Is a Bianchi too much?

Hold yer horses!

How many miles have you logged in your actual bike?

If you dont know the answer .... probably you need to ride more before jumping into such an expense!

I am planning to at least do 12,000 miles before I plan to spend big bucks on a bike. And I ride every daY!!!

Buy the bike that you want, if that is what gets you excited about riding.

And why the heck are you asking us about whether it is worth it? 😕 Most people on this forum (that includes me) would think nothing of spending 5k Euro on the bike of their dreams (if they had the money or credit limit🙄 )! We are not normal, we live to ride and spend money on carbon fiber bike parts!

... and we like it that way!

Bianchis are very good bikes but don't limit yourself to only that brand if you are on a budget.
For my first ever serious road bike I decided to build my own. I was lucky enough to find a quality used frame at a local bike shop for under 300 and slowly collected the components as soon as I could afford them, and in only a few months I had a sweet bike that I could take pride in, knowing I put it together myself.
Good sources for frames would be your local bike shops, ebay, classifieds and other roadies.

good luck

No, it's not overkill. However, it's also not terribly cost effective.

A 1970's-1980's vintage racer: Reynolds 531 or Columbus tubing, all Campy Nuovo/Super Record equipment; will set you back in the neighborhood of $500-700 if it is in good condition. If it's not in good condition, you will end up spending that much to get it in shape. That will get you a 21-22 pound bike with 10 speeds, downtube shifters, clipped pedals, and probably a well broken in Brooks saddle.

That's very close to what a new entry level Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Specialized, etc... will cost, around $600 - 700. And they will have 18 - 27 speeds (9 in the back, 2 or 3 up front), indexed shifters on the brake levers, all new components, and a warranty.

The old classics ride like a dream, and are beautiful to look at. Modern bikes, even high end ones, just don't have that sort of craftsmanship. However... you will need to work on them on occasion, you'll have to go online to get some of the parts, and they don't have indexed shifters, new/unworn components, or clipless pedals (though you can add these later). I have a vintage 1970's racer - Falcon San Remo - and it has a velvet smooth ride, the 35 year old Campy gear still functions perfectly, and it is so classy looking. It isn't as light, or as flexible as a modern entry level cycle, though.

I've put about 1200 miles on my bike since I got it last December. Since I'm not a completely hardcore rider (and still new to the sport), I don't feel I need a top of the line model, just a good model. I'm only looking to spend about $300 for the bike and mabye a little more later for any missing/worn out parts. I don't much care for most of the options new road bikes have, like clipless pedals and index shifting, so I thought a 25+ year old Bianchi or Mercier might be a good choice. I'm not excluding all other brands either, I just really like the way they look.

keep your eyes on ebay. if you know what you're looking for and don't mind waiting, a nice bike at a bargain can be had.

a nicely lugged steel frame beats the pants off of any other as far as style goes. they ride pretty d_mn nice too.

as far as how old a bike to get, my own is a '72 10 speed bianchi, which i love. i had the entire frame chromed (only the forks were originally chrome) a few years ago and it looks gorgeous.

however, i might suggest a late '70's or '80's bike if you can find one that looks nice. this is because they are more easily upgraded and parts are more easily available. especially, the old bikes that take a 5 speed freewheel have a chainstay width of 120mm, meaning you will be stuck with 5 speeds for good. as far a i can tell only 1 type of 5 speed freewheel is currently still in production(although they aren't expensive). and to see what other parts can run, check out:

bicycleclassics.combicycleclassics.comOpen ↗
good luck