This is my 2000 Bianchi Alloro. I bought it new and it is my only road bike. I’ve been riding my tri bike exclusively, but I want to get back on the road bike a bit sometimes. It is an aluminum frame, has the originial full Ultegra gruppo and heavy Mavic wheels with Ultegra hubs. Other than putting some pedals on there, what should I do with it? I’m guessing with the right upgrades, there will be little if any real performance deficit to a brand new R3.
What don’t you like about it?
I would put on the fattest tires that fit and ride the shit out of it. Once something wears out or breaks you could upgrade, but with Ultegra that will be a lot of miles from now.
I would lose that blue cage though.
Mostly I’m thinking about making it lighter. Top of my list is new wheels, but I do not want to go too overboard. I was wondering how much weight I might save by upgrading the drivetrain. Is it worth it to consider that at all? Additionally, a lighter seat post or bars are options too, but not sure if the weight difference is worth the cost.
I totally agree with you about that blue bottle cage, it needs to go.
thats a nice looking bike, dont change anything.
If you’re not racing, I would just leave it as is. It doesn’t sound like it’s had a lot of use so all the components should be in good shape. If you want a lighter bike you’d be better off selling that one and buying a lighter bike rather than replacing everything.
What don’t you like about it?
I would put on the fattest tires that fit and ride the shit out of it. Once something wears out or breaks you could upgrade, but with Ultegra that will be a lot of miles from now.
I would lose that blue cage though.
Agree with everything said here. Unless you’re gonna race it, then leave everything heavy (and heck, those Mavic rims aren’t that heavy) and ride the crap out of it. You’ll be stronger for it.
the best and most inexpensive way to improve an older bike is a new set of wheels - lowering rotating mass is key to making a “fast” bike.
lighter, aero, aluminum rims with maybe 28 bladed spokes is a simple upgrade that won’t break your budget
lighter clinchers and tubes add a bit more zip but may be a bit more prone to flats than heavier training clinchers
from wheels move to lighter pedals - speedplay or keywin, look keo blades
from pedals move to shoes - quite a few brands are making sub 240 gram shoes (sample size 9)
What don’t you like about it?
I would put on the fattest tires that fit and ride the shit out of it. Once something wears out or breaks you could upgrade, but with Ultegra that will be a lot of miles from now.
I would lose that blue cage though.
Agree with everything said here. Unless you’re gonna race it, then leave everything heavy (and heck, those Mavic rims aren’t that heavy) and ride the crap out of it. You’ll be stronger for it.
I too agree with the above. The main thing is not to get too crazy with upgrading an older bike. This is a very nice bike but if you choose to upgrade drive-train and wheels than you will be at the price of some newer carbon bikes that are spec’d well and have new technology in the frames. I would ride the heck out of it and when you want to buy a new road bike, just buy a new road bike.
But the blue cage complements the blue tape and bluish rims…
I agree - bolt up the pedals and ride.
Your bianchi is a baby compared to mine, 198? vintage bought new…
That bike is awesome. Don’t change a thing.
I like the bike, more or less, as it is as well. What’s up with the chain? Is it rusted or just gold? I’d inspect chain, cassette, cables and chainrings for wear, and try to pick up cheaper replacements for whatever’s worn.
If you do upgrade wheels, consider looking at what would move over to the tri bike for when you do buy a whole new ride.
In any event, jsut ride. It’s a really nice bike.
In the picture the chain looks rusted, but it’s actually not in bad shape, and it is not gold. Not sure why it looks that way in the pic. I have Hed Jet 9’s on the tri bike, so I’m not worried about transferring wheels to the tri bike. Given the overwhelming opinion so far that I should change nothing, I’ll probably just put some speedplay pedals on it (put the old ones from the tri bike on the bianchi and get new for the shiv) and try to find a matching yellow wire bottle cage. Also and ant+ speed/cadence sensor to go with my head unit.
I’m a big fan of 32h wheels for training. Strong, durable, easily fixable. Great stuff. Most of my riding is done on wheels similar to yours (and if you DO want to get rid of em, PM me 'cause I’m short a wheelset)
AFA upgrades, if you just HAVE to spend $ get some wheels. Easton EA90s, Neuvation R-series wheels, etc
You can take some weight off with carbon thises and thats, but the $/gram ratio is going to be skewed very high towards the $ side.
my ‘training’ bikes are a Y2K Quattro Assi and an 04 Gunnar Crosshairs. Neither are what you’d call svelte.
M
Sweet bike, would not change a thing. Bet you are in the 17lb range. You would not notice a lb or two difference anyhow(unless you are a pro). You fluctuate more than that with water. Not worth the $ fo weight difference.
Thats a beautiful bike- if you want a bike to work on I’ll gladly trade you my project bike for that and I’ll ride that one till the wheels fall off
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Wheels; that’s about it (other than two matching bottle cages).
You could get some 50mm carbons and go Pantani-style
http://windmillwheels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/pantani.jpg
I might swap out the blue bar tape for celeste.
Congratulations - your Bianchi is still just as good as the day you bought it.
I wouldn’t upgrade a thing either.
The main reason to rejig an older race bike is to get STI shifters up top. Well, yours already has them, so you’re all set.
Now go and get it muddy.
I don’t think I would change anything. But if you want to pamper yourself a little bit and give her a facelift for cheap, just replace the bar tape and the cages. Simple things like that will motivate you to get out there and ride a lot more. If you want to splurge a little more, maybe get some tires with higher tpi so the ride will feel smoother.
Great looking bike though.
+1 on the wheels suggestion. Best way to upgrade your ride is a new/different set of wheels.