My Bianchi

So back in 2005 I was looking for a road bike. At the time I had an old hand me down late 80's Cannondale touring 10 speed. There were some nice things about the bike, like it was free and had fantastic shifters. But there were some bad things as well. It didn't fit me all that well, and it was really geared for touring, so it had a very limited cruising speed. Not that I'm a fast rider, but you want to be able to continue to accelerate when you can, especially on a nice flat road when you can hit a good cruising speed. I remember we were out one day riding when a group came flying past us. I tried to stay with the group, but it was a slight downhill and they were chugging along around 28mph or so. Well on my Cannondale to go that fast I had to be in my highest gear and spinning at 120bpm just to keep up. I noticed that they were all cruising along with a gear or so to spare and keeping a comfortable cadence. I decided right then and there that I was getting a new bike.

I didn't want to spend much, so I was looking at a lot of entry level bikes. After reading a lot of reviews and talking to different folks I decided I wanted to do a steel bike instead of aluminum. The basic idea being that entry level aluminum bikes aren't the most comfortable and can give you a bit of a harsh ride. Where steel is heavier, but has a more comfortable ride. The first bike I looked at seriously was the Surly Pacer. This frame had a lot of great reviews, but it meant I would have to build the bike. Though this interested me, I decided it was a bit too much for me. My next pick then was the Bianchi Brava. I must confess I liked the idea of owning a Bianchi and I loved the color of the Brava in 2005. I contacted the Bianchi dealers around here, but didn't have much luck as none of them had a Brava in stock. They could order the bike for me, but the nearest dealer who would do this was a few hours away. So I started looking online and found a dealer in the Philly area who would sell the bike online. I ordered it up. Happily the bike fit my legs, but it was a bit long for my arms. I ordered a new stem for it and have been happy ever since. It is a very comfortable ride. I feel like I'm riding a big luxury car at times.