Re: [CR]4 "quick" Bianchi questions looking for answers

(Example: Humor:John Pergolizzi)

From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR]4 "quick" Bianchi questions looking for answers
References: <56587ED8.728B7BE2.0ABF10BB@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 16:49:52 -0700

Dave Anderson wrote:
>
> Hello List-
> Several of you were kind enough to help me chase down some Bianchi information that has been very helpfull to me. Out of all of those efforts, I have distilled my need to learn down to these Four questions:
> (1)What year, (in the 70s?) did Bianchi stop using the integrated headset?
> (2)What year, (in the 80s?) did Bianchi stop using the flat or semi-sloping fork crown in favoer of the fully sloping design?
> (3)What year, (in the 80s?) was the "Specialissima" name last used? Did it come and go and then come back again like the "SuperLeggera" moniker?
> (4)What years during the 60s? 70s? and 80s? was the name "SuperLeggera" used?
> Any body who can help, please do.

I have been a huge Bianchi fan for a long time, own (caretake) quite a few from all eras (1939 to 1995), have a lot of Bianchi literature and a couple of books, have friends that work at Bianchi USA and I can't answer a single one of your four questions!

Part of the reason is that bike shops didn't have much in the way of catalogs for consumers up to the 1980s. Another is that Bianchi sells bikes in many countries and the individual countries usually spec. and name the models destined for their country. You wouldn't find that the models sold in the US would necessarily be the same as the models sold in Italy.

My guesses (and not even "educated" ones at that): 1. Integral headset gone in the late 1960s 2. Full slopping fork crown (aero) mid 1980s 3. Specialissima name comes and goes (sixties kinda name) 4. Superleggera name comes and goes (seventies kinda name)

Chuck Schmidt SoPas, SoCal

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