Bianchi Convert

About this bike

Hi, I’m Andy, a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.
This is my Bianchi road bike I got of of Craigslist last summer after I crashed and totalled my everyday rider. I was never able to figure out the exact model or year, but I suspect it’s early to mid seventies. When I got it, it had a beat up royal blue coat of paint and so I made it my winter project to refinish this baby.
I had the frame sandblasted down to the raw steel and clear powder coated to show off the material and welds. The parts I replaced on it are as follows:
– Back wheel is a Sturmey Archer SRF3 laced to a Velocity Aerohead rim (from Craigslist)
– Front wheel is a Surly hub laced to a Velocity Aero rim
– Nitto/Velo Orange Montmarte bars, flipped and wrapped in Elkhide
– Bar end brake levers from Tektro
– Single Salsa interrupter lever on the left
– Brooks B-17 Champion that I have moved from bike to bike for about a year
– Velo Orange pedals
– MKS Clips with Leather wrapped toes
– Velo Orange Leather Straps
– Fyxation Session 700 Tires
– Woven steel brake cables from Velo Orange
All other parts are the same as when I received the bike. I had to wrap the shifter cable to the frame with waxed linen thread because the road bike obviously didn’t have the proper mounts to accommodate a 3 speed.
Riding this on the streets of Baltimore almost everyday.

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