"RWS Motorsport" (rwsmotorsport)
07/27/2016 at 15:57 • Filed to: Bikeositelock
3
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"RWS Motorsport" (rwsmotorsport)
07/27/2016 at 15:57 • Filed to: Bikeositelock | 3
| 33 |
I was starting to hit the limit of how far I can ride on my Singlespeed road bike (not fixie, tried it once, nearly died, never again) and then this saucy italian beast appeared on the bay of Es.
Good points:
Shimano 105 groupset (that all works)
Goes like stink - did 28km on it today to check it out and happily cruises at about 30kph.
Sexy Bianchi colour scheme (im a tart - sue me)
Arrived at 11am today, so got to ride it today, and was really well packaged so no damage.
Came with 105 pedals, which fit my cleats, and are like £100 new, so thats a win.
Bad Points:
Seller said seatpost was stuck in the frame. Seller was very honest. seatpost is VERY stuck in the frame. Tried WD40, and also a kettle to heat it up - no joy. Going to try a slide hammer tomorrow hopefully.
its a few years old, and it shows with a fair few chips, scratches etc, but again all described.
Seat is torn, and the bartape is knackered (both on order)
So all in all very happy, just time to put some miles under its wheels.
Spaze
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:07 |
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Congrats! that looks like one heck of a ride! 10 speed 105 or the new 11?
Rock Bottom
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:07 |
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Dat celeste... mmmm. Nice bike.
I used to have a really nice older lugged steel Bianchi in celeste. It had a mish-mash of Campy everything on it and I loved it to death. I ended up selling it to a friend that rides triathlons with it now! All these guys on plastic bikes ride by... and then here comes Mike on his hipster pasta rocket!
BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:10 |
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Nice! I’m looking into getting a bike too(not like I don’t own a normal bike yet, I’m Dutch so I own like 3 of those, of which 1 is stolen and of 1 I have no idea where it is) so I can get some more exercise into my life. I’m actually thinking of commuting 40-ish km on it with nice weather, on days where I’ve got a clear morning.
RallyWrench
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:11 |
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Nicely done, it’s a good looking machine. Can’t go wrong with 105s, they’re still the standard for people of mere mortal means. I prefer mountain bikes, but ride road on lunchbreaks and commute when I can. Gotta keep those pedals turning! They’re also the best way to get around race events, I’ve found.
nerd_racing
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:11 |
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My farthest distance was 50 miles round trip. It was fairly hilly too. Steel framed panasonic 10 speed.
Azrek
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:16 |
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I have a Focus Urban-8. It is a carbon fiber belt bike with an 8 speed. It was one of the first carbon fiber belts which had multiple gears.
The tires are a bit too thin, but beyond that it is a fast bike. I really like it. I need to ride it more, but I am terrified of Maryland drivers.
Oh, and the first 2 gears are basically pointless. So I always start in 3rd, but I’ve never made it to 7th.
PotbellyJoe and 42 others
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:25 |
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Aluminum and carbon do not play well together for seatposts, there was no grease in there.
105 is great, nice and serviceable if it ever comes to that.
Certainly the right color, Celeste is pretty.
TheRealBicycleBuck
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:25 |
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Some people’s sweat is just super corrosive. I bought a used Cannondale. I had no idea the stem was corrosion-welded to the steerer tube until I tried to swap it for a different length. I had to use a hacksaw to get the old stem off.
DynamicWeight
> Azrek
07/27/2016 at 16:35 |
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First two gears pointless? Them’s climbin’ gears. The only gears that matter.
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Azrek
> DynamicWeight
07/27/2016 at 16:37 |
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It would have to be straight up a wall for me to use 1st. I attacked all the hills and bridges in 3rd.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 16:40 |
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Try pouring some Coca-cola down around the seat collar, it’s very acidic and may looson up the corrosion causing the sticking point. Nice bike, that 105 10-speed group is pretty solid. Once it gets loose they make a copper anti-sieze grease that’s good for carbon/aluminum seat post interfaces.
TylerLinner
> Azrek
07/27/2016 at 17:11 |
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If you think that’s crazy, you should try a Rohloff. I start in 6th and rarely go over 12th. 1-5 are for snow, mud, hills and towing. 13-14 are for really really stiff tailwinds.
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Azrek
> TylerLinner
07/27/2016 at 17:14 |
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I only have 8 gears. But 2 are useless and I’ve never seen 7th or 8th. Even on downhill or flatroads...I am just not strong enough or going fast enough. 6th has me almost keeping up with downtown traffic.
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TylerLinner
> Azrek
07/27/2016 at 17:16 |
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Haha, time to ride more I guess.
Alternatively, rock a Sturmey AW for a few weeks and you’ll beg for your gears back. ;)
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Azrek
> TylerLinner
07/27/2016 at 17:19 |
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I am a former soccer player, former military, and I do spin classes 2-3 times a week plus running. I can’t imagine the leg strength needed to use those gears. They could squat a cement truck or they’d be that chick from Goldeneye.
I just use the bike more for what I call ‘urban assault’. Go ride a few miles, stop at pubs or stores and head back. Occasionally I’ll do a long ride, but mostly I am in 5th just crusing along.
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TylerLinner
> Azrek
07/27/2016 at 17:25 |
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I’m guessing if you had drop bars and shaved your eyebrows it would get you into one higher gear. :)
Don’t know what to tell ya. I do at least 20 miles a week on normal commuting and errands and I still don’t go very fast.
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TooLazyToNotBurner
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 17:36 |
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After you get the penetrating oil of choice in there, and without going too gorilla on it, you could try hitting the post downward a bit. Once free it’ll go any direction, but pretty hard to pull/twist on it without marking something up.
I agree with the crowd on the 105 grouppo, very nice stuff to keep. I looked seriously at the kin to that bike when I bought my Roubaix, but comfort won the day.
If that post just won't budge, try your local shop. I'd be confident they've had to free a few. Good luck!
Master Cylinder
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 17:42 |
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Nice! I always liked that Bianchi color. I think it’s objectively an ugly color but it just works on a Bianchi and I love it. Good luck with the seatpost! You’ll get it out of there eventually. WD40 isn’t really a great penetrating oil, maybe you will have more luck with PB Blaster or (my favorite) a 50/50 mix of ATF and kerosene.
bhtooefr
> Azrek
07/27/2016 at 18:32 |
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Looks like a Shimano Nexus or Alfine 8 there.
Try a Sturmey-Archer 8-speed wide ratio on for size. 1st, huge gap, 2nd through 7th, huge gap, 8th. Wider range than your Nexus 8, too. And as you get higher in the gears, it starts sounding like a pack of bees chasing you.
I’m geared 36/25 into said Sturmey-Archer hub, on a recumbent trike with a 20" rear wheel. 80 RPM in 1st is 6.4 MPH, 80 RPM in 8th is 20.7... which sounds like a decent gearing setup, except for the fact that the boom is flexy as fuck, and I lose a lot of power bending things rather than propelling it forward up hill...
Been a while since I’ve actually ridden it, but IIRC, my cruising gear tended to be 4th or 5th. If I REALLY hammered, I could get into 7th. (Granted, I spin faster than 80 RPM usually.)
(It had 46/25 gearing when I took that photo. And I’ve since lost the flag.)
Mechanically
> RWS Motorsport
07/27/2016 at 19:57 |
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I sold Bianchis for years. Beautiful color and a good choice on your part.
Take your time on that seatpost. I’ve seen some that were absolutely impossible to shift. Occasionally, a blast of Co2 could contract the post enough to get things moving, but I’ve cut posts out of more than a handful of frames.
Really. Take your time.
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RWS Motorsport
> Master Cylinder
07/28/2016 at 08:03 |
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Yeah same, It’s not a colour I like in any other situation but just looks right on a Bianchi.
Brought it into work today to have a go at getting it out. Thus far plus gas, freezing spray and a chunky slide hammer haven’t really offered much in the way of movement. Still, patience is a virtue, sure it will squeak out of there eventually.
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RWS Motorsport
> PotbellyJoe and 42 others
07/28/2016 at 08:04 |
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Yeah sadly it does seem that the post went in dry (giggedy) :( so gonna take a fair bit of shifting. worst case scenario i will cut it out, but gonna keep trying for now before going nuclear.
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RWS Motorsport
> Rock Bottom
07/28/2016 at 08:06 |
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haha plastic bikes, love the term. This is half Ali half plastic, but I am a major tart so the shinyness appeals. Didnt think i’d get a Bianchi for the money so dead chuffed.
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RWS Motorsport
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
07/28/2016 at 08:07 |
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Wow thats a decent commute! hopefully you’ve got a shower at work. I’m only 2miles away so for commuting i tend to use my singlespeed, or the Honda now the weather is nice. Very hard to motivate myself to get on my bike when the S2000 is sitting there!
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RWS Motorsport
> RallyWrench
07/28/2016 at 08:08 |
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Yeah I’ve grown up as a mountain biker, this is my first venture into a proper road bike. 105 was the main criteria for buying any bike, wasnt that fussed whether the frame was Ali or Carbon, or even steel, just wanted the reliability and strength of 105 to give me confidence. I’ve ridden enough bikes with crap gearing to know how much having a decent groupset is worth
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RWS Motorsport
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/28/2016 at 08:09 |
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Ooo good shout. yeah I might try the coke, cant hurt at this point!
Didnt realise copper slip was the stuff to use, thats handy as I have a 500ml pot of it at home for the back of brake pads. Sorted
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RWS Motorsport
> TheRealBicycleBuck
07/28/2016 at 08:10 |
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Ouch that’s a killer. Thankfully the rest of the bike is in relatively good shape. Came boxed up in its component parts so I knew the rest of it came apart ha.
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RWS Motorsport
> Spaze
07/28/2016 at 08:11 |
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10 speed, think it is what came on the bike when it was new about 6 years ago, but honestly not sure.
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RWS Motorsport
> TooLazyToNotBurner
07/28/2016 at 08:12 |
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Yeah I was thinking that once the post moves itll move wherever, so maybe pressing it in rather than pulling. I’m changing the seat anyway so can hit that to my hearts content!
Good shout, need to find a local shop I trust, as the chain shops I have a little less faith in...
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> RWS Motorsport
07/28/2016 at 08:27 |
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It’s my commute to university, so I could shower at the sportcentre on campus.
I get it that the S2000 is hard to resist. :)
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Rock Bottom
> RWS Motorsport
07/28/2016 at 10:30 |
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I share your affinity to pretty bikes, which is why I bought my old Bianchi in the first place. Shiny and pretty is hard to resist! And I meant no disrespect to carbon bikes, ha ha! I have a half steel/half carbon LeMond that I absolutely love!
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RWS Motorsport
> Rock Bottom
07/28/2016 at 14:05 |
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Orf yes that is really rather nice. Loving the colour co-ordination going on there too.
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Rock Bottom
> RWS Motorsport
07/28/2016 at 15:03 |
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Thanks! It’s not the “sinister maiden” that your Celeste and black Bianchi is, but it rides nice and presents well :)