classic – Machiine

1982 “Ferrari Red” Bianchi

Vintage Ferrari Red Bianchi This weekend I became the owner of this 1982 Bianchi. As soon as I saw it I knew it needed the right home. I have not determined the exact model yet. However, I have a suspicion that it might have been either a custom build, do to the fact that it’s forks are chrome, or a Bianchi Sport SS. From all my research it appears that stock Bianchi forks would have probably been the same color of the bike.

It has full Shimano Golden Arrow components, the predecessor to the Shimano 105 components. These components were available from 1983-86, but Bianchi released them with their 1982 Sport SS Road Bikes. So it’s very possible that this bike is a Bianchi Sport SS. One thing that is confusing is the “Red Ferrari” color. It was a limited color, which is one of the other reasons I believe it might have been a custom order at the time.

Shimano "Golden Arrow" 105 components

The frame is an Ishiwata Magny frame (Manganese-molybdenum alloy double butted tubing). A really good frame from Japan. There is a lot of discussion on the Ishiwata Magny frames, but the overall consensus is that it is a very well made frame and is becoming a more collectible item. According to Sheldon Brow, “While Bianchi is best known as an Italian brand, it was having bicycles built in Japan to its specifications for several years in the late 1980s. These were particularly nice bikes, with better workmanship than the Italian models.”

Bianchi Magny Ishiwata

Visually, it is a beautiful bike and rides very well. I have taken it out on some nice rides since getting it and I am shocked at how well it feels. For being 30 years old the frame and components feel amazing. It shifts really nicely and it feels light pedalling up hills. I have an early 1980s Benotto which I am restoring and the Bianchi’s frame geometry looks almost identical. Which is another confusing matter. The Benotto frame is highly regarded for its geometry.

Right now I am really enjoying this beautiful bike. If you know anything more about this bike, or if this page helped you identify yours, I would love to hear it.

I replaced the bar tape with some nice comfy yellow Specialized tape. I am looking for some brake hoods to replace these, but in the meantime, electrical tape holds them together nicely.

Vintage red bianchi

Classic Bianchi Decal

Shimano Golden Arrow levers

Shimano Golden Arrow shifters

Velvet leather Corsaire 315 San Marco

Edoardo Bianchi decal

Nice Shimano brakes.

Shimano Brakes

Front chrome forks on vintage Bianchi

Ambrossio 19 Extra rims. I really like these rims. I have a set of Mavic’s too, but I prefer these. Ambrossio 19 rims

Why products become classics.

Classic Raleigh Sprint

Why is it that some designs become classics while others do not? Some classics were loved right from the beginning while others were little loved and mostly ignored until much later. Yesterday I was greeted by my old polish neighbour, “do you want this bike? 10 bucks.” In our transaction that briefly followed I quickly realized that what he saw as an old, somewhat useful, bicycle while what I saw was an icon of British 70s culture and a classic.

This lead me to ask the aforementioned question, what is it that makes a product become a classic? I believe there are three elements that a product must have that will lead it to becoming a classic. I also believe that it is one of these elements that will answer why some classics are only recognized as such later.

The three elements are as follows:

1. Be beautifully designed.

2. Embody an ideal.

3. Visually represent the culture of its time.

What do these elements mean? Lets start with the first one, beauty. Beauty is rightfully relative to the beholder, yet some designs capture near universal appreciation. This is a core requirement for a design to become a classic. The design of a classic is appreciated by nearly everyone. Furthermore, the design of a classic stands the test of time. It doesn’t merely embody the design of a fad, but has universal principles of design, such as smooth contours or balanced color schemes.

Secondly, a classic usually embodies an ideal. Let’s think about the classic VW Beetle, “the car for the People”. Or the Porsche, “the car to show the world you made it”. Some ideals were respected, some hated and some were ignored. But usually later, as new products saturate the marketplace, the ideal of the classic stands out and becomes more attractive. The form of the classic becomes a visual representation of that ideal.

Lastly, a classic visually represents the culture of its time. Just as the ideal of a product becomes more obvious over time, so do the ideals of cultures. When those two ideals run in parallel a classic is formed. However, often a culture is not aware of the uniqueness of its time. Nor that the boring product that they take for granted will one day symbolize the ideals that they will become known for or believe in.

When an object, a product, captures all three of these elements it is known as a classic. We do not have to think of what makes a product a classic to recognize it as one. However, when you look at that 30+ year old bicycle sitting in the back of the yard, reminding you of a simpler time, a time before computers ruled the workplace and cellphones ruled the living rooms and buses, you realize it is more than a peace of art, its a symbol of hope and the simple life.