Bianchi L'Eroica Bike

I'm guessing that any fan of vintage and classic bicycles is familiar with the L'Eroica ride events. Having begun in Italy, participating riders mount vintage bicycles (pre-1987, according to the rules) and ride over the white roads of Italian wine country. L'Eroica is a celebration of classic bikes, good wine and food, and all things Italian.

Back in April, Bianchi announced that they would be releasing a new vintage-inspired bicycle  model in honor of their global sponsorship of the L'Eroica events. The L'Eroica rides have expanded to include rides in the US, Japan, Spain, and the UK, in addition to the original Italian event.

According to the Bianchi press release, the new L'Eroica model would be made in Italy, have a custom build kit including Campagnolo components and a Brooks leather saddle, and would be certified by the L'Eroica commission for use in any of their events. I know there was a lot of speculation, and even some skepticism about what the new model would be like among vintage bike enthusiasts.

The Tipo Corsa frame set. Not the basis of the new Bianchi L'Eroica bike.

In the Classicrendezvous group for instance, some wondered if it was just going to be a complete bike built around the company's Tipo Corsa steel frame set. At first glance, that might seem like a decent plan -- though sharp-eyed critics would note that, while the Tipo Corsa frame is lugged steel and has a vintage-inspired paint scheme, it has a rather unfortunate-looking "dog-leg" of a fork rake, and is likely made somewhere in Asia -- not Italy. It gets close to the mark for some. Falls short for others.

Well, at long last, this past weekend at the L'Eroica Brittania, participants in that event got what may have been (at least to my knowledge) the first public glimpses of the new model. Wesley Hatakeyama, of the California L'Eroica event, was there at the UK ride and snapped a few pictures at the Bianchi tent (thanks for sharing, Wes!). Some will be thrilled at what they see. Others may be slightly let down. But let's take a look at the new bike.

At first look, it does appear to be a different frame than the Tipo Corsa. Note the chromed lugs, lower fork legs, and partial rear triangle. It does appear to have a more graceful fork rake too. Wes reiterated that the frame is built in Italy, not Asia.

The bike has Dia Compe centerpull brakes and looks like it offers a ton of tire clearance. Large-volume tires are recommended on the L'Eroica rides, as many of the roads are unpaved. Downtube shift levers (a must, according to the L'Eroica rulebook) look like Dia Compe ratcheting levers. Interesting detail: brake cable cable clips on the top tube instead of brazed-on guides.

Campagnolo derailleurs and a 10-speed cassette -- surprisingly legal for L'Eroica. I'm not positive about the crank, but it looks like a Dia Compe ENE with a 3-arm spider. The large-flange hubs are probably also made by Dia Compe.

Dia Compe ENE crank.

It appears that when the folks at Bianchi announced that the bike would be built with Campagnolo components, they only meant the derailleurs. Then again, I wondered how they were going to get modern Campy to fit the L'Eroica rules. Most of the other components seem to be made by Dia Compe -- which to somebody like me is fine. The parts are well made and look good. But if somebody was hoping for a full-Campagnolo bike to accommodate the rules of a vintage bike ride, they were maybe being a bit unrealistic.

So, what are the rules?

Here are some relevant points: "Historical Bikes (also called Bici Eroiche, in Italian) are all road racing bikes built in 1987 or earlier . . . These bicycles most likely have a steel frame . . . must have shift levers on the down tube of the frame; exceptions include pre-1980 non indexed bar-end gear shifters and rod/hand manual operated front derailleurs . . . pedals should be with toe clips and straps . . . the brake cables must pass outside and over the handlebars . . . wheels must have at least 32 spokes laced to a low profile rim (20 mm depth or less, except for the wood rims); the rims must be of either steel, aluminum or wood . . . both tubular tyres and clinchers with inner tubes are allowed . . . we invite participants to fit saddles from the same period of the bicycles, so a model of 1987 or earlier, or a vintage model of modern production such as Brooks leather saddles, Cinelli replicas, San Marco, etc."

And this section deals particularly with the acceptance of newer bikes made with a vintage style: