Man In Black wrote:DOB wrote:Man In Black wrote:I just bought the entry level Bianchi to get back into road cycling. Knowing PR someone will no doubt be along soon to tell me it’s a shit bike and a terrible choice but I like it. The brake set seems a bit ropey though, they’ve clearly saved some money there. Also Celeste is a hot colour.
The Via Nirone?
Bianchi do make good bikes. Unless you got a big discount, you probably paid more than a similar specced bike by a different brand. But the celeste is nice, and the bike will last for you. At the very worst, you have a frame that is worthy of whatever upgrades you choose to put on it in the future.
That’s the one. To be honest, I kinda knew that when I bought it. I probably could have got a more mainstream brand for cheaper with better spec but as you say I can add to is at time goes on. It’s a nice looking bike and the reviews of it are largely very good. The only criticism is the relative low quality of the group set, but I’ll look to upgrade that when the time is right.
Claris/Sora are perfectly serviceable groups, no need to upgrade anything until it breaks/you really want to get into some long rides. Especially now that Shimano's lower tier groups have dropped the crappy thumb shifter they used to have. If you're going to spend any on upgrading it, go wheels first, then BB, and then whenever your chain and cassette wear out, switch the drivetrain to something with more speeds like 105.
Thing is, keep it clean and in good condition, and you'll always get someone turn their head and go "nice Bianchi!" I have a Brava frame stripped down in my garage, it's a dirty muddy red colour, cheap 520 steel, but it always gets approving looks whenever I take it out. Possibly in part to the Campag group on it, but even that's low-tier.