Bianchi USA Inc. 1999 Volpe road bike

Price Paid:  $175.00 at My buddies workshop

Favorite Ride:
over the hill and through the woods

Bike Setup:
RSX components, mavic rims, Ritchie tires

Summary:
Boss-Hoss! I like it, I was looking for something that wasnt' made of gold (or at least didn't cost as much) and that I could get around on. What I found is a bike that I can get to work on and take out on the weekends.

Strengths:
Smoothness of ride, comfortable riding position. Double butted tappered Cr-Mo tubing. Great entry bike. All the hookups for paniers.

Weaknesses:
Wheel set seems really heavy. I hear the spokes are week, but that remains to be seen. Smooth shifting, but a little slow

Similar Products Used:
None, first shot in the roadie world.

Price Paid:  $750.00 at Lawrenceville, NJ

Bike Setup:
Full RSX except for Mavic wheels

Summary:
Very nice bike for roadie without racing ambitions. Good choice for heavier riders but get rear wheel respoked before you leave the store. Good choice for occasional supported/credit card tours.Disappointing product support from Bianchi.

Strengths:
Bianchi quality at an affordable price. Decent RSX components. Good for club rides under 20 mph and comfortable light tourer. Lots of braize-ons for racks. Bianchi name impresses your friends. Wide ratio of gears good for climbs and flatlands.

Weaknesses:
Absolutely horrible Mavic MA2 wheels. Fragile spokes, shoddy tape job, and stem hole that eats tubes. Bianchi will not cover unless you send them the wheel back. Paint chips and scratches very easily.

Similar Products Used:
None

Bike Setup:
Shimano RSX

Summary:
A pretty good bike for the price. Many different sizes for all sized riders. The parts are cheap especially the rear derailiuer which is not competent going up hills. Best to change to a 105 or better part there. Bike has a comfortable quiet ride over the long haul

Strengths:
Price, lots of braze ons, comfortable stable ride

Weaknesses:
Low quality Shimano parts makes shifting a bit of a chore especially going uphill. Paint scratches way too easily.

Similar Products Used:
Older Moto

Summary:

At about $600, this road bike is a good all-around road bike. It has plenty
of big tire and fender clearance for foul weather riding, and plenty of eyelets
for luggage carrying racks. It comes with 32mm slick tires -- not the fastest
(highest pressure) tires around, but they have good cornering and decent off
road capability (for road bike tires). Different tires can, of course, be
installed. Frame is good quality, though paint is somewhat easy to scratch.
Components are reliable Shimano RSX with Alivio cantilevers (pads are noisy
and abrasive, though). Weight is a bit heavy at 26 pounds for a 52cm size.
Overall, it is a good first road bike, or a good second road bike for one who
as a racing bike that is unsuitable for foul weather or commuting use.

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
None