David K’s 1988 Bianchi Super Leggera

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Just as everyone deserves to eat out at a fancy restaurant every now and then, so does the OTSG and it’s Readers deserve to ogle a fancy bike every now and then.  Here is that opportunity.  This is David K’s 1988 Bianchi Super Leggera.  Chow down, because it’s Applebee’s and Mickey D’s for the rest of the week!

From: David in Bedford Falls, CA

This has become my favorite bike after finding it on CraigsList two years ago.  It’s 1988 Bianchi Super Leggera from the  “peak steel” era, when decades of racing tradition were still reflected in proven geometries and  beautiful lugged frames, while new innovations were rapidly appearing in form and function of components.  Fausto Coppi himself would instantly recognize the traditional Bianchi Celeste color.  The first generation Campagnolo Chorus components are a beautiful example of Italian art in gleaming alloy, which bridge  both old and new functions. The elegant monoplanar brakes come with  levers that can be set in either traditional or aero configuration.  The Syncro downtube gear shifters can also be set in either traditional (friction) or new-fangled (indexed) mode.  The rear derailleur is the first ever by Campagnolo to offer a B angle adjustment screw and a slant parallelogram.  The parallelogram itself is adjustable:  nearly vertical for a more traditional straight block freewheel (like older Campy derailleurs); or  slant parallelogram mode for use with wide-range freewheels, (which maintains a better chain gap, like Suntour derailleurs).  The redesigned crankset avoids the stress risers and cracks often seen in older styles, and makes it possible to mount a 39 tooth chainwheel.  The versatile rear derailleur handles rear cogs as large as 34 teeth, which provides gearing low enough that I am willing to take the bike anywhere, even over sustained climbs with 15-20% gradients.  I think this 1988 bike  represents a chameleon of old and new functions that reflects a transitional time in the industry.  However, the Bianchi also shifts better, brakes better, and  rides better than any other bike I have owned from the classic era. It positively prances when you climb aboard, and has stimulated me to add thousands of new miles to my riding each year.

Thanks David

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  • Mark

    Love it, love it, LOVE it!

    • older1

      At first glance, I was wondering if David’s Bianchi was another iteration of your top-drawer Shogun, Mark!
      What a super-nice and versatile OTS Bianchi, though!
      Thanks, David, by the way, for showing the rest of us OTSG bottom-feeders what life can be like at the azure-tinted surface where the bright sunlight glints across the foaming shoreline! I can close my eyes and almost feel the gentle ocean breeze, too!
      Okay, Cameron, now we’re ready for more helpings of Huffy Hot Dogs and Murray Macaroni!

  • Brett

    She’s a beauty

  • http://hughsbicycle.blogspot.com Hugh

    Absolutely Beautiful, A true Classic.

  • Ryan

    To continue Cameron’s theme that is one sumptuous Italian feast! WOW what an absolute beauty. I just found an old Italian 10 speed Atala Giro D’ Italia (not yet OTSG submitted) an have had fun bombing around on it in its current crappy state but it doesn’t hold a match, let alone candle to the Super Leggera – even the name is cool! Although you could easily change it to Superb Leggera.

    Ryan

  • http://trailerparkcyclist.blogspot.com Tim Joe Comstock

    I don’t know what I should pay my respects to first: that Wildly Elegant Bicycle or David K’s Uptown Prose Style. Honestly, Dave, I think this bicycle has found a deserving home. If not, I’m taking donations.

    By the way, what is indexed shifting?

    • older1

      Everyone knows ‘Index Shift’ is what happens when the Dow outperforms the Nasdaq and/or S&P on any given day.
      A global index shift involves domestic and foriegn markets.
      By the way, I’ve also learned a ‘lugged frame’ is what happens when I dismount and carry, rather than ride, my two-chainring OTS up a steep incline, and a commonly-used ‘seat post’ would read “WET PAINT” or “RESERVED”.

  • Estamatakos55

    I know this is an older post but I have to ask: is this on Stanford’s campus? The wall and the tiling look familiar. I’m asking because I have the exact same bike on campus.