Illaveago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I am the proud owner of a 1980' Bianchi Caurus ( very strong North westerly winds). Thanks Norbert!
I picked it up at the weekend on our way back from Portsmouth.
The bike is finished in a faded light red pearlescent and black which now looks pink, perhaps a red version of the Celeste minty green which you normally see Bianchis painted in. Not normally a colour I would choose but it is growing on me.
The first thing to do once I got it home was to give it a clean and try to see if the colour would polish up. It was lacquered so no amount of polishing would bring the colour back. I did notice that it wasn't a straight colour but was a pearlescent and sparkles in the sunlight. I find it strange that the crossbar has black partially sprayed on it at the front as if the sprayer walked out halfway through doing the job.
As I wanted to try the bike out as soon as I could I needed to replace the rear tyre for a road one. As luck would have it the new tyre I had in my garage was a 27 inch one and I needed a 700. I soon found one on a spare wheel and swapped them over. I thought that the frame was a bit on the small side so I tried to raise the saddle. It is seized! Spraying it with release spray and boiling water on the frame didn't work so I have left that for the time being. Having sat on the bike the present position seems fine.
My test ride this morning went well despite feeling a bit tired and a strong gusty wind. The ride is really smooth. I did my usual ride over to my brother's. It's a route I use regularly so I can easily compare bikes. I really like it! Another ride on a better day is required.
I picked it up at the weekend on our way back from Portsmouth.
The bike is finished in a faded light red pearlescent and black which now looks pink, perhaps a red version of the Celeste minty green which you normally see Bianchis painted in. Not normally a colour I would choose but it is growing on me.
The first thing to do once I got it home was to give it a clean and try to see if the colour would polish up. It was lacquered so no amount of polishing would bring the colour back. I did notice that it wasn't a straight colour but was a pearlescent and sparkles in the sunlight. I find it strange that the crossbar has black partially sprayed on it at the front as if the sprayer walked out halfway through doing the job.
As I wanted to try the bike out as soon as I could I needed to replace the rear tyre for a road one. As luck would have it the new tyre I had in my garage was a 27 inch one and I needed a 700. I soon found one on a spare wheel and swapped them over. I thought that the frame was a bit on the small side so I tried to raise the saddle. It is seized! Spraying it with release spray and boiling water on the frame didn't work so I have left that for the time being. Having sat on the bike the present position seems fine.
My test ride this morning went well despite feeling a bit tired and a strong gusty wind. The ride is really smooth. I did my usual ride over to my brother's. It's a route I use regularly so I can easily compare bikes. I really like it! Another ride on a better day is required.
