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