Bianchi Osprey
This is a very small, very curious bike. When it came in we looked at it, then looked at it again. It has welded up lugs. It was made in about 1993 in Tiawan, so the Italian firm Bianchi obviously went to one of the many high quality factories there and had mountainbikes made so they could get on with making Road Bikes until this fad went away.
It had a seized up suspension fork when it came in. We knew it would be an ideal candidate for conversion to a touring bike for a small person, and before too long someone came in who it was perfect for.
It had a seized up suspension fork when it came in. We knew it would be an ideal candidate for conversion to a touring bike for a small person, and before too long someone came in who it was perfect for.
This bike features in the 2024 calendar, and this is the text:
Freya came to us to see if we had a bike for her. She’s less than 150 cm tall, and has lots of trouble finding things to fit.
The perfect answer would be a custom made frame but that’s very expensive. Fortunately we had this very small Bianchi Osprey mountain bike frame in stock. Bianchi are a famous maker of Italian road racing bikes. This wasn’t made in Italy, it’s from Taiwan. The construction is curious, with what seem to be welded lugs.
Freya also wanted drop handlebars, which made things even more difficult. We found short cranks that are in proportion with her legs, a rigid fork from a hybrid, dual pivot caliper brakes, good used wheels, 28mm Schwalbe Marathon tyres, mudguards and a pannier rack, and got it all to fit and work without anything rubbing.
Bikes at the ends of the size range, large or small, are even more of a compromise than normal. We’d rather have not used the seat post clamp to attach the rack for example. In the end it worked, and the fit is good for touring and commuting.
Freya came to us to see if we had a bike for her. She’s less than 150 cm tall, and has lots of trouble finding things to fit.
The perfect answer would be a custom made frame but that’s very expensive. Fortunately we had this very small Bianchi Osprey mountain bike frame in stock. Bianchi are a famous maker of Italian road racing bikes. This wasn’t made in Italy, it’s from Taiwan. The construction is curious, with what seem to be welded lugs.
Freya also wanted drop handlebars, which made things even more difficult. We found short cranks that are in proportion with her legs, a rigid fork from a hybrid, dual pivot caliper brakes, good used wheels, 28mm Schwalbe Marathon tyres, mudguards and a pannier rack, and got it all to fit and work without anything rubbing.
Bikes at the ends of the size range, large or small, are even more of a compromise than normal. We’d rather have not used the seat post clamp to attach the rack for example. In the end it worked, and the fit is good for touring and commuting.
