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My family comes from Brera, a neighborhood in Milano in the north of Italy, where I grew up. So when Bianchi named a bicycle after Brera and based the frame on classic Pista geometry, I could not resist. But rather than take the bike “stock”, I redid the Brera in honor of my hood. Saluti to all!
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2010 Bianchi Via Brera Pista steel frame 57cm
Soma Tange Infinity fork
Rear: Paul hub & Mavic rim
Front: Jalco hub and rim
EAI cog
Campagnolo Record bottom bracket & crank
Thomson seat post & Brooks saddle
Cane Creek headset & Nitto stem
Soma Noah’s Arc bars (minus 2″ on either side)
Shimano brake & Paul brake lever
Submitted by Federico
47 Comments Received
July 20th, 2010 @1:27 pm
Nice one! Very stylish and looks like a fun ride. I love the honey Swift.
July 20th, 2010 @1:27 pm
I want this bike…beautiful,I give it a ten and I will prolly be slammed for the highest rateing but in my books its top notch,if I owned that bike you would have to pry it from my dead hands cos I would be on it all the time till I died
July 20th, 2010 @2:00 pm
had me at Bianchi!beautiful-A frame designed from the get go to be a street fixie.Complete with a brake!Wonderful.My ‘hood we’d roll drops but either way is great.New classic with old school class.enjoy ,enjoy,enjoy!!
July 20th, 2010 @2:37 pm
Nicely done. How do you like those bars?
July 20th, 2010 @3:41 pm
WOW!!!
July 20th, 2010 @4:10 pm
Saw one of these in my LBS last week. Lovely bike.
July 20th, 2010 @4:57 pm
What you saw is totally different from this bike except for the frame. The aesthetic is somewhat similar as I tried to be faithful to the original colors, but I swapped out nearly every part. The only things left at this point are the front brake and the front wheel. And I have plans to change those in the next 2 weeks (going to put a Paul Racer Medium brake on and change the front wheel to match the rear – Paul hub and Mavic rims). The original Brera is great for certain tastes but the SRAM Torpedo wasn’t cutting it for me and one thing led to another. Thanks so much for all the compliments.
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@bigmike – i like the bars. I have already cut them 4″ total and i might do more. They are pretty wide out of the box
July 20th, 2010 @5:41 pm
killer bike!!! also way to rep the hometown
July 20th, 2010 @6:54 pm
that new fork is way nicer
July 20th, 2010 @7:46 pm
beautiful. that’s one helluva bike for coming out of 2010.
July 20th, 2010 @7:48 pm
@bill – i agree – the original fork is a straight blade cut a la Pake that was
pretty poor. This is the Soma fork that at least has a flat crown. I have been drooling over the EAI catalog though and feel that there could be even more improvement there with maybe a EAI, Gan Well Pro or Cinelli. This Soma fork is so versatile that it could work on anything! And changing would be mainly for aesthetics so it’s not a clear priority.
July 20th, 2010 @9:44 pm
This is just a gorgeous bike. A 10 for sure.
July 21st, 2010 @7:36 am
Gorgeous….an elegant creation.
July 21st, 2010 @8:29 am
Thanks so much guys. I am humbled by your comments.
July 21st, 2010 @9:29 am
Boing, Shwing! Very very nice.
July 21st, 2010 @9:56 am
this bike sucks.
just kidding! its obviously well done.
fabfive, how many fixed gear bikes do you own???
July 21st, 2010 @3:49 pm
Bike porn. So clean an simple.
July 21st, 2010 @4:16 pm
Well…6 months ago I had two – 1 in NYC and 1 in London. Then I got hit by a taxi in May and had to send a frame back to Portland, Or for a trip to the alignment table. And I was faced with the possibility to have a bikeless summer. So I looked around and the Bianchi project was the most appealing.
July 22nd, 2010 @10:23 pm
Looks very nice. Did you take the pictures before cutting the Noah’s Arc ? Nice saddle choice. Do you like the Noah’s better than pursuit bars ?
July 23rd, 2010 @11:18 am
Really nice!!
July 23rd, 2010 @11:24 am
hmmm fab5….i could have sworn i have seen more than 2 bikes posted from you….i must be confused @_@
July 23rd, 2010 @1:55 pm
@WSB – no the picts are with 4″ already taken off. The perspective may be off as the grips I made on the bars with the leather tape are only 6-7″ each. Second – as you know – I have bulls or pursuit bars on my orange Civilian. And I really like them. I think these are more aesthetically pleasing, by far.
@ill – I have posted all three of my bikes including my ride in London as I had pictures of it. 2 Civilians and this Bianchi. And yes I realize I am a very lucky boy.
July 23rd, 2010 @3:57 pm
Beautiful bike! love the classic look and the handlebars
July 23rd, 2010 @10:35 pm
I WANT ALL OF YOUR BIKES!!!! Especially this one! Seriously, I’ve been pretty burnt out on bianchi bikes. It’s so hard when a decent brand gets popular to not get burnt out on them even if they’re still turning out quality merchandise, but this! This is aaaaaaawesome!
So were the spacers for the fork an aesthetic choice or did you just want to use this fork and needed them? I think they end up looking really cool. I love the look. In a time of deep rims its nice to see a set of boxed ones. Full points!
July 24th, 2010 @3:44 am
Brera is an amazing part of an amazing city. The stock version of this bike is pretty awesome and Bianchi really should get credit for doing a nice job redesigning a great bike (their Pista). Its one of the better “entry” frames and they tend to put decent parts that make it pretty good deal for an out of the box bike. The things that make the biggest difference on the Pistas is upgrading the BB, brakes and the headset. Most everything else is good if not great. The head tube angle is fairly steep and that classic Bianchi fork was designed around that fact. The Soma fork on this bike looks like a good match and makes for a nice upgrade. I like the fact that he kept true to the Bianchi design decisions while adding some expensive, quality parts. A worthy frame to throw money at. Meanwhile; I guess I’m all alone liking the Torpedo hub but everyone likes Brooks!
July 24th, 2010 @5:10 am
@CS- thanks man. Your opinion means more than most to me. Re: the spacers on the fork, this was an easy choice fork for an upgrade but I needed the spacers to use it. I am pretty sure i am going to upgrade it further sooner or later and use the Soma on something else. I am a big fan of the Euro Asian Imports catalog and there are two in there that I really like:
- a Cinelli http://www.euroasiaimports.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=2098&idproduct=15869
- a Gan Well Pro http://www.euroasiaimports.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=2105&idproduct=15883
I think i like the Gan Well Pro more but we’ll see. Its not a priority. While you are there check out the Track frames (to Lufts’s point that everything coming out of Tokyo is lame. Which could not be more of a classic Luft)
@jqnyc – you obviously know the stock bike well. In my opinion the stock version looked the part, more than anything. The difference in the drivetrains is night and day (as well it should be at the cost). I agree that the headset was the cheapest part of the bike. That and the bottom bracket. As regards the Torpedo, I don’t mean it personally bud, but I do not see the point. I feel like in order to make flipping back and forth between fixed and free super easy, you compromise the hub. I didn’t like the small amount of give and felt that it all felt very creaky and fragile. Kind of cheap IMHO. And how often do you flip back and forth? Seriously? However, if you want an extra Torpedo, I have the stock rear wheel that i have no use for. The saddle was a bit creaky too but also looked the part. It all makes sense though and there is a reason why its very difficult to find Brera in any size.
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I am moved that you have been to Brera. It’s a beautiful old school part of Milano that has changed much less in that last 200 years than other parts.
July 24th, 2010 @5:28 am
@CS – thanks man, that means a lot coming from you. Re: the fork, I hardtop use the spacers. I will probably end up upgrading it again and using this fork on a more basic build. There are some great track forks in the Euro Asian Imports catalog that I have been drooling over (ie the Gan Well Pro, the EAIs and the Cinelli). I love that catalog full stop. A friend who races keirin sold me a new EAI Superstar cog for this bike and I have never drooled over a cog before!
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@jqnyc – i am touched that you have been to Brera. Thats killing. As regards, the stock version of the bike, you obviously know it well. I agree that the headset and bottom bracket were the cheapest things on the bike. My Paul Medium racer brake came in the mail yesterday and i am going to mount it today. As regards the Torpedo – for me it came down to what am I willing to sacrifice to be able to switch quickly from fixed to free. And for me the answer is nothing. I just don’t do it. So the little bit of give, the creakiness of it and the noise are not big deals, but aren’t necessary. If that ability is worth something to you, then the Torpedo is great. If you are interested I do have the rear stock wheel that I have nothing to do with
July 24th, 2010 @5:42 am
First sentence – **had to
July 25th, 2010 @6:40 am
@Fab, nice. Thanks for the complement! Yeah I think I’m going to get lost in this online catalogue for a while. All of my bikes outside of my family bikes and my main road bike have been bikes I’ve built up from our shop (which is a donation based charity) so they’re all used parts. It’s nice sometimes to look through the new new stuff. I think my touring bike project will be my first ‘order all new parts through the lbs and assemble at home’ bike. I’m looking forward to it but my wallet is not.
July 25th, 2010 @12:05 pm
You can buy this bike on:
http://www.fahrrad.de/fahrraeder/singlespeed/bianchi-pista-via-brera-lm-rennrad/222702.html
-.- he didn´t build the bike on his own -.-
July 25th, 2010 @8:44 pm
CS -the way you build your bikes is the way that fixies of the modern age were born. Beater messenger bikes that were simple enough that one could do their own maintenance. What most of us do is a yuppization of the true fixie and it pains me to say it. I did do all of the labor on this bike myself, including building the wheels (this was actually the first bike I built entirely outside of a bike shop, so I was actually quite proud that it came out as it did), but just about every part was new. A kinder way to look at is building track bikes that can work on the street. Either way, it’s a bastardization if you ask me. At the same time, i don’t buy nice parts so people will be impressed or give me a certain vote (unlike some others who give you such an exhaustive list of parts that you start to wonder. Like do i really need to know that you used a 1/8th inch lock ring?) I do it a) because I am lucky enough to have a successful career and few expensive hobbies; and b) most importantly because i ride the crap out of my bikes and I spend enough time in the saddle to want a nice one that will last forever; and I spend enough time pushing on a crank that I want one that’s dead silent and smooth as butter. You get the point. The Euro Asian Imports catalog is killer because it has a plethora of keirin brands. And it doesn’t mess around. Only dealer logins get you prices, do what I do is identify what I want and then price it at smartbikeparts.com or elsewhere.
July 28th, 2010 @7:18 pm
read the comment – what your picture has are all the crappy stock parts. But no, I did not build the frame?
August 4th, 2010 @11:10 am
Glad to see this in the top 10.
August 6th, 2010 @12:39 am
Nice one!
Check this out: wwww.schindelhauerbikes.com
August 6th, 2010 @5:47 pm
Oh well – it’s the thought that counts ng
August 9th, 2010 @2:17 pm
@mishman – I went to your site and found it very interesting. The bikes seem to be of very high quality, most with retro touches that are in very good taste. Seemingly useful, beautiful bikes and that’s what we all want most. Best fixed gear aluminum frame that I have seen. I actually like the single speed, Sigfried, the most.
http://www.schindelhauerbikes.com/#/en/models/siegfried/
Thanks for that interesting link.
August 9th, 2010 @2:38 pm
yes,very nice-the best part of alum is that raw finish.always reminds me of WW11 fighter plane,ready to go.excellent parts selection,no trash-Price?
August 9th, 2010 @3:35 pm
The prices were on the pages slo. Euro1,000-1,500 so $1250-$1,700
August 9th, 2010 @3:40 pm
I mosdefinitely agree with you about how totally kewl that raw aluminum looks. And if you look – next to the bikes you can select the other colors (unfortunately the fixie only comes in white). The 7 speed (gasp!) looks quite cool as well. Ok. Here it comes. I admit it. I am intrigued by the Gates carbon belts. And to see them done in kinda retro style is pretty cool. I don’t think I have a bike purchase anywhere in my future but who knows!
August 9th, 2010 @3:47 pm
me too!something new under the sun.
August 26th, 2010 @4:22 pm
fab figured you would like this when i saw, it was taken in brera
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qjpwnPW4c1o/RlQydxLQn1I/AAAAAAAABQ8/vwRygmfq0m4/s1600-h/Bikeman.jpg
August 26th, 2010 @7:30 pm
Nice picture Sup, looks like the guy is serious about the bike. The suit looks a little abused however.
August 26th, 2010 @7:54 pm
i think that sportjackets linen hence the wrinkled appearance wsb. if you look @ the shine on his shoes he’s def an attention to detail type guy.
August 26th, 2010 @8:03 pm
I think he loves his linen suit so much he sleeps in it and leaves it on when making love .
September 7th, 2010 @1:53 pm
@sup – that is *fantastic*. It’s mosdefinitely taken in Brera. And I can almost swear that I have seen this guy before – although it is a rather classic Italian look. Great find Sup! Thank you. Always nice to see pictures from home. I feel so far away.
January 28th, 2011 @12:26 am
This is an amazing bicycle. I think it just needs a smaller bar.. same style and curved shape (they keep it looking vintage unlike risers) but just a little more narrow. Not sure why this isn’t in the top 10..
January 28th, 2011 @9:30 am
that is a real beauty, so clean & dare i say…almost elegant.
i was recently gazing lustfully @ a pista via brera in my favorite lbs but circumstances force me to hold off. i know yours is upgraded but still…
btw FabFive, do you still visit this thread?
if so, what did you do with the torpedo hub? i’ve been wanting to try one of those things.
keep up the good work!
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