Help with a tired old Bianchi - project

Good to hear you're enjoying the bike - that's the main thing. The calipers will be in the post next Tuesday once I'm home.

Once you have experienced something nice it's hard to ride an inferior machine. I nearly bought a Carrera road bike myself for rainy days etc, but the frame just looked badly made and I knew that I would not enjoy it.

Rich34":2m0cqsh3 said:

Good to hear you're enjoying the bike - that's the main thing.

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Yes I think so. To be honest I have come to cycling not particularly for a want to cycle but because I've always wanted an old road bike with downtube shifters and I spotted one in a skip. My main source of exercise is weights - which takes quite a bit out of you.

Now I've done all the work though I'm quite keen to use it, and I'm a sucker for a hobby that is gear focused :roll:

Right, I've made a decision for the long term goal of this project and it is somewhat predictably getting it campag'd up.

I am also going to go with aero levers - I don't like the look as much (I'm a bit odd like that) but I think they will be more comfortable and more effective.

Part of the long term project will also be having the frame shot blasted and powder coated.

Budget remains deliberately tight, I much prefer a project which is a bit of a challenge.

Been a little while since I posted here - it's only really in the last couple of weeks that anything has changed. A solution hasn't been worked out for the calipers I got from Rich unfortunately - but they are there, waiting!

In the mean time I have got a pair of shimano 105 calipers on there I took off a parts bike. I picked up a pair of Modolo levers and finally got the bar tape on - which isn't perfect but not bad for a first attempt I thought.

The old bars are gone, replaced with a pair of black alloy ones - again taken off another bike - thought they went with the levers.

I think I've bought 4 bikes since I got this one :roll: The latest one was dripping with campag - nothing matching - but unfortunately the frame is totally shot to pieces.

Looking good there - I was wondering if you'd made any progress. I wasn't sure about the black bars at first but they look good with the black Modolo levers. The bar wrap looks fine too.

Need more pictures!

Since doing the bars/wrap I've got a nice cinelli stem and bars :roll:

Got a close ratio freewheel to go on as well, but planning on doing box hill in the week so maybe after that

Had a few breaks with cash flow so think I am going to have the frame shot blasted and coated - also have it coated internally with one of these frame protection.

Any where in west Sussex that I can have this done? Don't want to pay over the odds for it.