this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2026
187 points (97.9% liked)

Bicycling

3403 readers
7 users here now

A community for those who enjoy bicycling for any reason— utility, recreation, sport, or whatever!

Post your questions, experiences, knowledge, pictures, news, links, and (civil) rants.

Rules (to be added on an as-needed basis)

  1. Comments and posts should be respectful and productive.
  2. No ads or commercial spam, including linking to your own monetized content.
  3. Linked content should be as unburdened by ads and trackers as possible.

Welcome!

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

20 miles like it's nothing

This is the best bike I've ever owned.

edit: after doing some renewed research, it might be a Mario Confente frame. I guess he partnered with major brands and produced limited edition models. If that is the case, it was a partnership with Bianchi and Campagnolo

top 27 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Fancy molded carbon fiber bikes are cool and all, but to me there's nothing cooler than a well-made old steel bike.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

No lights, no chain guard, no mud guard. This is a toy, not something that belongs on a public road. Let me guess: you are riding your bike in the middle of the lane, even if there is a perfectly working bike lane available...

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have lots of reflection stickers on the spokes.

Thanks for your insights but maybe keep them to yourself. Your assumptions make you sound like an asshole

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 0 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

No, I'm just someone who went by bike for about a thousand miles per month. I know the dangers, and i hate bikers getting into accidents because their bikes are not roadworthy.

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 2 points 19 hours ago

Oh yeah, sure 👍

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

20 ouch. I had a 16 mile commute. It was fine in the morning because it was still cool from the evening and the heat had not taken hold and then it was overall downhill start to end and kinda wind at your back. Everything in the evening coming back was reversed though and woa that was aweful. I would go in and take the bike back on the train which rocked.

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

My old commute was 14 miles (7ish miles each way) starting on a big hill and ending on a big hill for a huge U in West Seattle to First Hill. It never failed that the wind would always be in my face. The morning wind almost always went south and in the evening it would be going north again. When it rained, it always seemed to be trying to get in my eyes haha

My current job is 20 miles away and that's just too far one way.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago

yeah I would not trade my 16 mile mornings for your 7 mile rollercoaster. I had one that was like 3 miles that I would walk at one point but when I biked I would go 2 miles to the lake front making it 7 miles total because 3 was like ridiculously small for biking.

[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 5 points 3 days ago

Very clean. I want one like that

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Looks so minimalist, it's hard to believe modern bikes are lighter. Looks awesome.

[–] Mihies@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Modern bikes have the same type of equipment, just with lighter materials. I wonder how much does this one weight.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 2 days ago

But 1-3 pounds really makes no practical difference. Many pro bikes exceed the weight limit because these are professionals descending mountains at 100 km/hr.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

These bikes were great in the 70s-80s. Everything was standardized. Exactly one BB standard. Then the US manufacturers like Cannondale (crackn'fail) came along and enshittified bikes forever. I lost count of modern BB "standards".

Go to cycling forums and they will tell you aluminum will fail CATASTROPHICALLY (all caps), but they ignore aluminum parts, cranks, wheels on the road 40 years later.

[–] hallettj@leminal.space 3 points 2 days ago

Very nice! I was shopping for a bike just like that a few weeks ago. But I settled on a less-vintage model that doesn't have the lugged frame, or downtube shifters. I'm glad you like yours!

So classy. 👍

[–] oats@piefed.zip 3 points 2 days ago

Great bike for a ride!

[–] thallamabond@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 5 points 2 days ago (3 children)

IDK what it's origin is. I've been told it could possibly be a designer frame, like the engineer got to make it. Nobody can tell for sure except it's got peek 1980s form to it. I received it as a gift from a widow and the original owner was a big cycling enthusiastic guy. My bike got stolen and my sister knew her. I was given a choice between this and a total carbon fiber monster but I thought it was absolutely too valuable and this one was the humble choice. Come to find, I probably picked the one with the most value. Multiple bike shops tell me to insure it at $5k because it might be one of a kind

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

https://www.ricardo.ch/de/a/rennvelo-corsa-1284325456/ That one looks a lot like yours. Eddy Merckx Corsa racing bike from the 1980s or early 1990s. When it was new, it was probably one of the best that a consumer could buy. Where I live (Belgium) it's not that unique however ;)

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It's very similar but the markings are different and mine has Bianchi and Campagnolo branded parts, where there is a brand. The frame has a serial number on the underside but it doesn't fit in the normal Bianchi format

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

If it's an Eddy Merckx frame, than you might find the serial number here: https://cadre.org/Merckx/

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Not sure if it's the same format, thank you for the suggestion

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Not the same at all unfortunately, Merck's formatting seems to be a mess, your serial number isn't. Merckx' bikes also seem to have stamped or etched branding near the serial number in that time period, so probably not Merckx. Sorry for wasting your time with that, it was wishful thinking on my part :(

Looking up that serial number and Bianchi i find back that another bike with serial number "AS435230" was a Bianchi Grizzly, manufactured in Japan in 1984. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/70572-bianchi-serial-number-identification-55.html How that person deduced that is never explained :)

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

I looked at a bunch of the online images for the 1984 Bianchi and the Grizzly but they didn't match up. It's a beautiful mystery and maybe I will have to look deeper into it

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

It has the Merckx fit, even saddle with bars, high top tube.

[–] b72@scribe.disroot.org 3 points 2 days ago

What a great story, and it sounds like the bike has gone to a very appreciative cyclist! Beautiful machine.

[–] thallamabond@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

It's definitely good looking. That's a great color.