Sure, because that can easily be rectified … your non Italian/Campag bits and bobs on the other hand may raise eyebrows with the celeste-polizia, clearly ‘budget’ wasn’t the issue
I’ll take all the flack coming for the oversized (& American) saddle bag if it at least deflects attention from my Shimano pedals, doh! Love my ‘budget’ Bianchi - although the UCI frame itself was used on the pro circuit on cobbles which is why it works out well around Edinburgh and my hilly street is cobbled - it has some lovely Veloce kit though
My Triban 500 SE for shopping/trips etc (west coast Scotland here) (about a quarter the cost of the Bianchi, but still a joy to cycle, it’s one size small for me, but that helps it’s handling around town - it can now only run 23s as I’ve shoehorned mudguards in, not so comfy - Ironically, it is sporting a Bianchi water bottle
and completing the trio of aluminium bikes (although the btwin has carbon forks and the Bianchi has carbon/kevlar ‘damping’) an aged and very light cannondale M600 sans knobblies for getting around
A fourth (also aluminium) Ridgeback hybrid got pinched - I wish my son’s small mtn bike was aluminium, it weighs more than all of them - tripping over bikes here
here’s a slightly clearer shot for those with a fetish for ultra-cheap bikes from multinational retailers … not original wheels here as the og bearings didn’t like touring weights (or my local cobbles)
Big fan. As someone who was a hardcore urban rider until a few years ago I always rode those sorts of bikes as they stand up well to being hit by cars. I had a Japanese steel “Tiger Cycle” that survived being hit nine times before the frame finally cracked. I practically lived on that bike for years. Wore out everything but the frame many times over. I think I paid $25 for it at a garage sale. If I ever see another one my size I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
just got back from a ride, so here are two more from my stable.
the cross bike i picked up used. it’s possibly the funnest bike to ride. it’s a pure race machine, but with the chubby 42c tires on it, it rolls over anything. it’s smooth on the road, climbs like crazy, can handle dirt. it’s a rocket but a blast to ride. with road tires, it weighs around 14 lbs.
the parlee z5i is the finest bike i’ve ever owned. i wouldn’t change anything about it. it climbs like the wind, responds well, handles nimbly. it’s sublime. a sprinter might want something stiffer, but i’m a pretty medium(-ish) climber, even with the extra COVID15-20 lbs on my frame from the past year and a half.
Picked this one up from the local thrift shop recently. Just got it rideable and took it for a first test spin today, minor repairs for testing purposes only. Still needs to be tuned up/ cleaned, truing the wheels is top on the list, but not a bad ride as is.
This 70s Panasonic TDX-5000 is my newest project… 1st gen Dura Ace! Panasonic were quite proficient framebuilders back then and built high-end frames for Schwinn, Miyata and other companies. I’m thinking about doing a singlespeed conversion for it, but might just keep it set up as a tourer. Frame is fully chromed underneath so will eventually strip and polish it.
Don’t single speed it! It looks superb with that edition of Dura-ace on it.
I like that colour too… sure it’d also look great down to the chrome as well.
