BIANCHI ROADBIKE (Bianchi 940SF)

Name: hert1137

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Product:	Bianchi 940SF
Date:	27/02/07 (224 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great price and beautiful ride

Disadvantages: Lots of small probelms and so many expensive upgrades to be done

Bianchi Via Nirone 7 2005 (Road bike)
Alu-Carbon Xenon Compact/Triple Drive Size 59
LiquiGas/Bianchi Team Colours
£574.99


The bike and the ride

In late summer of 2005 I purchased a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 from Evans online at the website (http://www.evanscycles.com/) and was impressed with the delivery within 3 days. The parcel was well protected and all I had to do was open one end of the box, wheel the bike out, adjust the handlebar orientation and basically it was good to go riding. I changed the saddle for a Bontrager Race X Lite saddle as an upgrade - saddle selection is a very personal choice for comfort on the long rides. After inflating the tyres to a high pressure (I use 100psi to allow for the humps and bumps on the Great British roads). The handling of this bike with carbon fibre forks, stem and seat post felt very strangely powerful and stiff. The feel of a road bike, even an entry level one like this, is totally different than other bikes and takes some getting used to, a good number of miles. The wheels that the bike arrived with would not be my preference - I've used Bontrager wheels before, and while they are very strong and sturdy they are not teh quickest and have poor aerodynamics compared to more expensive options. I tend to stay away from the bottom end brake pads, as I've heard reports of brake pads melting under extreme breaking with the cheaper composite versions, so i at least go for a mid proce range version (always keep a spare set in the saddle bag for long rides). I've never experiecned any snaking with this bike so far, which I found a problem descending with my previous Trek 1000, and I've reached speeds of 80kph according to my speedo (cat-eye wireless recommended).

I do not use this bike to commute in Oxford, as it would disappear, however I do long rides at least a couple of times a month and go on at least one 2 week training camp each year and hence get a decent (but not massive) amount of mileage in the saddle. The team colour (LiquiGas) paintwork version of Bianchi is close to being outrageous, being a 1/3rd yellow, 1/3rd green, 1/3rd blue-ish… but I have to say, I love being seen on this bike. The price of the bike was also substantially cheaper than some of the more boring colours so that's another bonus to me!


Insurance

I use Cycleguard insurance to insure my road bike (£45 per year basic, http://www.cycleguard.co.uk/), however I have to keep it inside (very inconvenient and space eating). I'm really not sure if its worth insuring a bike that is kept inside, as the only way u will need to claim is if u are knock off your bike and in that situation I would be much more concerned with my injuries rather than the bike. The number of bikes that get stolen in Oxford is ridiculous, I have a REALLY bad town-bike (flat tyres, pedal fallen off the works) but I have tried to replace it twice with good bikes, however (even with decent locks attached to substantial structures) both have been stolen with 3 days. Looks like I'll be keeping old-faithful although I fear for my safety when riding her. I digress…..


Price

It's definitely worth getting that year's model of bike in late summer when the racing season is over and hence the model is actually last year's version. Discounts vary according to manufacturers, but originally my 2005 Bianchi Via Nirone was approx £750 but was reduced to £579 in Oct 2005. The trouble with road bikes is that you can spend horrendous amount of money on them, with full carbon bikes being sold (very light and rigid) for many £1000's. This was not for me, I train on a road bike but I will probably never race and if I do I will look into getting a better bike. At the moment it's definitely not my bike limiting my speed (unlike other people its also not my fitness). Another area in which money disappears into with bikes is wheels, they make a lot of difference to bike speed however they are pricey, with Mavic Ksyrium being a popular choice (which I use now) however they are £500 more than standard wheels. Along with wheels having a big effect on speed, tyres come into direct contact with the road surface so big advantages can be made there, with Michelin Pro-Race being my choice.


Problems

The first problem was evident as soon as the bike arrived. Basically, I did not receive the exact bike I ordered. I received a triple chain set (with the notoriously uncool "granny ring") rather than the compact double that I had selected (as I'm a pretty serious athlete and didn't think I would need the granny ring). I have to say after climbing hills in Oxfordshire, the Lake district, Dorset and Cyprus I'm glad of the triple as I found I am a pretty weak climber. But that's not the point and after complaining to Evans, I received £50 compensation, which I used to buy cycling apparel (discounted of course).

Secondly, during the first ride on a training camp in the lake district, the plastic of the left Look clip pedal fractured and fell apart within 10 minutes! I had to complete the 3-hour ride with only one shoe clipped in, which makes climbing hills very difficult! I had to replace the pedal, so I could carry on with the training camp and replaced the Look pedals at a cost of £34.99 (re-paid by Evans at a later date). No contact of any kind was made between the pedal and anything, so the goods must have been at fault. I now use Look PP27 pedals that weigh in at 360g for the pair.


Conclusions

All in all, the bike was very good value but there were various probelms which detracted from the great deal. The trouble with bikes is that you can always upgrade and I've ended up spending more than the bike cost. It might have been a better idea for me to get a better spec bike, so i didn't spend so much on upgrading, but that is an indvidual decision.


Specifications

Here are the product specifications direct from the Evans website, but this listings is for the 2006 model (not 2005 and before medications):

Frame: Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Aluminium Double Butted/ Carbon Sloping
Forks: Bianchi FLN carbon/ Aluminium
Gears: Campagnolo Xenon
Shifters: Campagnolo Xenon
Chainset: FSA CFM 215 with 53/39 tooth chainset
Brakes: Bianchi AG-452
Wheels: Bianchi Componenti racing wheel set
Tyres: Continental Ultra Sport
Handle Bars: ITM Lite Luxe Wing Shape
Stem: Bianchi Forged Super Over
Saddle: Fizik Pave ECO
Seatpost: Bianchi SP-151
Pedals: Look 206

Summary: Good priced road bike, good ride, few minor niggles, but overall 4stars