Larry Black wrote:
>
(snip)
> I have a couple of the Bianchi Centenarios from '85 (one took Top Italiano at
> Cirque)
>
> Last year, Jim Leis, of Meridian Cycles, sent be a bike that was made for him
> in '86 or '87 that had a stronmg connection to both the Centerario and the
> Argentin Replica, but was a one-off
>
> While working with Santana Cycles and Campagnolo on their
> Campagnolo Tandem and Single Columbus project bikes,
>
> Jim might have even met and discussed things with Moreno himself.
Larry, you really got the story screwed up! (OK everyone relax, Larry is a good friend for at least the last 15+ years).
Jim and I and a bunch of other L.A. folks went to the Colorado Springs Worlds and watched as Moreno Argentin won the Pro Road Race. Jim and I were quite taken by the Bianchi team bikes (celeste and black chrome with pantographed parts and celeste leather covered bars) and decided to try and get one for each of us. When we got back home Jim made some calls to Bianchi Italy (Reparto Corsa). At the time Jim was managing a chain of five bike shops in Southern California and the up shot was that he bought 14 Bianchi team bikes for the shops (he had tried to buy 25, but 14 was all the team could spare). Jim and I both bought ours from that shipment. Jim also imported a bunch of the team clothing to go with the bikes.
Sad story: the last of the 14 bikes hadn't been sold after a year or so and was eventually sold as a frame and the unique panto'd parts were sold off separately.
Funny story: some engineers from Columbus were visiting Santana Tandems (Jim had managed Santana for many years) to work on a tandem specific tube set. I happened by on my Argentin Bianchi team bike and one of the engineers told me it couldn't be a _real_ team bike because Bianchi didn't sell its team bikes to the public. He then turned my bike over to look a the bottom bracket and said he couldn't believe it; it was a team bike... he just shook his head in disbelief.
Bianchi did sell a replica of the team bike, but instead of the black chrome fork and stays, it had very dark grey paint to look like black chrome. No celeste leather covered bars or Record C with the titanium Record track pedals (Moreno's choice of pedal) either. Bianchi put a very nice decal on all their road bikes the year after Colorado Springs "World Champion1986-1987." I hope people don't mistake every Bianchi with this decal as a replica of Moreno Argentin's team bike.
Chuck "celeste blood in my veins" Schmidt South Pasadena, California http://www.velo-retro.com (NEW list of reprints and T-shirts)