1988 Bianchi Axis

I've made yet another change to the Axis. Added a new wheelset and moved the Mavic set to the Grandis. The new set (pics forthcoming) has a Sturmey Archer S2C duomatic hub with a coaster brake no less! Its laced to Weinmann Zac19 Rims. Very curious to see how it performs around town. They were a local craigslist find and unusual enough to give it a go.

Another change to the Bianchi. Swapped out the Origin8 wheelset with the Mavic MA40 set from the old Masi but kept the same gear ratio. Thats pretty much a done deal since the bike has vertical drops. I'm stuck with a 46:16, which actually works fairly well around Charlotte. I always forget how much weight is in the wheels. It feels pleasantly lighter than the deep v's. I added some MKS Sylvan pedals, which work great for most any condition or shoe style. An important trait (for me) when commuting.

I also took a leap on ditching the bullhorns and crosstop brake levers for a Velo Orange Postino bar and brake lever combo. It required me to put on the longer, more elegant 3t stem from the Pinarello, which worked well for both bikes and I love the results....#stayclassy.

V3.0: Well, I was bored this cold wintery February and decided to convert the Bianchi Axis into a single speed. Picked up a used set of Origin8/Wienmann Dp18 wheels and tried a 46x16 gear ratio. The Mavic G40 wheelset moved to the Cinelli. The black Brooks B17 has been on it a while and works well now that its broken in and soft. The 32c tires have proven to be bombproof on any surface of road and accompanied with the SKS fenders its suited for poor weather too. I was limited in the available gear combinations since the frame has vertical dropouts. Not as easy as you would think trying to match two gears and a chain length. It should be sufficiently stout to keep some speed on the flatter areas but not too tough on the hills.

V2.0: I broke down and totally tricked out the Axis as a full commuter but way better looking than when I picked it up. Flopped and chopped the bars and then added bar end shifters on the bullhorns with a 3T stem. Found a Campagnolo Chorus rear derailleur and a C-Record front derailleur. Magic G40 wheels with Campy Record hubs and 32C tires. A nice set of SKS full front and rear fenders and an Axiom rear rack. I ride this bike back and forth to work most days. Fun but HEAVY as hell!

With the very useful Avenir grocery bag on the back rack

1990 Basso Loto

UPDATE: Already switched up a few things. Swapped the threadless stem with black Cinelli bars, 1R stem and seatpost. Keeps the black and white theme going well I think. Much more comfortable with a little height on the bars. Score! I finally found a Basso Fior di Loto. I've been searching for this color variant and model for a while now and this one popped up on Ebay from Brownsville Texas. Super excited to build this up with the Campagnolo parts from the Pegoretti upgrade that's in the works. From what I have gathered so far, this frame is most likely from 1990. Its a 55cm Columbus SLX steel frame and fork, Basso Fior di Loto model in the Caribe colorway. It has a few fandom stickers on it that removed fairly easily and with a little elbow grease. The paint polished up nicely afterward and there are only a few nicks and scratches. This 1990 Catalogue cut shows the color variants available for this model. I've always been at

1989 Pinarello Treviso

I was able to find a new frame update for my collection, this installment is a 1989 Pinarello Treviso, Cobalto Smoke, 56cm frame. It was in decent shape when I purchased it locally off a bike forum member in SC. It has some ugly stickers on the top tube (subsequently removed) and a paint scheme that can only be described as.... classic 80's italian. An odd "smoked" blue, thusly named Cobalto Smoke, from the catalog. Here are some pics from the forum post. The paint was pretty dull and very fragile. One of the first tasks completed was to remove the unwanted stickers and try to rehab the paint. I tested a few paint options, using thinned testors model paint, and found a near match for the base blue. My brush technique wasn't great but it worked well for small scratch marks. Added a duple-color clear coat after a thorough polishing. Turned out well and should be better protected. Next up was to replace the decals, which were long gone, but g

1987 Pinarello Veneto-SOLD

UPDATE: I sold the frame fork and headset to a guy in Nashville, Tn. Kept everything else for the next frame. Not sure what that will be...maybe a Basso. A few parts went toward the Treviso. You can read that post to see how that build turned out. I was able to mark another classic italian bike off the wish list this past weekend. This "Record Blue" 1987 Pinarello Veneto. The bike is 56cm and is equipped with: Columbus Aelle tubing, 3TTT Bars and Stem, Ofmega Headset and Cranks, Campagnolo shifters, NR front, Victory rear derailleurs and Modolo American brakes. I found a set of Mavic MA2 wheels with a campy front hub and a shimano rear 7 speed. Finally a bike where the old blue Michelin Kromium tires actually look decent. Its not exactly the model I was searching for but still rare enough to make an effort. I'll continue the search for a Montello SLX. Until that time, its not the lightest of my collection, its not in the best shape, but its still a joy to ride.

Cicli Meacci

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