hhabca

I picked this up last week - the first new/old bike I've bought in a long time. I've looked most of the summer for a 57-58cm frame or bike to put on some old parts I have to make a complete bike to use on the trainer. I looked at a few put up on CL and local for sale pages, and was dissapointed every time. Rusty junk with $200 price tags. Well, last week a Bianchi Brava came up for sale that looked my size. I emailed about 3 days after the ad was up and it was still there - so I go down to look expecting to find a rusty old worn out, made in Taiwan, Bianchi - it would have been sold if it was a perfect bike.

When I got there I couldn't resist buying it because it was: exactly my size - a perfect fit; yellow; had full 105 group; and in about 9/10 condition! I put in a shot of under the fork - no dirt or rust on the brake bolt. The bike looks about 3 years old - not 20! I negotated $25 off the asking $250 because of the back wheel issue. It'll cost me $40 to fix that wheel, and then $15 for bar tape so it's not a screaming good deal, but better than ebay and shipping.

The good:
Excellent condition, nice yellow paint and it fits me perfectly! Has a threaded hole on the rear drop out for a rack or fenders, and will take 28mm tires - just barely. The brakes have plenty of clearance, its a tight squeeze in the bottom bracket area. Might be room for 32 tires if they are defalted and then put in, but they might rub on the stays. I think 25mm tires with brake room for fenders were probably the intended size for the bike, especially given the 19mm rims on it (actually 17mm inside).

some nit-picking...
The brazing details (like seat cluster) are not as nice as the Reparto Corso's (or even some Japanese bikes), and I think I now know what 'Italian paint job' means - the paint looks pretty thin on the underside of the down tube. The decals are a bit cheap looking, but after cleaning them off they blend in better. The decal edges seem to pick up dirt - accentuating the fact that they are thick decals or possibly stickers. I'm not even sure if there is clear coat or not over the decals. But looking on ebay it seems many other Bianchi frames are built this way...

The rear wheel was badly warped (bent rim?) but a local bike shop said they could true it. I hope this isn't money wasted. It has Ambrosio Elite 19 rims on the 105 hubs. It's about 22lbs with these wheels on it - not bad for a mid-level 80's steel bike! Everything is Shimano 105, with engraved 3TTT stem and 3TTT bar, ITM seat post and Selle Ital 'Bianchi' saddle. Bottom bracket is Italian width, measured with a caliper. I believe this bike is bone stock.

Only one short ride outside so far - I have to get new bar tape and maybe new brake cables. I'm putting a wider Cinelli bar on it (42), which also means I changed the stem and it seems to put the original cables a little too tight. The white seat is going, but I might put white bar tape on it again, and maybe white brake cables - I'm open to opinions on this. The white hoods actually cleaned up pretty well - gotta keep the greasy hands off them though! I looked through some books showing old TdF photos and I'd say 80% of the riders had white bar tape!

I showed my wife and she said I had this "Christmas morning" smile on my face! Still do - it may not be as perfect as some of the custom bikes I've seen posted up here, and not a single Campy part on it, but I've wanted a classic DT-shifting steel frame bike in my size for years now and this fits the bill. Now I'm not sure about using it on the trainer!

T-Mar

The Brava was a very nice, lower, mid-range model. Based on the graphics and Formula II tubeset I'd say it is circa 1988. Fortunately, it's an Italian frame, so we can narrow that down via the serial number.

hhabca

Which of the 4 digits in the SN gives the year? It's a 6 speed 105 index shifting bike, but with Uniglide freehub, so my guess was 86, but maybe it's 88 as there is an 8 in the SN, but no 6 or 5.

Is that tubing butted at all? I think the main tubes are Cr-Mo from the sticker, but I can't read if it's butted or not. I'm on the heavy-ish side (190lbs) so a mid-level bike is a good fit for me as far as tubing thickness goes.

East Hill

You obviously haven't gotten to ride it yet, but I'll bet when you do go for a ride you will believe that your bike is perfect .

It's a beauty, love that yellow!

Thanks for those photos .

East Hill

T-Mar

The four digits have nothing to do with the year. There should be another two characteracters, one a letter and the other a number. Usually they are on the opposite side of the bottom bracket and sometimes at right angles.

A 1985 or 1986 would not have had Formula II, which is a mixed tubeset. The main tubes are butted. 'Tre tubi rinforzati' = three tubes butted

roccobike

That bike is in beautiful condition. I think you got a bargain for $225. Those old Bianchis bring good $$$ and finding one in that condition, and the right size, is great find. Good luck with it.

hhabca

OK, I did a search - it has L 8 on the BB sheel, so its a 1988, made in the 24th week - I think. The 105 crank looks to date from 1987 (has an LE on one crank). About the year I was looking for a road bike like this but decided to wait...

Yes, the condition is excellent - I'd rate it as looking 1 to 2 years old with careful use. Only a few scratches on the crank arms and only one significant paint scuff. I'm afraid I'll end up putting all the wear on this bike now, as I'm not selling it. The fit is near perfect for me.

I finally got to ride it this morning with some spare wheels I have with 19mm tires and a 7 speed Suntour freewheel so the shifters were put to friction mode. Very nice ride, good response. It felt very comfortable for the 1/2 hour I got on it - try to get on it more on Sunday. Some pics of it finished - the brake levers look pretty high but they feel OK for me right now. I swapped the 3TTT bar/stem for a Cinelli 105/42 combo (well, that's all I have in the parts box), and stuck with white cork tape. Maybe I'll try yellow next year.