Bianchi (company)

FIV Edoardo Bianchi SpA
legal form	Corporation
founding	1885
Seat	Treviglio , Italy
management	Tony Grimaldi ; (part of Cycleurope )
Branch	Bicycle manufacturer

Bianchi is a vehicle manufacturer founded in Italy in 1885 , which has been Swedish- owned since 1997 . Bianchi was one of the pioneers of bicycle , motorcycle and automobile manufacturers .

The color Celeste , a light green-blue , is inseparable from Bianchi . Many of the brand's bicycle frames are painted in this color, and the jerseys of the professional teams are also colored in Celeste. Many important racing cyclists rode on Bianchi, for example Jan Ullrich . For more information on Bianchi in professional cycling, see Bianchi (cycling team) .

In addition to models for top athletes, Bianchi also makes bicycles for the mass market. In addition to racing bikes , triathlon bikes and mountain bikes are also built. The bicycles of the vehicle manufacturer Ducati are manufactured by Bianchi.

history

Bianchi racing bike from 1950–1952 in the Museo nazionale della scienza e della tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci , Milan

Bianchi Bernina 125 from 1960

Bianchi ES 250 from 1937

Bianchi from 1909

Edoardo Bianchi SpA registered share dated December 10, 1962

Edoardo Bianchi started making bicycles in his shop in Milan in 1885 .

One of his first developments was to reduce the size of the front wheel and use the chain invented by the French Vincent to reduce the height of the pedals. In doing so, he created a safe and modern bicycle. Compared to its predecessors, it was much easier to ride because the balance was easier to keep. He continued to improve the bicycle and developed a construction with wheels of almost the same size. In 1888 he manufactured the first bicycle with Dunlop tires. In 1895 he built the first women's bicycle for Queen Margaret of Italy . At the same time he began to use his bicycles at sporting events in order to test new technical developments.

In 1897 Bianchi built a bicycle with an auxiliary motor . The first victory on a Bianchi bike was achieved by Tomaselli in 1899 when he won the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris . In 1900 the first Bianchi car appeared and soon afterwards the first motorcycle. In motorcycle production, racing machines were built first, which also helped the company to great success. In 1901 Bianchi introduced a cardan drive bicycle , and in 1913 he invented the front brake. In 1914 the annual production was 45,000 bicycles, 1,500 motorcycles and 1,000 cars.

In 1915, Bianchi created a bicycle for the royal light infantry, the Bersaglieri , which had wider tires, a snap frame and full suspension. With the economic rise of the company came more and more sporting successes. The first big name associated with the Bianchi brand is that of Costante Girardengo .

In 1931 Bianchi launched the S8 with an eight-cylinder engine and 2904 cc displacement after various other sedans . In 1935 Bianchi was the market leader in Italy with an annual production of 70,000 bicycles. With the success of Fausto Coppi , Girardengo's winning streak continued.

During the Second World War, Bianchi's factory was destroyed by bombs. In 1946, just as it was being repaired and production started again, Edoardo Bianchi died in a car accident. As a car manufacturer, Bianchi was no longer able to assert itself in the market, which in 1955 led to the cooperation with Fiat under the Autobianchi brand .

In 1958 the Italian military wrote out a motorcycle. Surprisingly, Bianchi was awarded the contract and produced around 4,500 units of the MT61 military machine. The concept of the motorcycle is actually a prototype of today's enduro . It had a motor with 318 cc and 10 hp. Thanks to the encapsulated carburettor and the raised exhaust, even small river crossings are possible. In 1967 motorcycle production was stopped.

In 1980 Bianchi lost its independence and became part of the Piaggio group of companies .

In 1982 Bianchi introduced BMX bikes to the European market. In 1984 the first mountain bike was offered together with Bianchi USA. In 1987 Bianchi took over the Austrian brand Puch . In 1990, the Bianchi Spillo was the prototype of a modern city bike .

Bianchi has been part of the Swedish group of companies Cycleurope AB since 1997 . This includes bicycle factories in Denmark, France, Italy and Sweden. In turn, it is part of the Grimaldi Industri AB group, which was founded by Salvatore Grimaldi in Sweden and is based there.

Bianchi logo and frame number on a racing bike frame
a bicycle from Bianchi in the typical color Celeste
Bianchi stem
Gipiemme -Bianchi rear hub

Bianchi-Celeste as corporate design

The frames of the bicycles and racing bikes are painted in the brand color Celeste and sold in this way. This "Bianchi color" is named after a sky blue . The Italian celeste 'heavenly' used as CI refers to this shade of light blue in the sky, which does not mean azure blue. There are various statements about the origin of the name and color. One theory is that the paint came from excess stocks held by the Italian army. When Edoardo Bianchi was teaching Queen Margherita to cycle in the early 1890s , he then used the eye color as a template for the paintwork. The editor of Rouleur magazine Guy Andrews thinks that the shade reflects the Milanese sky. The corporate image of the company also includes the logos and lettering in the color celeste . The color celeste is regularly used to paint bicycle frames and especially racing bikes. For other Bianchi products this was temporarily deviated from. However, the color in which the racing bikes were painted has changed slightly over the course of the company's long history. In particular, the painting process changed in the 20th century. The original color therefore (probably) provides information on the year of production. As a standard color there is (certainly) a company standard at Bianchi. Specifying sample colors according to RAL , Pantone or other color catalogs is unsuitable. If the expensive brand name bike is getting on in years, a colorimetric color adjustment will be necessary for repainting .

Web links

Commons : Vehicles by Bianchi - collection of images

Individual evidence

↑ According to a romantic theory, Celeste is said to have been the color of Queen Margarethe 's eyes.
↑ ^a ^b The Etceterini pages @ Cars from Italy. Retrieved September 29, 2009 .
↑ Bianchi today. (No longer available online.) Bianchi, archived from the original on September 3, 2009 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 .
↑ Business. (No longer available online.) Cycleurope, archived from the original on May 25, 2012 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 .
^ Short History of the Grimaldi Industry Group . Grimaldi Industri AB. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
↑ How Bianchi became an iconic bike brand
↑ Celeste is Bianchi's official color.
^ After all, it is not like you can walk up to a store and buy Bianchi celeste paint and paint away.

[1] According to a romantic theory, Celeste is said to have been the color of Queen Margarethe 's eyes.

[The_Etceterini_pages-2] The Etceterini pages @ Cars from Italy. Retrieved September 29, 2009 .

[3] Bianchi today. (No longer available online.) Bianchi, archived from the original on September 3, 2009 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 .

[4] Business. (No longer available online.) Cycleurope, archived from the original on May 25, 2012 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 .

[5] Short History of the Grimaldi Industry Group . Grimaldi Industri AB. Retrieved October 1, 2009.

[6] How Bianchi became an iconic bike brand

[7] Celeste is Bianchi's official color.

[8] After all, it is not like you can walk up to a store and buy Bianchi celeste paint and paint away.