FINDING THE BIANCHI REKORD 841d

I found the 841d while yard sailing one day just as the Yard Sale window was about to close.  The Sekine and I had done the thirty, or so, miles that it takes to loop the city and catch most of the Yard Sales.  The bike and I were about four blocks from home when I noticed a Yard Sale sign, balloons and all, nailed to a telephone pole.  Swinging around the corner, another sign could be see half way down the street.

Coasting the Sekine into the driveway and to a stop, I was impressed with the assortment of items still being offered.  There were still several Yard Sailors there, picking up this and putting back that, as I approached the person who appeared to be host.  Since no bicycles were in view, I asked the middle aged man if he might happen to have an old "Ten Speed", the kind with the skinny tires, for sale.  His response was quick.  He didn't!  However...

An old man, somewhat older than my fifty nine years, interrupted and asked me to wait.  The old guy then turned to a boy of about ten, said something in Italian and the two of them disappeared through the back door into the house.  I waited.

And waited.  Finally, I was beginning to wonder if the old fellow had forgotten his quest.  I was just about to leave for home when the aluminum door swung open.  The boy held the door open as a gorgeous red "Ten Speed" (actually twelve speed) slowly presented itself.  I could not tell what kind of bicycle it was from that distance.  As the old man move slightly out of the way, I realized that the bicycle was a Bianchi.  A red Bianchi and red probably meant that it was of Asian issue, and far less desirable than a European Bianchi.  Fair enough, Asian Bianchi bicycles are certainly worth getting, so I prepared to make an offer.  An offer that would have been far different once I noticed that this was a European Bianchi and in incredible condition.

Both tubular tires were low on air but everything else looked to be in very nearly mint.  The bicycle was my size.  I was almost out of cash, having made a few purchases earlier in the day that I would had promised to go back and pick up later.

The old guy proudly wheeled the 841d up to me and showed me his bicycle.  In broken English, he told me that he had bought it new and never really got into riding it.  I asked him how much he would like for the bicycle?  His answer was straight forward - "How mucha you pay me?"  I only had about forty dollars and some change left in my pocket.  I did not want to take a chance of offending anyone with a pitiful offer of forty dollars so I put it this way...

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the bills and holding the tiny wad of cash in front of me, I said, "I'll pay everything that I have in my pocket."  I was going to add, "I'm sorry that I don't have more" but the old man snatched the forty bucks from my hand and said, "sold".  The Bianchi was mine.  I thanked the old fellow and the Yard Sale host.  Wheeled both my Sekine and the Bianchi to the end of the driveway and gently laid both bicycles down on the lawn.

I removed the pump from my Sekine, pressurized the Bianchi's tubular tires enough to get the bike home (only four blocks remember) and off the three of us went.  Me riding the Sekine and towing the Bianchi beside.  The trip home took only a few minutes.

Once home I wanted desperately to get into the Bianchi.  Though I find about a hundred vintage road bicycles each year, very few of them are of the Bianchi's quality level.  And even fewer in such nice shape.  But I had ridden the yard Sale loop and it was time to get the Ranger and go pick up the other bicycle I had bought that day, a beautiful old English Raleigh Sport roadster for five dollars.  That done, I returned home, put the roadster in the Old Shed and started going over the 841d.

NEXT - BUILDING THE BIANCHI REKORD 841d