Bike Setup: campy centaur groupo ,proton weels,wcs bar stem post,selle italia octavia seat,keo pedals,vredestien tires
Summary: review of a 2008 custom pinella frame from bianchi,you can order one now.got one of the first in us so here is the skinny,fast and light but not as lite as carbon. verry smooth.ride comfort is great !!!!!!
Strengths: stiff in bb but verry smooth,room for 28 tire's and several paint colors,custom size.
Weaknesses: slow to get
Similar Products Used: cannondale,giant and trek
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Bike Setup: Stock except for the Continental Gator-Skins.
Summary: I purchased the 2006 Bianchi Pinella from Jenson USA. They built the bike for free, and I received the bike within about 1 week after placing the order. Upon arrival the bike was as advertised...new. It has the handmade sticker at the bottom of the seat tube. To me, the bike is of a very high quality. It is worth the price I paid, and I'd love to buy another if I could afford it. The bike is very light for a steel frame. It is lighter than the Giant OCR-2 I replaced it with. When riding the bike on the rock chip and seal Texas roads, the steel frame makes a huge difference. This bike is smooth, and your body will be rewarded by it.
Bike Setup: I purchased this as a frameset and have an Ultegra/FSA drivetrain and run American Classic 350s and 420s (easily under 20lbs, closer to 18). I think the frame (57cm) is 3.5 pounds.
Summary: I currently own my second Pinella, the first was crashed into my garage by my wife. Yes, we're still married. This has got to be one of the best "all around" bikes that "used to be" made. Bianchi has apparently discontinued all Reparto Corse steel bikes. This is truly a shame. I have raced this bike in crits and ridden centuries on it, and it has never let me down. It is stiff when you need it to be, and forgiving on the rough stuff. If you can get your hands on one of these frames, do so. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Strengths: Climbing, sprinting, cruising, handmade in Italy (you can't say that about many bikes anymore-even those made by Bianchi). Pricing is great.
Weaknesses: Bianchi doesn't make it anymore.
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Bike Setup: Steel frame/stays; carbon fork; Campy Centaur gruppo; 10sp triple; Campy Scirocco wheels; FSA headset; ITM Super Over stem and bars; Bianchi Componenti seatpost; Fi'zi:k Pave saddle; Bianchi proprietary pedals; Polar CS200cad wireless HRM.
Summary: It appears Bianchi discontinued this steel-framed racer after '06, but if you have a chance to own one, go for it. I bought mine new on closeout for considerably below list. The Pinella gives the ride of steel, but it has been righteously stiff in the BB. At mortal speeds, the bike is responsive without being at all twitchy. It accelerates quickly and doesn't take much to sustain the speed. However, when I first took it down a hill and the speed topped 30mph, the handling characteristics changed dramatically- for the better. The bike wanted to stay upright, but responded to only the slightest moves to take corners. And it remains stable at those speeds even in the rain- scary for this rider, but nice to know the bike would do it. In short, it wants to race. The wheels are Campy Scirocco, which spin flawlessy and have put up with more than their share of rough road. The bike has a full Centaur gruppo, and if this is a "compromise," I believe it might have been made in favor of the Scirocco wheels to meet the price point. But no complaints about Centaur performance. The Pinella has been a true pleasure to ride, and has given me the confidence to take some roads I might not have taken.
And it looks beautiful. I have parked it beside Litespeeds and Orbeas and Merlins, and I know it has gotten as much looking at as those exotics.
Strengths: Responsiveness and stability; has enabled me to maneuver out of some possible crashes. Doesn't take a lot of energy to maintain speeds.
Weaknesses: At just under 20lbs for the 57cm frame, maybe a little heavy for racing; the racing geometry can get a little tiring on long rides
Similar Products Used: Giant OCR 2; Schwinn Circuit
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Bike Setup: Dura ace 9 speed, Mavic open pro's, DT revolution spokes, ITM bars and stem, easton carbon post, specialized Alias saddle.
Summary: Just bought this beautiful bianchi as a frameset. Price is in australian dollars. Haven't ridden it enough yet to give a view there, but wanted to put up some real world weights as they "seem" a little hard to find. This is a 57cm frame, bare, with everything removed, down to barrel adjusters. Fork is brand new and uncut.
Pinella frame 57cm 1610grams (average)
Bianchi full carbon fork 357 grams (av)
TOTAL 1967 grams
Compare this to my 2001 USPS OCLV120
Frame 56cm 1221 grams (average)
Fork air rail OD carbon / alloy (cut ) 493 grams (av)
TOTAL : 1714 grams
The Pinella is only up 252 grams as a frameset. Sure it's a lot in the fork, but hey, a frameset is a frameset. Will add a ride review when I've put some miles into it. I'm amazed the "diference" was so little in the real world.
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