Bob-
You are the Bianchi King! Always nice to get your take. As far as your request is concerned, apologies that I can not help out with the website.
Nonetheless, your commenst regarding the "dark" years 72ish to 79ish have always been bothersome to me as well. while I have found some nice bikes from that era, they have all come from our European brethern.
RE:
My interest is Reparto Corsa production but I feel strange in leaving out their mid range bikes which were nice and offered a nice value in an Italian bicycle.
I am restoring a 76 Campione d'Italia and yes, it is a nice bike even though it was 3rd down from the top. On the upside, it still weighs ~21.5 lbs and of course it handles very nimbly as well. It had that "buy me, i am an orphan" look about it and being a softy at heart, I couldn't pass. someday it will be finished in all its glory.
Regarding the "dark" period dating of Bianchi, I have not found a reliabable decodable consistency in their serial number approach and have had to rely on general overall looks to get things narrowed down to a specific year, give or take a few. I am better at 1980 through late 80s and kinda lose it after the end of the X-4 model.
In any case, please rely on me to help out when I can once you get the website up and running!
Best Regards- Nels Cone Seattle WA
p.s. correct me if I am wrong, but even though Gimondi was sponsored by the Bianchi gangsters: Columbus, Campy, Clement, Regina and 3TTT, all the pics I ever see of him, he is riding Cinelli bars & stem.......white Almarc ones at that!
> Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 09:48:35 -0700
> From: freitas1@pacbell.net
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> CC: DMart84815@yahoo.com
> Subject: Re: [CR] mid 70s Bianchis and now a request
>
>
> These bikes are one of my fascinations. For a company with a tremendous
> history they seemed to have forgotten about it for long periods of time.
> Reparto Corsa always used Campagnolo ends on their bikes (at least
> during the on topic years) and this is always a quick way to check to
> see if its a top line bike.
> Here in the USA ,Bianchi seemed to slip back into the murky depths
> after 1973 or so and I do not think there was a formal presence until
> closer to 1979/1980 (though I do have scans of 1977 and 1978 catalogs)
> After the abandonment of the Bianchi Style integrated headset which
> occured in the 1971/72 Period as they ran out of various size headset
> lugs, they changed styles of Fork crown engraving and seat stay caps a
> couple times before settling on the engraved B and Bianchi stamping.
> I think during the early 70s post Bianchi Headset period we see first
> raised lines on the fork crown and then the raised circle with the B,
> then this gave way for the engraved B with no circle in the later 70s
> (probably 1978) and this would continue until the Flat or semi sloping
> crown would disappear in the mid 80s.
> It has always been my plan to start a formal Serial number register
> and include photographs of the different bikes. My interest is Reparto
> Corsa production but I feel strange in leaving out their mid range bikes
> which were nice and offered a nice value in an Italian bicycle.
> I registered VintageBianchi.com a number of years ago with the hopes
> of putting this together.My problem is lack of computer skills (Joel
> Metz's Jack Taylor site revolves around the fact he writes his own HTML)
> so at this point I will ask if anyone knows of a good off the shelf
> software package that might allow the register and then in Joels click
> thru design a place to store photos directly behind? I would have to
> exert some sort of control over content but do not have a lot of time to
> dedicate to that.
> I know the Yahoo discussion site allows photos but it does not appear
> to be ''linear'' from date and serial to photos (and I could be wrong here)
>
> I think a formal time line would help the many listmembers who are
> always asking the same question as to ''what year or model is my bike''
> etc
>
> Any help would be appreciated
>
> BOB FREITAS
> MILL VALLEY,CA USA