The Bianchi that shouldn't be ONE

[gridno27]

...here the Bianchi's answer in 1992 to the French lightweight frame set by Vitus, TVT or Altec etc. ...
the Bianchi HiTech F-X-Pro - the first "bonded frame" of Bianchi

This bike has been seen first in 1992 when Gianni Bugno and Laurent Fignon used it in climbing stages.

But the Chateau d'Ax - Gatorade Team, switched in 1992 from F.Moser to Bianchi had hidden this type
of frame behind a full celeste painting with typical blue Bianchi decals and Oria stickers at TdF 1992.

I found a version in candy-red, but the the frame set has a lot of damage - so I decide to repaint the
frames set but in the traditional Bianchi coulouring instead of the candy-red.

here have a look to the stages of its metamorphose to a nice looking bike

here origin pics from the seller in carbon nature candy red coulouring


after receipt, there were a lot of damage which cannot seen on the pics, especially the three carbon tubes
are coated with a clear plastic film instead of a clear coat painting. After remove of this film there wer a lot
of flat holes within the surface.

So I decide to strop the tubes and a make a repaint ...

 

[Jamiedyer]

Look forward to seeing it progress.
Is the frame just cosmetic damage, paint etc or is there any other issues?

Jamie

 

[gridno27]

before starting to restorate the frame set I take measurement (lenght & height) of all the sticker on the frame set for remake of authentic Bianchi decals set including all special frame set decals






here within this pics you can realize a bit of the damage of clear coat surface - after remove of the afore-mentioned plastic film.
And all the origin decals are under the clear coat

After having the measurement a new set of decals had to be built for the frame set in UK by a good specialist, who made me individual other decals set before, based on an similar existing set but individualised for this frame set. And after a lot of months - I forgotten how much totally ...

see here the draft - In additional I found the Savoyer Eagle in origin and with in different versions with white, red and blue sash from an Italian seller


...and in the end we decided to the version with the blue sash (pic will follow)

And then we started with stroping the carbonfiber tubes with a sharp steely blade, which was the method only to remove the the clear coat from the tubes
We testet other methods like sand blasting or pearl blasting or simple grinding but the best and quickest methos will be stroping with a blade of steel. The carbonfiber material has been to hard that the blade can damage it by stroping. On the other hand blasting will take out the epoxy resin between the layers which destroy the carbon structure. We found it out by testing with an old damaged carbon frame and it destroyed the carbon layers.

So we decided to strop the tubes here pics after stroping and repainting with clear coat on the Aluminium parts and and with prime base of the steely fork (Columbus EL tube) ... see the left one in the 2nd pic

 

[gridno27]

OK - after stroping the carbon tubes and a 1st layer of clear coat the frame looks very similar to an ALAN Record Carbonio at the front, but the muffles to the top tube hasn't been toothed and the rear fallouts are more similar to the fallouts of a C40.

 

[cloonaghpat]

Hi Thomas lovely must look at my old magazines again to try to spot this bike in action I used carbolift to soften the paint on my calfee I finished off with the razor blade and sanding it took a long time !!! I think gatorade were on clincher wheels in 1992 I have an article somewhere on the 92 bianchi SLX from Winning magazine that bugno rode I will post it in the coming days one of my favourite tours
Are you still painting it or leaving it nude
Regards




Pat

 

[cloonaghpat]

Re:

Just looking at fignon’s bike they look to be tubs and what is the seatpost - Easton dura ace not fluted though ?

 

[gridno27]

Wheels - for my opinion Chateau d'Ax used F.I.R. rims - I think they used rare Pulsar tubulars (... I take them on my replica)

Fignon seatpost - it looks like perhabs a Selle Italia Titanium ... ??? - I not really found info about :?:

short info to the story behind the Bianchi HiTech F-X-PRO ... Bugno triumphed at Worldchamp 1991 in Stuttgart/Germany on a F Moser
against all TVT around him. (Rooks on a Colango labeled and Indurain on a Banesto) In 1992 Chateau d'Ax-Gatorade switched from F Moser
to Bianchi and Bugno & Fignon won't to have such a lightweigt bike for the climbing stages too. Then the Team has 2 possibilities - to label a TVT92
like other teams did or asking their bike sponsor for it. So Bianchi built a handfull of the HiTech F-X-PRO for the Team in 1992. But they masked
them by a full-celeste painting and Oria stickers, which was Teamsponsor in 1992. The HiTech F-X-PRO wasa special built for the team only and exclusive.

Official not before 1995 you will find a Bianchi HiTech F-X-PRO in an official Bianchi catalogue. In 1995 Bianchi offered this frame set in the Italian catalogue
in azur-blue, candy red (like the similar) with white Bianchi decals and in a version in celeste with celeste decals.


But let us return to the project ... the frame set had been partly re-painted with Bianchi typical coulouring C-E-L-E-S-T-E
But to find the authentic celeste of the 90s I bought some actual spare coulour pensils opened it and made a lot of tests on steely and plasic plates

Then on 1st step the steely fork, steering tube incl. muffles, seat tube muffle and the rear carbon parts excl. the chain stays had been painted
in classic celeste. Refer to the origin candy-red coulouring of the frame set I decided to paint the fork also in celeste
see here a pic from the painting box during drying period after painting job


...and here a pic after remove of all the tapes around the frame - it looks beautiful but the painting shop had to take to much grinding and coulour on the right seat stay, so the Bianchi typical and famous "B" (normaly in circle) can't be detected clearly ...


...the famous Bianchi "B" see here origin and re-painted



...to be continued :mrgreen:

 

[cloonaghpat]

Re:

Great work it’s going to be very pretty downtube shifters all the way I hope !!!! and single pivot brakes either way it is going to be lovely

Regards

Pat

 

[gridno27]

... coming to the next step - to put a new set of re made Bianchi decals of the 90s on the frame set, before black coulouring of the muffles
and another clear coat painting for the nature carbon tubes

starting with the decals for the tubes from top, seat tube, down tube and chain stays




and after coulouring the the bottom brake shell and the muffles of the steering tube finally the headbadge
the famous "Eagle of Savoyen" of Edoardo Bianchi in the version of the 90s

the original sticker hadn't suited within the muffles :facepalm: :x :roll:


... but after cutting the decal to the eagle and the its crown ... look - it's nearly perfect

 

[gridno27]

and here the finished frame set in perfection - that's my version of the Bianchi HiTech F-X-PRO
... with the final clear coating of the couloured muffles and the decals ... it look like the decals under a glass panel

OK - let add the corresponding Chateau d'Ax-Gatorade Jersey of 1992
and have photo session with final successful and beautiful work ...