The toe clips are Italian-made ALE. Rivendell sells ALE stainless steel toe clips. It may be that the Campy derailleurs are model 980, which was the entry level below Triomphe at the start of the C-Record era. These derailleurs were functionally as good as Campy NR, but not nearly as nicely finished.. The Bianchi model may be named for the derailleurs, just as the Motobecane Grand Record featured Campy Record (actually Nuovo Record) derailleurs, and the Raleigh Competition GS a Campy Nuovo Grand Sport gruppo.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Folks:
> Last year I picked up a Bianchi 12-speed, and I am wondering if
> anyone can help to date it (my apologies if it turns out to be "off-topic"
> by reason of vintage). The lady who sold it to me said her son had
> purchased it 10 or 12 years earlier, but (knowing little of Bianchis) I
> would have thought the bike older than that. It is lugged steel (no
tubing
> label) in "Celeste" with decals marked Piaggio Bianchi and "980" - I
suppose
> that is a model number - and with a debossed "B"s in dark blue in the fork
> crown, and a "B" in a circle in dark blue at the top of each of the seat
> stays. It has Campagnolo friction shifters and derailleurs (I have no
idea
> how to ID the model), Weinmann 500 side pull brakes, Mavic "Module E" 27 x
1
> 1/4" rims with Clement Gentleman tires, Ofmega hubs, Ofmega chain wheels,
> Ofmega headset, 3ttt stem and handlebars, Italia Sprint suede saddle,
> Bianchi label cranks, Ofmega pedals with toe clips that appear to have
> something like a Campy logo on them (a circle with wings and "ALE" in the
> middle). There is also a "Made in Italy" decal near the bottom of the
seat
> tube. I do not know whether all the components are original, but the bike
> certainly doesn't look as though it was outdoors much, and may not have
seen
> a lot of use outside a basement.
> Thank you for any guidance you may be able to provide.
> -christopher crocoll
> Reston, VA