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1998 Bianchi Volpe

 Its been a while since I came across the inspiration for another project. Oddly enough I found a beach cruiser in the trash to fix up now that Im in Wilmington, but that just started a notion.Lets build a "vintage" roadie with the biggest tires I can squeeze on the frame and that calls for a touring or cross frame.All my other frames, save the Axis, can handle a maximum of a 28mm tire. Most only 25's.   


Luckily, I found a craigslist ad for a 55cm 1988 Bianchi Volpe frame. Made from Bianchi Superset steel and tig welded, this touring frame was the perfect canvas so to speak. Ive always been fond of Bianchi frames and this would make it #6. From what I understand the Volpe was a late model derivative of the Axis and since I love the Axis in its current state, why not try its little sibling. 

It had an electric conversion kit on it and the nice guy who had it listed was really only interested in the kit. He purchased it from the original owner, who gave me the receipt and the owners manual to boot. So, I got the frame for really cheap. It actually came with all the bits too. It was pretty roached in terms of shape, but only cosmetic. There was no paint rehab in this frames future. 







The original Blur paint color, as Bianchi named it, would have been wonderful, but it was too far gone to save. So, I decided on just painting it flat black. That didn't last long. It looked too plain and didn't fit the frame at all. So an inspiration came to me one Saturday in the form of Dario. 
One of my favorite frame builders was Dario Pegoretti. He had a                             knack for custom painting his handmade frames in some of the most beautiful compositions. Unfortunately, I don't have his skill or the patience to think about a really cool artistic composition. I went another more impulsive direction.




   As a test I purchased 5 different acrylic colors with a nod to the            90's and splattered the matte black frame with a tiny brush. Then added a clear coat after the splatter had dried. The verdict is still out. I'm not entirely sure if I actually like the results 
but its grown on me.


Still in the works. I ended up spray paining the cranks black and added Shimano SLX rear derailleur that was on the frame. The stainless steel stem, nitro handlebars were part of the purchase. I also found another set of Campagnolo Proton wheels and paired that with an 11sp cassette that was in the parts bin. Right now it has a sun tour barren shifter and gran come brake levers, but I may change that setup depending on how it rides. 

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