Bianchi Eros

I forgot to mention in my last post that I rode the Apple Butter permanent on a new bike. The seat stays on my commuter bike frame (Fuji Sagres) developed cracks, so I replaced it with my Raleigh Gran Sport frame that was my club ride/short brevet bike. I had wanted to replace the Raleigh because it did not have any bottle cage bosses or a head tube frame peg for a frame pump. I had one cage clamped to the down tube. I did not put a cage on the seat tube because that was where I put the frame pump. The rear dropout spacing is also only 126mm, and I was tired of trying to cram in a 130mm wheel. I could have cold set the frame to 130mm, but it is perfect for the 8-speed Nexus red band hub I had on the Sagres.

I bought a Bianchi Eros on eBay in December and built it up using parts from the Raleigh and my parts bin. The bike came with the headset and seat post. There was also a stem and handlebar that I resold on eBay. The "only" new parts are: a Sugino compact double crank (34x50), a Shimano cassette (12x28), a Rivendell V Brand handlebar bag, two Spanninga RL-1 taillights and a second King bottle cage. I also have a new Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddle I plan to put on after I lace it.

The frame is steel, but not lugged. It appears to be a 2002 model. Other than not being lugged, the only downside is that the fork, with the fenders, will not let me run more than about a 25mm tire. I was a little concerned about the narrower tires not absorbing the road vibrations, but I did not have any problems this weekend. I may look for a replacement fork, but for now I plan to leave it as is. On rides where I know there are particularly rough roads, I can always ride my Rivendell Canti Rom with 28-32mm tires. The setup is pretty well tuned in except for the stem. I would prefer a stem about 2cm shorter. The problem is that I have already shellacked the cork bar tape, so the stem will be a hassle to replace.

Shellacked cork bar tape looks good with the blue frame














Rivendell V Brand handlebar bag














Rivendell Little Joe saddle bag (no longer available)














Hard to believe we were riding a 200K two days ago.