1992 Bianchi Squadra |
A bike for the worker bee |
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1992 is a guess at the date for this bicycle. It was designed as a work-a-day racer, built in the theme of the classic Italian racing bike for the team members whose job it is to carry the load for the team leader, who conserves as much energy as possible to better contest the race at the critical moments. Lance Armstrong repeatedly proved the value of this respected tactic in the Tour de France. The worker bee doesn't need the prettiest bike with the latest equipment, he needs a bike that works and rides flawlessly but one that won't break the team's expense account if it is lost in a crash. This fine example was handmade in Italy with Columbus SLX tubing, Gipiemme dropouts and stamped (not cast) steel lugs. The grouppo is early Campagnolo Athena, which might be called "first generation." It came with 7-speed Synchro2, but I have since changed out the Athena freewheel hubs for early Chorus 8-spd cassette (it is wearing C-Record hubs in the photo). The rims are Ambrosio Synthesis, the race favorite of the era. To make the shifters work, all I had to do was to file an extra notch into the indexing ring--it works beautifully. The pedals are another issue, though. Campy's first foray into the clipless arena was the SGR, which, while innovative, suffer from being heavy, require a unique cleat, tend to make noise due to cleat movement, and are much harder to get out of than most other designs. In fact, at the end of my first ride, I had to lean against a pole so that I could get my feet out of the shoes, leaving them to dangle from the pedals until I could muscle them free! There are numerous adjustments to these pedals, but I'm not sure they are worth it. On the other hand, they are about the prettiest clipless pedals ever made and at least the cleats have a standard Look bolt pattern. The bike is a joy to ride, very responsive, a great hill climber, yet also quite comfortable. I've ridden over 130 miles in a day on it without problems. It is stable, but handles responsively with its neutral steering. The sculpted components are styled after the top-line C-Record, but without the stratospheric price. All in all, a great road race or sport riding bike. It won't end up on anyone's wall as art, but it is a fine example of Italian craftsmanship for the common man. Email
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