Bianchi 1946?

[lucasricart]

My first question in the forum!

My name is Lucas and I'm from Argentina and a couple of days ago I came across this bike bianchi and I really liked. The seller says it is 1946, but I can not find anything on that model and I wonder if any of you can help me with that, the price is $ 2000 pesos Argentine equivalent to u$d 480, is a good price?

Thank you very much and sorry for my bad English!

 

[Johnsqual]

Hey,

I'm not the greatest expert on here, but here are some comments that may help you.

-That looks to me very much like a track bike built in the 1940's - so 1946 must be the year not the model number.

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-In the lattached photo, you can see a track bike of similar age - the handlebars are very similar, for example.

-The forks are a little strange: the clearance (the space between the front wheel and the forks) is very large, which is unusual for a track bike, so maybe the forks are not original.

-Do you know much about the seller? Is it an old cyclist, a collector?
I know Argentina had a strong cycling team and was a centre for track racing in the 1940s, so try to find out some history.

-If the person is asking €480 and it's a real Bianchi track bike of that age,
it's a bargain. That's an historic bike and very interesting for collectors.

Hopefully someone else can help some more, but perhaps this is a start.

Good luck,

Johnny

 

[Johnsqual]

I am surprised there haven't been more replies to this, it looks to me
like potentially an interesting bike.

Did you buy it? Or were you able to find any more out about it?

Two more observations from the photos:

-The wheel rims are aluminium or maybe steel. Rims on track bikes from this
era would normally be wooden.

-The paint is in very good condition for a bike that might be from the 1940s.

Both these suggest to me at least that this is either a restoration/respray or maybe a replica of a classic bike.

Hopefully somebody who knows a lot more than me will come along, because I'm curious about this too.

Johnny

 

[keithglos]

Lucas, This looks correct to me, including 5 pin inch pitch chainwheel, but I would expect alloy rims, which were in general use by the late 1930's. The rims are probably about 12 ounces, where woods were 16 / 18 ounces.
I rode my 1930's wood rims in several wet road races in 1955, without any harm. Don't believe the legends.
If you want to ride it on the roads are you OK without brakes?
Agree with Johnny about the wheel clearance, but the forks look right.
Keith

 

[Old Ned]

Fiamme alloy sprint rims were advertised in late 30's 'Holdsworth Aids' books. They even said they were made in Britain!

And used in 1934 by Hubert Opperman in his End-to-End record attempt.

This is from 1936 and taken from the Kilgariff (spelling?) collection. Note they show both a 26" and 27" option. Which is correct for the 'normal' 700C size?

Weight 9oz - each rim?

If you look opposite they also advertise a 27" Fiamme wired-on rim - made by 'Tabucchi'. Were they the same manufacturers throughout Fiamme history?

No mention of drilling options either, presumably only 32/40 in those days although 'sur le continent' were 36/36 the norm by then?

Questions, questions, always questions!

 

[keithglos]

Paul, Holdsworth must have had a "guess the weight" machine. Post war fiammes, track 12 ounces, road 14, Mavic similar 11 ounces, and I have somewhere Super Champion similar at 10 ounces, Dunlop steel HP were 24 ounces. The wood rims I had were virtually indestructible, Constrictor supplied about 1938, 4 laminations and made by Honore Fossier in Paris from American Maple.
Apologies to Lucas, us elderly carried away by actually remembering something.

 

[Citoyen du monde]

It looks like the bike has been restored and repainted. It does however look like it is from the 40's or 50's. Prices in Argentina are obviously not what they are elsewhere, but I nonetheless think that teh price is very fair to teh buyer. IN teh US that bike would likely sell for about double the price asked of you.