1989 Bianchi Giro
Part Diary, Part Technical Manual, Part Tips & Tricks

A few months ago I was walking my dog around the neighborhood and my neighbor Gill was cleaning out his garage and I saw this celeste Bianchi. It was his old bike that he had not ridden in years. I told him I restore bikes, so if he ever wanted to get rid of it, to let me know. Last night I was walking my dog again and Gill comes out and tells me that the Bianchi is mine, he bought a new carbon fiber Cannondale and no longer needs his old steel bike. So I walk over the following day and pick up the bike. It was pretty filthy, but beneath the grime appeared to be a very nice bike that was well taken care of. It had an Athena gruppo with monoplaner brakes, which I feel is one of the most beautiful brakes ever designed. So after a little research, I determined that the bike is a 1989 Giro. After taking some photos, I put some air in the tires and rode it around the block. The bike rides, shifts, and brakes perfectly. Looks like the bike was properly maintained and was simply just put away for a long time. So after not having a Bianchi for a while, on July 20, 2014, I got another celeste bike in the collection.

9/9/2014 - After meticulously cleaning all the parts over the past couple months, I have been slowly putting the bike back together. The main delay was getting a pair of Campagnolo shifter cables, which are just a tad smaller than the standard Japanese size. Everything came together nicely, the only minor flaw is that the indexing of the Syncro shifter can be a bit vague, without a confidence inspiring click. Time to ride it around this weekend if I have time.

Here are the specs:

Frame: 1989 Bianchi Giro, 53.5 cm CTC, 54.0cm CTT. Serial Number: N.6 4406. Columbus SLX with Gipiemme dropouts, 130mm spacing. Italian bottom bracket threading. Celeste.
Fork: 1989 Bianchi Giro, 1" threaded. Columbus Foderi Laminati (cold-drawn) tubing with Bianchi eagle pantograph. Celeste.
Rims: MAVIC Open 4 CD with hard anodized finish, 32h.
Hubs: Campagnolo Athena (D300), 32h.
Tires: Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick, 700 x 23c, folding bead.
Cassette: Regina Synchro 90-S, 7spd, 13-23T, stamped "Made In Italy/88".
Cranks: Campagnolo Athena (D040), 52x42, 170mm. Stamped square 42, which I will assume equals 1989. It doesn't really fit the standard convention of square 11 is 1985, square 22 is 1986, and square 33 is 1987. I've read that square 41 is 1988, so square 42 must be 1989. Since this gruppo was only made between 1988-91, I can't be too far off!
Bottom Bracket: Miche Primanto, 115mm spindle, Italian threaded, cartridge bearings, ISO square taper.
Front Derailer: Campagnolo Athena (C022), braze-on.
Rear Derailer: Campagnolo Athena (D100), 7 speed with new Forte aluminum pulleys with six ball bearings each.
Shifters: Campagnolo Athena Syncro 2.
Headset: Campagnolo Athena.
Chain: KMC Z-50, narrow.
Stem: ITM 1" quill, aluminum, 110mm, 26.0mm clamp with Bianchi pantograph.
Handlebar: ITM Mod. Mondial, aluminum, 26.0mm clamp. 38.5cm wide, 8.0cm reach, 14.0cm drop.
Bar Wrap: Serfa, celeste.
Brakes: Campagnolo Athena (D500).
Brake Levers: Campagnolo Athena (BL-02AT CG).
Pedal: Shimano PD-M520 SPD, black.
Seatpost: Campagnolo Athena, 27.2mm x 200mm.
Saddle: Bianchi by Velo. Suede cover, celeste.

The original bike weighed 23 lbs 3 oz, the bike currently weighs 22 lbs 11 oz as shown. The frame weighs 4 lbs 12 oz and the fork weighs 1 lb 8 oz.

The following are the parts that I am currently not using:

Tires: Michelin Hi-Lite Supercomp H.D., 700x23c.
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Athena (D0H0), 114mm spindle, ISO square taper. Axle is stamped 70-SSG, one side of the spindle was pitted.
Saddle: Selle Italia. Celeste.
Computer: Cateye Micro Cyclo Computer CC-6000 with cadence.