why is this Bianchi so inexpensive?

I see the price difference coming from the frames. Reynolds 520 steel
(great, cheap, not super light) versus the "high tech" AL and carbon fiber
on the Alfana. And the comp on the Alfa are much more pricey, mostly Shim
105 stuff

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS). I like the steel frame with the carbon fork,
the gears (SRAM cassette and rear deraillieur). Is there something I'm
missing or is this a really good deal? Here's the complete info on the
bike:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/strada.html

There's also the Alfana, which retails for about $1,400, but I don't
see hwo the component upgrades make the two bikes cost so differently:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/alfana.html

Can anybody tell me more about these bikes or their components?

Thanks,

Warren

[email hidden] (Warren Ginn) wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS).

This is a fake Bianchi. It is made in Taiwan and very heavy. Real Bianchis
are made in Italy and painted celeste green. The fake Bianchis are no
different from Giant or Specialized or other bikes made in Taiwan.

Ken said:

[email hidden] (Warren Ginn) wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS).

This is a fake Bianchi. It is made in Taiwan and very heavy. Real Bianchis
are made in Italy and painted celeste green. The fake Bianchis are no
different from Giant or Specialized or other bikes made in Taiwan.

To add to that, Bianchi make some very nice bikes, some very cheap nasty
bikes, and motor scooters. The brand name means very little really
(BTW, the new and very expensive carbon Bianchi is actually silver, not
celeste).

Here are the three bikes I'm currenly checking out:

I have looked at the Motobecane Cafe Latte which looks like a pretty
good deal since in my area there isn't a local dealer and thus I would
need to buy from their website which reduces the price from $1299 to
$799 with free shipping and no tax. I'm just not sure because I can't
ride it before I buy it. Plus, I would be kinda on my own for
support...

I was also looking at the Bianchi Strada which I talk about in the
earlier post. At $750 retail, $680 at my LBS, it seems to be a very
good deal. I have heard a few very positive reviews on this bike, but
I still don't know much about Bianchi. Any comments?

I also really like the Lemond Wayzata. Except for the Tiagra
derailleurs which I would probably upgrade to Ultegra. Also, this bike
can accommodate up to a 36c tire (I would probably want a 28 or 32c
instead of the 25's that come on the bike). This bike ia about $1000,
so it would be the most expensive of these three bikes.

The main thing all three of these bikes have in common is the steel
frame and a carbon or steel fork which I think will be good for me.
The only problem now is: which do I get?

If you could, can you help me understand the pros and cons of each?

Thanks a lot,

Warren

The Wayzata has a aluminum fork.

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Here are the three bikes I'm currenly checking out:

I have looked at the Motobecane Cafe Latte which looks like a pretty
good deal since in my area there isn't a local dealer and thus I would
need to buy from their website which reduces the price from $1299 to
$799 with free shipping and no tax. I'm just not sure because I can't
ride it before I buy it. Plus, I would be kinda on my own for
support...

I was also looking at the Bianchi Strada which I talk about in the
earlier post. At $750 retail, $680 at my LBS, it seems to be a very
good deal. I have heard a few very positive reviews on this bike, but
I still don't know much about Bianchi. Any comments?

I also really like the Lemond Wayzata. Except for the Tiagra
derailleurs which I would probably upgrade to Ultegra. Also, this bike
can accommodate up to a 36c tire (I would probably want a 28 or 32c
instead of the 25's that come on the bike). This bike ia about $1000,
so it would be the most expensive of these three bikes.

The main thing all three of these bikes have in common is the steel
frame and a carbon or steel fork which I think will be good for me.
The only problem now is: which do I get?

If you could, can you help me understand the pros and cons of each?

Thanks a lot,

Warren

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS).

This is a fake Bianchi. It is made in Taiwan and very heavy. Real

Bianchis

Quoted message said:

are made in Italy and painted celeste green. The fake Bianchis are no
different from Giant or Specialized or other bikes made in Taiwan.

Just because a bike is made in Taiwan doesn't make it less-decent than one
made in Italy. It's up to the company (in this case, Bianchi) to determine
the quality of the product produced by whichever factory in Taiwan. If a
company chooses to go the route of the best-possible parts for a given price
range, then sure, they're going to slap nice stuff onto a dog-meat frame and
sell it cheaply. But that's not necessarily the decision they made. We
don't carry Bianchi, so I can't really tell you anything about the quality
of their Taiwan product, other than to say that, just because it's from
Taiwan doesn't mean it's worse than something from Italy.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Warren Ginn) wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS).

This is a fake Bianchi. It is made in Taiwan and very heavy. Real

Bianchis

Quoted message said:

are made in Italy and painted celeste green. The fake Bianchis are no
different from Giant or Specialized or other bikes made in Taiwan.

I've owned one such 'fake' Bianchi and two Reparto Corse ('real'😉
Bianchis.

The 'fake' (2001 Bianchi Giro) was clearly labeled "made in Japan" on
the head tube. The quality of the bike was actually quite nice, and
the bike was a solid all around touring/training machine (Shimano
105) with no inherent deficiencies. It was solidly as good as
anything in its price range (aluminum and carbon frame), and I
actually hated to sell it.

Naturally the two Italian made Bianchis I've owned since are lighter,
race pedigree machines, and cost more. At least the Asian-made bikes
make it possible to offer many mid-level consumers a fair degree of
selection and decent componentry at reasonable prices. If these same
bikes were made in Europe (or elsewhere), they would simply cost more,
that's all.

--

Warren Ginn said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS). I like the steel frame with the carbon fork,
the gears (SRAM cassette and rear deraillieur). Is there something I'm
missing or is this a really good deal? Here's the complete info on the
bike:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/strada.html

There's also the Alfana, which retails for about $1,400, but I don't
see hwo the component upgrades make the two bikes cost so differently:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/alfana.html

Can anybody tell me more about these bikes or their components?

Bianchi is nearly 120 years old and huge, with plants all
over ( Milano, Bergamo, Austria, Santiago and a relationship
with Hodaka in Taipei). They are pretty good at making bikes
and their talented designer is simply inspired.

Think that's cheap? A full Campagnolo 3x9 Italian built
(Deda CrMo )Bianchi Eros is $1000 with CrMo fork, $1100 with
carbon. And you don't have to spend additional money
removing the Shimano equipment later. It's the #1 road bike
here.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is a fake Bianchi. It is made in Taiwan and very heavy. Real

Bianchis

Quoted message said:

are made in Italy and painted celeste green. The fake Bianchis are no
different from Giant or Specialized or other bikes made in Taiwan.

Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles said:

Just because a bike is made in Taiwan doesn't make it less-decent than one
made in Italy. It's up to the company (in this case, Bianchi) to determine
the quality of the product produced by whichever factory in Taiwan. If a
company chooses to go the route of the best-possible parts for a given price
range, then sure, they're going to slap nice stuff onto a dog-meat frame and
sell it cheaply. But that's not necessarily the decision they made. We
don't carry Bianchi, so I can't really tell you anything about the quality
of their Taiwan product, other than to say that, just because it's from
Taiwan doesn't mean it's worse than something from Italy.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Warren Ginn) wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I was looking at the Bianchi Strada and, other than the few generic
components (Sugino crank, Kalloy handlebars and stem, VP headset), I
can't figure out how they can sell it for such a low price ($750
retail, $680 at my LBS).

Quoted message said:

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This is a fake Bianchi. It is made in Taiwan and very heavy. Real

Bianchisare made in Italy and painted celeste green. The fake Bianchis are no

Quoted message said:

different from Giant or Specialized or other bikes made in Taiwan.

The Asian Bianchis are indeed very well built bikes. But
there is no point sending equipment halfway around the earth
if you can avoid it so generally Shimano equipped bikes are
built East and Campagnolo models in Italia.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quoted message said:

their Taiwan product, other than to say that, just because it's from
Taiwan doesn't mean it's worse than something from Italy.

Don't worry, Ken is just scared of a possible "bastardization" of the
Bianchi nameplate. Remember, blind brand loyalty takes precedence over all
else 😉

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"ZeeExSixAre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

their Taiwan product, other than to say that, just because it's from
Taiwan doesn't mean it's worse than something from Italy.

Don't worry, Ken is just scared of a possible "bastardization" of the
Bianchi nameplate. Remember, blind brand loyalty takes precedence over all
else 😉

Agreed. Hate to bring reality to some of us, some of Taiwan's
products, including high tech, are second to none. The best
overclockable memory chipsets are made in Taiwan, the second, Korea.
If you are willing to pay someone name Luigi Chang $4000, I am sure
his steel framesets would make Faliero(sp?) proud. BTW, I am not from
there.

Ted B said:

I've owned one such 'fake' Bianchi and two Reparto Corse ('real'😉
Bianchis.

One of each, in my case. My Biancho Giro was bought in 1992 and came
with Ultegra STI at that time. It was my race bike for several
years. I moved "up" to a Reparto Corsa built Bianchi, which weighed
the same as the Giro and handled just the same. No perceptable
difference in performance. The Reparto Corsa's paint was better, the
investment castings for the BB, lugs and dropouts were fancier. But
it wasn't any better to ride.

A Muzi <[email hidden]> wrote

(regarding the Bianchi Strada)

Quoted message said:

Think that's cheap? A full Campagnolo 3x9 Italian built
(Deda CrMo )Bianchi Eros is $1000 with CrMo fork, $1100 with
carbon. And you don't have to spend additional money
removing the Shimano equipment later. It's the #1 road bike
here.

So well put. I had a Italian Cromo Bianchi with Mirage (even lower
end)and it rode like a dream, no overstatement. The shifting/braking
was excellent. BTW my commute bike is a Volpe with 28c's (Taiwanese
520 frame)& lock it outside on a rack, and enjoy that too. Anything
nicer would disappear in NYC or would require giant chains that would
offset the fun of riding.

I wish we had a homegrown from-scratch bicycle industry in the US, but
it isn't going to happen until consumers demand it, which is not too
likely.