name that bike, episode 485A

Eric said:

I'm in the market for a frame upgrade this year. Right now I'm riding a ~2001 Bianchi Campione,
which is my first roadie in a long time and I'd like to continue with a bike with similar handling
characteristics, which are what I'm assuming are fairly racy. I like to climb, I'm 38, ~6ft 170, and
I ride a 10mi combined work commute every day as well as 50-100 mi on weekends. Not a huge rider,
but I get by and I like to climb. I have possible designs in competing in any of the myriad Fredly
Crits in the next year or two. One of my concerns is that if I'm going to be all lumpy and mediocre
in front of other people, I'd rather it not be on a $5000 bike. I'm looking for a logical upgrade
that suits my skill level.

Some of these things I have reasons for, but mostly they're prejudices or aesthetic preferences. I'm
just curious what a reasonable price for these features are:

-No Aluminum
-Braze-on FDer
-Chrome dropout surfaces (preferably with the adjuster screws)
-Chain hanger
-Integrated derailleur cable stops

That's pretty much it. The Campione is a 55cm and feels a little long on top, but I've got kind of a
gangly body I suppose and besides I'm doing all my own adjusting and haven't really settled in yet.
It seems like a 56cm would be too big and a 54 for a 32" inseam? I shortened my stem to 90mm this
year and it's been a bit better, but I don't know if some brands have any bias towards these kinds
of geometry adjustments, like how K-Swiss shoes seem to run a bit wide.

I realize in a lot of ways I'm talking about a custom frame, but if there's a factory frame that
sits in the zone I'm talking about I'm curious to know about the channel I'm looking to buy into. I
know what you're saying, if I want an updated version of a Cinelli Supercorsa, which is at the very
top-end of my price range, why not get one? I really don't know the answer to that, but I think it
has something to do with seeing a fantastic pink-n-light-blue MX Leader-type Merckx model some years
back. The Cinelli just seems, I dunno, a little boring next to that memory. Of course, you don't
climb on the paint job, but still...And none of this is to say that I need steel. What about those
steel/carbon combos, worst of both worlds?

By the way, I only realized I was basically describing the Cinelli when I went to check its price.
Freaky.

Okay, flame on.

-eric

Hi Eric,

Your specs might be a little hard to match in today's market for a
reasonable price (especially with regard to chrome dropouts) but
Torelli has several frames you might like:

http://www.torelli.com/torelli/countach.html

This next one's the best deal, IMHO. TIG'ed Columbus Brain tubing and
inexpensive. (I have a TIG'ed Brain bike and it's just grand). You can
pop for the carbon fork they offer and still be quite near $900. If it
were me I'd build this one up with Campy Veloce or Centaur (perhaps
with compact cranks, if that's your sort of thing) and be proud of my
bike.

http://www.torelli.com/torelli/cstig.html

They even have a steel/carbon model like you mentioned...it's a little
pricey at $1500; you may or may not get perceptible vibration damping
from the carbon seatstays. Personally, I'd buy the frame linked to
above and spend the difference on parts.

I like Torelli frames a lot. They're thoughtfully designed, have
high-quality paint and Chairman Bill (the owner) is a slightly kooky
guy who just loves bicycles. What more could you ask for?

Also, you might want to consider one of Mark Hickey's inexpensive Ti
frames:

http://www.habcycles.com/road.html

I've never ridden one or even seen one, but I hear good things about
them and they'd certainly serve your purpose. They even have chain
hangers.

There are lots of opinions on sizing; personally, I pick out frame
sizes by top tube lengths. I can deal with anything between 54.5 and 56
cm by sizing the stem extension properly, and I'm 5'9" or so. You say
your Bianchi s a bit long, but you're considerably taller than I am.
You might do best to find a local shop and get a professional fitting.
It's hard to fit people properly over the internet, and you sound like
you might be a standard deviation or two away from median proportions.

Good luck!

Jason

P.S. The Torelli frames have geometry quite similar to that of your
Bianchi.