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Bianchi Imola - good bike for me?

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Still searching for the right bike...
  • I do no racing, nor do I ever plan to.
  • I'm not a racer, but I do ride pretty hard, and I'm fairly serious about my riding, so perfomance is important
  • I want something confortable for longer rides.
  • I want Tiagra or better shifters, 105 or better rear der, and decent wheels.
  • would prefer to stay with a Shimano drivetrain.
  • With my second child due any day, I have no idea how many miles I'll log this summer.
  • I weight about 180lbs.
  • Hoping to stay around $1000
I've test ridden several aluminum bikes and they were very uncomfortable, for a variety of reasons. I'm wondering if steel might be a better option for me.

I love everything about the Imola, except that it's a couple hundred dollars more than I wanted to spend. However, it's spec'd better than most $1000 bikes, so I don't mind. Plus, I can get it though my preferred LBS.

Here's the link if you're unfamiliar with the bike.

I'm yet to ride the bike as the LBS is 3+ hours away, but on paper, this bike looks really good for me.

Any comments on this bike? Suggestions for what else I should look at? If possible, I'd like to stay with one of my two preferred LBS, so my options are Bianchi, Fuji, Cannondale, and Jamis.
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
That looks like a great bike. You should be keeping an eye out for 2004 clearance. I think both the Jamis Quest (Reynolds 631?) and Fuji Roubaix Pro (853... '05 is aluminum!) can both be had for ~$900 and are similiarly equipped.

Okay, that's three quality bikes right there that your LBS might have, that are all steel and would have similar enough ride characteristics. I know you know this, but it bears repeating... buy the bike that fits you best! I was almost going to buy the Fuji R.Pro, but the 56cm's top-tube was too long and the 54cm's head-tube was too small... I wanted the tops of the handlebars nearly even with my saddle so I can ride in the drops a fair amount and can ride the hoods even when my body is aching without causing more discomfort.

I mention all that cuz I think people focus too much on seat-tube length, some on top-tube, but too little on head-tube/steerer length.

All that said, Bianchi makes great stuff, that bike looks good, so if it fits, then you've won!


EDIT: Also look at a LeMond Croix de Fer... I tested one and wasn't sure about the fit, but the Plantinum OX steel frame (mostly 105) was simply wonderful! It can be had ~$1200. Yes, more than your budget, but if it fits best...
 

Ridemonkey

This is not an active account
Sep 18, 2002
4,108
1
Toronto, Canada
In my experience, Shimano 105 components are not nearly as durable over the long run as the equivalent offering from Campagnolo. If you must have Shimano, I would suggest finding a bike with Ultegra.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
LordOpie said:
I know you know this, but it bears repeating... buy the bike that fits you best!
yea, that's a given, especially with a road bike where I'm going to be logging more miles. The Fujis and the Bianchis are 3+ hours away, the Jamis is just across town but they don't stock many Jamis road bikes (they like the cannondales better).

Thanks for the tips.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Ridemonkey said:
In my experience, Shimano 105 components are not nearly as durable over the long run as the equivalent offering from Campagnolo. If you must have Shimano, I would suggest finding a bike with Ultegra.
It's not a must, but I went out and bought sram gear on my mountain bike because everyone said it was so great. I've always had shimano, and I'm very unhappy with my sram gear... so I'm a little gunshy about going with unknown gear again. I'll give the campy stuff a look though.
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
jacksonpt said:
It's not a must, but I went out and bought sram gear on my mountain bike because everyone said it was so great. I've always had shimano, and I'm very unhappy with my sram gear... so I'm a little gunshy about going with unknown gear again. I'll give the campy stuff a look though.
It's not just about function. I have a mix of 105 & ultegra and it works well enough. I tested Campy Veloce and disliked the ergonomics of the shifters. Try to ride a campy bike for atleast 30 minutes. You may wind up with a definitive opinion. I don't see me riding Campy anytime soon, but comfort's always been more important to me than performance.
 

ricebowls

Monkey
May 24, 2002
163
0
san francisco
Have you considered a cyclocross bike? I ride/race DH and I wanted something for off season training. I found a GT steel cross frame and it's become one of my favorite bikes. I can hammer trails (which is rad on a fully ridgid frame) or throw the road tires on and hammer some miles out. Cross bikes tend to be more comfortible and they're super versitle. They make great commuters too that you can race on the weekend. I've got a mix of 105 and xt components on it and they've been great. Total cost for the bike was about 1200. Just something to consider if you haven;t already.
 

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
Another thing to consider is the used market. A good used steel bike in the $1200.00 range will almost fetch you a DA equip'd bike, but for sure an Ultegra one. Remember that 58cm De Rosa of mine I was telling you about (full DA and carbon everywhere)? I'm going to ask $1,600.00 on RoadBikeReview.com for it, but would have sold it on here for $1,250.00 + shipping (shhhhh... don't say anything on that site about this... :D). Anyway, something to consider, especially if it's low miles and in mint condition.

Edit: Jacksonpt, look at these links (took the average of the size you posted before - 54-58cm -> 56cm):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=98084&item=7142766497&rd=1
This one might be a bit big:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=98084&item=7141125921&rd=1
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
ricebowls said:
Have you considered a cyclocross bike? I ride/race DH and I wanted something for off season training. I found a GT steel cross frame and it's become one of my favorite bikes. I can hammer trails (which is rad on a fully ridgid frame) or throw the road tires on and hammer some miles out. Cross bikes tend to be more comfortible and they're super versitle. They make great commuters too that you can race on the weekend. I've got a mix of 105 and xt components on it and they've been great. Total cost for the bike was about 1200. Just something to consider if you haven;t already.
Thats true - I rode a demo Kona Jake the Snake many, many times a few summers ago - it was bad ass on fire roads but the skinny tires washed out without any warning so I had to lower the tire pressure and then it wasn't so fast anymore.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
ricebowls said:
Have you considered a cyclocross bike? I ride/race DH and I wanted something for off season training. I found a GT steel cross frame and it's become one of my favorite bikes. I can hammer trails (which is rad on a fully ridgid frame) or throw the road tires on and hammer some miles out. Cross bikes tend to be more comfortible and they're super versitle. They make great commuters too that you can race on the weekend. I've got a mix of 105 and xt components on it and they've been great. Total cost for the bike was about 1200. Just something to consider if you haven;t already.
I thought about it, but I think a true road bike is more what I'm looking for. If I can't find a road bike I'm comfy on, I'll take a look at CX bikes. We have no fire roads or the like around here, so all riding is done on either a true mountain bike, or a true road bike.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Pau11y said:
Another thing to consider is the used market.
I'd love to find something used, but I'm not going to buy a bike unless I can get some decent time in the saddle to see how it feels. I've spent a lot of time over the last 6 months or so digging around locally for used bikes. I'm yet to find anything close to what I'm looking for that's still in my budget. A lot of 10 year old bikes (that were nice bikes at the time), $50 wall mart bikes, and the occasional $2500 TI bike.
 

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
Jackson - you mentioned a local Jamis dealer near you right? I'd give their steel roadbikes a hard look - a ton of bang for the buck in my opinion. I have a 2003 Jamis Quest and paid around a grand for it when I bought it and I love the feel of it! It is Reynolds 631 steel and it felt lightyears better than any of the other AL framed road bikes I tested (4 other AL bikes in all). I know a local shop by my office has some 2004s left and I'm pretty sure they have them priced under $1K.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
MMcG said:
Jackson - you mentioned a local Jamis dealer near you right? I'd give their steel roadbikes a hard look
I wish I could. The local Jamis dealer is also a cannondale dealer, and they much prefer the cannondales. So it's hard to find any non-entry level Jamis bikes on their floor. Once you get to the $700 price point (or so), Jamis bikes are few and far between. And they are reluctant to order one with me being so iffy about buying it.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
jacksonpt said:
I thought about it, but I think a true road bike is more what I'm looking for. If I can't find a road bike I'm comfy on, I'll take a look at CX bikes. We have no fire roads or the like around here, so all riding is done on either a true mountain bike, or a true road bike.
There are only a few small differences between a road bike and crossbike. X-bikes usually have a little more relaxed HT angle(72* compared to 73 or 74*). They have more tire clearance. Some road bikes won't take a tire much bigger than a 28. You will have a better chance of mounting a fender on a x-bike for winter or wet riding. Most road bikes won't fit fenders. Instead of road calipers, x-bikes come with cantilevers which are just as good.

Crossbikes are usually set up with a little higher handlebar. The low bars of some road racers make the drops pretty much unusable for normal folk like me.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Also keep in mind that Jamis and Bianchi are both Taiwanese made bicycles, and the Quest and Imola are so similar, they could have been made in the same factory.