I bought this Bianchi just as a frame in 1978. It took me about a year to find a fork and headset pieces to build it up. Although it is a racing bike I built it up as a tourer with a triple crank and front and rear racks. I took the bike on several bike tours, one of them the longest tour I have ever ridden, three weeks of mountain passes going from Denver to the Canadian border. Not long after that I leant the bike to a girlfriend for about 5 years.
When the bike got returned I really didn't ride it much and it wound up hanging from a hook in my shop gathering dust and cobwebs. About 7 years ago I got the urge to restore it. The paint and chrome were shot and the bike never rode quite straight- the fork needed to be aligned. Over the next few weeks I took the bike apart, fixed a big dent in the fork and aligned it. I brought the frame to the powdercoat shop and ordered decals. I looked through my old boxes of parts and this time tried to build it period-correct as much as possible with what I had. I got it 90% done then hung it back up. I just finished it today and rode it for the first time in many years. It rides straight and other than a lumpy front tire it is ready for the ride I will take it on over the weekend- a ride composed of people riding bikes like this- old and archaic but with that great old style that modern bikes don't seem to have . I might have to put on another saddle though.....this one is really spent.