# Finally retiring my 1991 Bianchi Super Grizzly



## prod (Mar 16, 2006)

It has been my main bike for 15yrs now, on road, path, trails and even a few 24hr technical XC races. After all these years it still works great with most of the original parts (XT thumbies RULE). I will still keep it for some road riding, but I think it has seen its last race. I heard many times "Wow, classic Bianchi, cool" as other riders blew by me on downhills with their full suspension bikes.  
Replaced with a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR.


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Wow, I had no recollection that Bianchi was still spec'ing chainstay mouted U brakes in 91. I seem to recall everybody had dropped that design mistake by then.

Nice looking bike though. I can't believe after 15 years it still has the front and wheel reflectors.


----------



## RML (Mar 19, 2006)

Gasp...Is that a bio-pace crankset?


----------



## prod (Mar 16, 2006)

Yep the chainstay brakes cause a lot of grief. Frequently the chain would ride up the big ring a little and get stuck between the brake caliper and frame, but a quick backpedal often got it back out. 
I believe the main reason they had for putting the brakes there was to keep mud from fouling the brake pads, but that backfired bigtime. Instead all the mud gathered at the bottom and settled on the horizontal part of the frame and would not fall off. Eventually it jams the entire wheel to point of not being able to pedal. On muddy rides I have to stop periodically and dig it all out with a stick.  
The biopace on the other hand seemed to work well for me. Of the guys I ride with, I am by far the least skilled. It surprised them everytime I passed them on uphills. With regular chainrings I dont climb as well.
And the front reflector is actually broken off, just hard to see from that angle. I havent bothered removing the mount. I have a couple lights for night riding.


----------



## btadlock (Oct 3, 2005)

Bianchi Super Griz, that brings back some memories.

A buddy of mine had one when I made my first mtn bike to Crested Butte in'91, we all came out from Fl and spent two weeks riding. I rode my Raliegh Chill, (complete with U-brake as well), and that was the start of a 10 year, 3 relocation process that has me in Co for good now.

As I recall, his super Griz had the highest end Shimano components available a the time, I rode it a bit while in Crested Butte, and it was nice.

I still have the Chill in the garage, (along with the 4 other mtn bikes that I have purchase over time!), I need to build that guy back up.


----------



## prod (Mar 16, 2006)

Yep its all XT, before the age of XTR. Every original part is worn but still working. I swapped out the platform pedals for Time clipless and the granny gear (28t biopace) for a 24t raceface. Now that this will be a road/path bike, I may just put them back on.

It may take me a while to get used to this newfangled 'rapidfire' thingy on the new bike.  
What gets me is that no matter what bike I buy now, I know it wont last as long as this one.


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

prod said:


> Yep the chainstay brakes cause a lot of grief. Frequently the chain would ride up the big ring a little and get stuck between the brake caliper and frame, but a quick backpedal often got it back out.
> I believe the main reason they had for putting the brakes there was to keep mud from fouling the brake pads, but that backfired bigtime. Instead all the mud gathered at the bottom and settled on the horizontal part of the frame and would not fall off. Eventually it jams the entire wheel to point of not being able to pedal. On muddy rides I have to stop periodically and dig it all out with a stick.
> The biopace on the other hand seemed to work well for me. Of the guys I ride with, I am by far the least skilled. It surprised them everytime I passed them on uphills. With regular chainrings I dont climb as well.
> And the front reflector is actually broken off, just hard to see from that angle. I havent bothered removing the mount. I have a couple lights for night riding.


Yeah, yeah, I know the whole story of U-Brakes. I sold a few Griz and Super Griz back in the late 80s with U-Brakes. I was only commenting on how Bianchi was still specing them when a lot of/most other makers were already switched over to seat stay mounted brakes by that time. Take the 89 Stump Comp in my sig for instance, seat stay mounted Cantis.


----------



## Pimpride (Nov 14, 2005)

*Grizzly Team*

I have a 1991 Bianchi Grizzly team, that was made with Tange Prestige, that I built up that has Canti Brakes on the back. I'm wondering when the cut off date was, or which model had U-brakes. I like the Grizzly, I use it as a rigid type commuter and it is the fastest flat land bike I have. The steel frame is nice, but is welded and not lugged, which is wierd for a bianchi. Mine has Miami Vice style, pink and green letters, and was told it was a 1991 team model, and I'm wondering if there are differnt flavors of mint color grizzlys.


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

I don't think there were different flavors of Grizzlies and Super Gs. IIRC team bikes are all Reparto Corse with no model name and I don't recall a mtn bike in the RC catalog at the time, just a track bike, road model and maybe a TT bike. Looking at the bike in that picture is really looks more like a 88 or 89, what with the U-brakes, funky stem and skinny ass forks. I know we had a really hard time selling the higher end Bianchi mtn bikes because of how they compared to other brands in the same price range. Maybe it was a left over that wasn't sold until 91. We sold plenty of bikes that were a few model years old. Hell, when I left the shop in 96 we still had a 1986 Woodrup touring bike sitting around.


----------



## prod (Mar 16, 2006)

Im guessing its later than '89 as there is a decal on it that says "1989 MTB World Champion"


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*Serial Number...*

I would imagine that if Prod checked out the serial number and got back to us that would clear up the age.

Also the date codes on the components since they are original.


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

prod said:


> Im guessing its later than '89 as there is a decal on it that says "1989 MTB World Champion"


I hate to keep pressing the issue, but that's odd, because the first UCI World MTN bike championship was in 1990 and was won by Ned Overend on a Specialized, and the following year by Tomac on I don't recall what, Yeti maybe? Prior to that Don Myrah won the NORBA "World" Championship in 1989 on a Ritchey I thought. I'm cornfused. You sure you got that date right? And are you sure it says Mtn Bike Champion and not just World Champion, because in 86 a Bianchi was ridden to the World Championship victory on the road.


----------



## tl1 (Dec 21, 2003)

*I would say...*

it looks grizzly alright but "super" grizzly is stretching it.


----------



## seabirdman (Jan 5, 2007)

IF52 said:


> I don't think there were different flavors of Grizzlies and Super Gs. IIRC team bikes are all Reparto Corse with no model name and I don't recall a mtn bike in the RC catalog at the time, just a track bike, road model and maybe a TT bike. Looking at the bike in that picture is really looks more like a 88 or 89, what with the U-brakes, funky stem and skinny ass forks. I know we had a really hard time selling the higher end Bianchi mtn bikes because of how they compared to other brands in the same price range. Maybe it was a left over that wasn't sold until 91. We sold plenty of bikes that were a few model years old. Hell, when I left the shop in 96 we still had a 1986 Woodrup touring bike sitting around.


Woodrup. In about 1982 I SO wanted a Woodrup frame for touring but I just couldn't swing the $50 more than the Holdsworth I bought (and still have). But, I so wanted that frame set. In the end I got a really nice Holdsworth Mistral frame set that I still use for road touring. It is in very rough shape cosmetically and I am thinking of restoring the bike. I have never done that but would love any advice on how to do it. I just found out I can get original decals for the frame.


----------



## cbtbakkes (Jul 10, 2007)

seabirdman said:


> Woodrup. In about 1982 I SO wanted a Woodrup frame for touring but I just couldn't swing the $50 more than the Holdsworth I bought (and still have). But, I so wanted that frame set. In the end I got a really nice Holdsworth Mistral frame set that I still use for road touring. It is in very rough shape cosmetically and I am thinking of restoring the bike. I have never done that but would love any advice on how to do it. * I just found out I can get original decals for the frame*.


I also have an '83 Holdsworth Mistrel that I want to respray. I have been looking for decals for over 10 years with no luck. I was able to find decals that were 1 color and mine are 2 and 4 color (on the head tube). I would love to know were you found them Please!!

Thanks!


----------

