and pedals, 3TT/Cinelli cockpit and saddle, and Record hubs on tubular rims, all in really good condition, well looked-after.

Sorry to break up the bianchi saga

I thought I had this thread all to myself... ;)

I've been avidly following it :-) been finding it quite informative.

@Scilly.Suffolk I don't think I'm going to buy it off him now, I've offered too much and would like to get as much all at once as possible..

While I'm here can anyone be so kind as to furnish me with some details on this wheelset, gipiemme tecno 420s? Interested in what year(s) they were manufactured in..

Thanks all for your advice on the cranks

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I stand corrected, inspecteur SS has blown my hollow house in...

SLX, SPX, TSX

afaik, 420's are still made by gipiemme, so could be difficult to date. A key piece of info would be the freehub details

Here's my final take on your Bianchi. I rode with 7 (count em) German Bianchi riders at last year's Eroica. It was interesting to see so many vintage Bianchi in one place, and compare them. They were all Superissima. All Super Record.

A few points to note about the Superissima. (If you follow the links above you'll see three Superissima from various era).

1. They all have Columbus SL/SLX decals mounted on the frame. Usually above the gear levers.

2. They have either chrome head lugs/fork crown/chain stay or a combination of the three.

3. The frame numbers are consistent with factory built Bianchi (available to join and peruse for a fee) registry. Extracts from it are widely available on the internet.

4. They do not carry the 'Campione Del Mundo' logo.

5. The either have the logo 'Superissima' or 'Superleggera' on the top tube.

6. They have thin point seat stay caps.

Let's have a swatch at yours:

1. It has NO Columbus decal. Columbus decals of this period were varnish fixed, I've seen Bianchis battered to hell and back and they still have 30-40% of the decal left. Yours has no indication there ever was one fitted at all.

2. It has a dirty big fuck off 'CDM' decal prominent on the seat tube.

3. The 1925gr I quoted is from a well known tube weight chart. It's for frame, stays AND fork tubes, uncut before brazing. It's kinda a guide...

4. Your frame number is not consistent with ANY period Bianchi numbering system. This really is the starting point for Bianchi identification, and the nail in the coffin for your frame. I would conclude that this is indeed one of their many thousands 'buy ins'. The Italians are a proud lot and they wouldn't number a buy in shanner with a factory number.

5. The top caps are thick and pretty ugly imo, not consistent with a quality factory frame. As for cable clips - any extra braze on, on a budget frame just not going to happen. The idea = low production cost.

6. I've seen dozens of top end Bianchi and yours just isn't one of them.

In fact, taking all of the above info into consideration I'd be revising my opinion down to a low end, 1980's Falck steel, non factory buy-in CDM. I certainly would be surprised if it had been anywhere near a factory brazing torch. Bianchi shipped hundreds of thousands of these low/mid range frames in the 70/80's. They simply couldn't keep up with demand. From my own research they used up to 8 local frame builders to churn out the extra supply. These can't be considered true factory Bianchi bikes. A bit like Halfords relationship with Raleigh in the 80's, when they sub contracted.

You've come up with a lot of wishful thinking as to why all my suggestions are wrong, but oddly not one bit of credible evidence that you have a quality frame at all.. If you paid 400 Euro for it, you maybe just got your money's worth. Why do you think it's a Superissima?

Just get out and enjoy it. It's a Bianchi!

I forgot to ask, (you maybe didn't think it was important) - are the drop outs stamped: Brev. Campagnolo?

It's an 8 speed freehub, What sort of details would be handy / should I look out for?

Thanks

First up...

I forgot to ask, (you maybe didn't think it was important) - are the
drop outs stamped: Brev. Campagnolo?

Yes. See post #4792

I'll reply to the long one after lunch.

No need. I think everyone has lost interest by now.

if 8 speed then, shimano, or campagnolo - this can be used to give a date range as we know when these manufacturers produced 8 speed, 9, 10, etc.