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The Dilecta was an upper-middle range of bike, made in Le Blanc, on the Indre. This bike was bought directly from a Gendarmerie Captain in Nice, along with his police bike (I sold that unrestored Urago on here last year). This was originally a Parisian-type 'porteur' bike, with a huge front rack. When Capitaine Barbe got his other bike for work, the rack was then removed and he used this as his recreational bike, outfitting it as a randonneur/cyclotouring machine. Hence the Milremo stem and handlebars date from a few years after the rest of the bike. I do not have the porteur rack, before you ask!
When I brought ithe bikes home, I dismantled it and had the frame professionally stove enamelled. The colour is similar to Bianchi Celeste, but less garish, more subtle. The head tube remains in its original cream, to keep some of the bike's provenance intact. The lugs are lined in light bronze. Each component was carefully overhauled and the bike was rebuilt using nearly all its original parts. I even sourced new old stock screws and nuts (most of which are brass) to keep the look authentic. The only modern parts on the bike are the chain, the inner tubes and brake wires, the outer cable housing of the front brake, and a few screws in mostly hidden places. New old stock cloth tape is fitted to the handlebars, finished with twine binding, and a few coats of shellac, in the traditional French way. A matching top tube protector is fitted, again as a traditional French touch. It serves to protect from locks, or from leaning on trees, posts etc. New old stock Michelin Semi-Confort tyres in 584-44 size were a real 'find', and are in perfect condition, having been stored flat in the dark.
The frame is 54cm centre to centre, made from Reynolds Speedy tubing. The brakes are ultra-rare Maxi drums, gears are the popular Cyclo, which are the very devil to refit if you don't know their ways, but i will give the buyer a copy of the guide that I used, written by Jan Heine in Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. It made it easy! There is a 3-speed freewheel fitted as per original, but there is plenty of room to fit a 4 or 5, which was a common modification back in the day. Those lovely mudguards are made from Duralinium, the saddle is by Wolber, and the toolbag is about ready to fall apart!
The bike rides beautifully, but is too small for me (I ride a 60cm so it's quite a difference) or I would not be selling it. The ride is silky smooth, the brakes not bad at all for a vintage bike, and the gear change is very smooth once you are used to a 60 degree 'throw' of the lever for each change. All part of the vintage charm!
As for faults, well the paint has had a couple of chips touvhed up, but nothing obvious, and I will give the buyer a little jar of touch-up paint. There is slight pitting to the chrome of the hubs, the rear wheel rim and wheelnuts. The seatpost is in the original dull finish, and the front alloy rim has been a replacement in the 60s. Certain spokes have been replaced with stainless items also. Those lovely pedals have been overhauled and the metal repainted, where they would have been chromed originally. Their rubbers are fine but half worn. I painted the handlebar stem, and I understand it may not be to your taste but it will easily come off with stripper.
One final though. Although this is qquite a light bike, and really goes like the clappers once you give it the legs, you will find that going anywhere takes a long time, because everyone wants to look at it, and ask questions! Take it to your local cyclists' cafe, and you will not need to buy your own cakes all day!
PLEASE NOTE, THE BIG PANNIER 'SACCOCHE' BAG IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SALE. THE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN ON A RECENT OUTING.
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I've now finished the bike's refurb. Basically just a good clean-up. i've sourced a rear lens, too. Latest photos on www.flickr.com/photos/velocipedinarian. The bike is now officially For Sale at £650 plus postage.
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Bianchi Ghisallo, Campagnolo Valentino 10-speed, everything on the bike is utterly original, just with 40 years of storage chips.
An amazing find, and about as rare as you'll get in this country. This bike was ridden once, for 2 miles, then put away, never to be ridden again. I haven't ridden it yet, as I'm about to give it a sympathetic going-through, but it's a little too small for me so it has to go. It's about 22".
More details can be had on request, but i'm only just finding out about the model, so I haven't fixed a price yet. Get in early with a sensible offer and you might get lucky!
Anyone comtemplating painting it Celeste will have the hounds set upon them!
Seems the photos didnt load, so here's another bash...
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This is a classic mid-80s Bianchi, in the 'right' colour. (Pantone 233 Celeste) and a nice bigg size. I'm 5'11" but I ride a 60 in vintage sizing. It was never a top of the line model, so I took the nasty disraeli gears off and it makes an awesome dual-brake singlespeed.
New Cinelli bars & stem, with Fizik celeste tape. Ambrosio wheels. Conti tyres. Shimano 'arabesque' crankset, running a shaved outer ring as a guard. New Jagwire celeste cables. Shimano cage/spd reversible padals, but can be omitted if you prefer.
Condition is nice but does bear a few nicks & chips, all touched-up, slightly off-match (current version of Bianchi's own paint toucher-upper pen thing). However there are no dents and the bike rides perfectly straight and true.
Currently I have some SKS mudguards shoe-horned in there, and an old fave B17 saddle. You can opt to have or omit the guards, but I'm keeping the saddle. The bag in the photos is a keeper too of course. With open-cable brake levers, the bike would be a blast at L'Eroica!
I apologise for the crap photos, and I will send detailed images to anyone interested, including details of the paint imperfections.
£275 + £15 shipping from 'oop north'.