The pista now has the panel decals removed with clearcoat over the spots they used to be... Also it now has the track bars fitted to the drop stem... and the oild lever (the tektro bmx wouldn't fit the trackbars)
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(bike also now has a 43t chainring and dbl sided SPD pedals... and a modern bmx brake lever - plus installed a flipped stem for a true "track" look and feel 5/25/06. 
The BiKe...
Got this on 3/19/06 at the NJ bike show and was blown away. Took awhile to set up the ride position for me but it rocks...
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As regards the Pista -- the quintessential "street"" trackbike, I have heard many points pro and con. First, I wanted one for a while. I kept putting it off but found one in my size at the show. I always figured I'd take a 53 but the standover height and length of the 51 fit me despite me being 5'8". Go figure.
Anyway, having put some thought into it, here are my observations: First the good: The frame is awesome. The bike rides stable enough for a trackbike but handles quick when called upon compared to my road conversions. A front brake is easily mounted; I ran a no name sidepull to an old 'cross lever both from the parts bin, tho I eventually switched to chopped road bars and a bmx lever as seen in the above pic of the bike at a downtown intersection...
Altho as some have said the fork is kind of ugly in it's simplicity and lack of a crown. The frame, however, contrary to what some have said, did not feel soggy -- and I'm about 190lbs. The chome leaves you with less fear of chipping than most paint jobs but it can scratch so be careful. The 165 sugino cranks are great as are the bianchi-deda branded track bars, which I've discovered are way more comfy than the curve of some road bars. But bew warned, the cranks are 130mm bolt pattern, not the bigger track size.
Now the bad -- Actually, not the bike. The bike (frameset) was fine, most of this is peripheral parts choices and quality control stuff: my rear cog was loose. So was the headset tho it wasn't noticeable at first but tightenign it was a good improvement. As I got it at a bike show and the shop whose display I got it off of was probably building in a rush for the show, these things are understandable, but nevertheless that's a big QC issue on a fix, especially since riding from the bike show door across the parking lot to my car it came loose! The second thing was the seat; aside from being ugly (or more fairly, just overdone visually) the stock seat is also slippery. I swapped it for a CODA forthwith then onto the Bontrager cyclecross seat which is comfy yet fast.
As to pedals, mine came with cheapo spd's by VP components co. They were dangerously loose and adjustment didn't help; it may be a limit of the design. Whatever; they are now replaced with old dbls sided spds tho I ran vintage single sided Ultegra for a time...
The ugly: The decals aren't REALLY ugly, but they appear to be under the clearcoat -- if it is clearcoated (I wouldn't imagine so on chrome, but they were. Removing them is a hassle. Removign them without hurting the rest of the bike was a b!tch...
Overall... The frame and basic parts (drivetrain, etc)are good but on two out of three contact points (the bar was fine) Bianchi spec'd parts more for looks than practical use or safety. This may be because it's an "inexpensive" trackbike and they know people are going to add their own parts, so why bother; or, beause they are trying to appeal to the "bling bling" hipster crowd who won't put more than a few miles on it anyhow. Either way the parts spec could improve -- but for the cost it's still a lot of bike.
*The setup*:
I ended up with most of the stock parts swapped out... cyclecross seat, bontrager post, spd pedals, bmx chainring and new rear wheel. My 36 spoke r. wheel was stiffer and somewhat stronger and it's 25c duraskin arguably more forgiving and flotproof. Yes you can run 25c tires on this bike despite it's track geometry.
I installed a black gt bmx chainring, 43t, instead of the proneck 42t I was running... then adjusted the cone nuts on the rear wheel. It runs much smoother. [Grief saving tip: CHECK YER CONE NUTS frequently if you run a fixed gear -- I burned out a hub before because they were too tight].
I added a flipped mtb stem, using a spacer shim due to the narrower steerer tube on the Bianchi, to get the angled "fast" look seen in the top 2 above pics. The bike rides great, and is a lot more responsive tho explaining exactly why is difficult.
Anyone considering the pista, take the plunge. It's a lot more bike than you'd expect. Just be prepared for some adjustment in the parts spec afterwards. And wierd looks from geared roadies and BMW drivers as you pass them.
Specs:
Back to main page, dude!