End of the road for Bianchi?

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Postby jon avery » Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:49 pm

120 years of history, Coppi, ullrich etc, they will be back!!
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Postby Elliot M » Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:50 pm

Aross which pond? Merida (Taiwan) have owned half, well, 49% of Specialized since 2001 (think Mike Sinyard still owns 51%).

(CORRECTION: Seems this may not be the case. Amount of share not disclosed and the 49% figure may be a miscommunication)
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Postby Stu Merckx Man » Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:34 pm

its not the end! :cry:
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Postby Andrew G » Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:13 pm

Could just as easily be money - the route of all evil :twisted: .
Bianchi etc have long standing reputations so don't have to spend a fortune sponsoring a Pro-Tour team for publicity.
Eddy Merckx stepped down from Lotto Domo to Chocolate Jaques Continental team as he said it just cost too much to supply a pro-tour team and wasn't worth the hassle.
The American manufacturers don't have any heritage to draw on, and also have a huge potential home market to feed.
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Postby Graham O » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:03 am

Maybe this has something to do with Bianchis continued use of aluminium on their team bikes.

Maybe they are not investing in the top end carbon.
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Postby Jon H » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:12 am

Rumour has it that Leeky-Gas decided to ditch Bianchi after hearing about George's bottom bracket falling off.
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Postby Andrew G » Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:42 pm

[quote]Schwinn bikes have been made since 1895, yes I know they don't make Pro Bikes but....

Point taken, wrist slapped. I was referring more to road bikes and race heritage. Are Schwinn not more urban and mountain bikes?

Does remind me of the amusing, possibly apocryphal, story of an American who goes in to a bike shop and says "I'd like a race bike, something with some history like a Trek, not one of those new Colnagos".
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Postby Stu Merckx Man » Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:35 pm

:lol: :lol:
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Postby -Adam- » Sun Jan 28, 2007 5:54 pm

TREK TREK TREK... the way forward... how many other manufacturers have won the tour 7 times??? oh, and the odd giro and vuelta just for good measure :wink:
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Postby Andrew G » Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:21 pm

[quote]how many other manufacturers have won the tour 7 times???

Since 1991 - Pinarello.

1991-1995 - Indurain (including 2 Giro Tour doubles)
1996 - Riis
1997 - Ullrich

All in a row as well. :D

On the subject of bikes I see Astana are being supplied by BMC this year. Like a gamble don't they. Numerous drug cases with Phonak, and now Astana, with their short but dubious history!
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Postby Marek » Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:19 pm

Trek, hmm what happened to Mr Hincapie at Paris - Roubaix, seem to remember something snapping. Maybe nothing to do with Trek, it could have been his forks or stem or something not made by them.

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Postby Elliot M » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:01 pm

His aluminium fork steerer tube snapped, after an earlier crash.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/ap ... id=results

[img]http://www.velonews.com/images/int/9720.14346.f.jpg[/img]
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Postby Mike I » Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:00 pm

[quote]how many other manufacturers have won the tour 7 times???


If you can bring yourself to check out the Mozzie web-site, there is more than a hint that Indurain, Ullrich and Pantani all rode Pegorettis with other teams' paint jobs. Mmm, can't believe anything you see in pro cycling, can you?
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Postby Elliot M » Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:52 am

yeah that used to be quite common. mind you lance's TT bike when he first won in 99 was a rebadged Litespeed Blade, and I think Bianchi have used Walser TT frames recently.
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Postby -Adam- » Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:18 am

the hincapie incident is isolated, and it was his fault anyway. according to fellow scouser, and wheel builder extrordinaire... the 60mm deep carbon wheels he was riding may have caused the break, due to absorbing less road shcok than a standard 32hole hand built wheel. So im willing to swwep that one under the carpet...

as for pinarello, they have got to be the most overpriced bikes in all of the world, no!? and they're ugly. not to mention that indurain, riis and ullrich were all on drugs... alegedly!?
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