The 1990s were transitional years for bike technology as steel gave way to newer materials, most notably carbon.
Yet in the middle of the decade, one maker took a different path and was rewarded with perhaps its most high-profile competitive cycling wins ever.
This is the story of how Bianchi did things a little differently in the late 90s and early 00s and how it secured its status as the king of the alloy racing bike.
At the start of the decade, Bianchi’s top models were the X4 and the Max Proto, both made from Bianchi’s go-to Columbus steel tubing (TSX and Max respectively). What happened in the next few years was the company continued to offer ever more sophisticated steel bikes, such as the EL and Genius (a Nivacrom bike optimised for TIG welding that has cult status among Bianchistas), but at the same time experimented with other materials.
Ironically Bianchi didn’t seem overly impressed with carbon. In 1993 it delivered a collaboration with fellow Italian manufacturer Alan, who had been developing carbon bikes since the mid 80s, in the guise of the CX Pro. This became a key bike for the Gatorade team and in particular its star Gianni Bugno. Yet that was as far as the carbon experimentation went.
The Megasets and Mercatone Uno
Instead, Bianchi focused on titanium and aluminium, seeing these as the key materials that would form the base of its high-end Reparto Corse bikes of the future. As an aside the Bianchi 110, a titanium model produced to celebrate the brand’s 110 year anniversary in 1995 is perhaps one of the most collectible Bianchi bikes ever, a stunner in a rich un-Bianchi-like dark blue.
The two key moments for the brand occurred in 1996. This saw the arrival of the MegaSet bikes. In what was a first for a bike maker the MegaSet models were available in titanium, aluminum and steel and were notable for their oversized down tubes. This, said the maker, made them stiffer and also enabled weight savings,
The shift marked a break for Bianchi in the way they were now working with the emerging Dedacciai Italian tube maker as opposed to Columbus who had been the staple tube source for several decades.
The steel version, the Bianchi MegaSet Dedacciai, was made of very light Zero 18MCDV6 tubing, and came with a then state-of-the-art Campagnolo Record 8s groupset. It is one of the most coveted Bianchi’s 90s bikes, and, I can vouch from personal experience here, a stunning ride. Even more desirable is the titanium MegaSet whose frame regularly commands fees of $1000.
In some ways the MegaSet provided the template for the future of the brand’s bikes, right through to its Specialissima today.
Enter Pantani and the Mega Pro XL
At around the same time, Bianchi inked a deal with the Mercatone Uno racing team which was coming off the back of a few very successful years using Willier bikes.
The team also had an ace in the pack in the guise of the young, slight but hugely ambitious Italian rider Marco Pantani. The rider was never going to win any tours off his speed on time trials, but cycling up until that point had never seen a rider with his climbing prowess.
Bianchi created the perfect bike for Pantani in the guise of the Mega Pro XL. This, a revision of the MegaSet template, was made of an exclusive set of Triple Butted SC61.10A heat-treated shaped tubes with a very slightly sloping geometry and a relatively generous head tube. Crucially at 6.9kg it was seriously light. For comparison, Colnago’s C40 carbon bikes which had been mopping up the spring classics for a few years by then, weighed in at a good half a kilo more
Pantani and Bianchi were a match made in heaven as the biker ascended, literally, to Tour and Giro glory, so demand for the iconic yellow and celeste bikes he rode rocketed.
No one, apart from some Mercatone Uno members and Bianchi hierarchy knew exactly what bikes Pantani rode, but the high-end Mega Pro XL, was launched to the market in 1999 and paired with Campagnolo Record 8/9 speed groupset became among the most desirable bikes on the planet at the time. These bikes are still hugely coveted now and tend to sell for anything north of $2000 depending on the condition they are in and the components that they come with
Bianchi also launched a pair of amateur-friendly versions, the MegaPro and the L, which kept the iconic Celeste and yellow finish, but came in lower-quality alloy (7005), and were partnered by mid-tier groupsets such as Veloce and Centaur. According to the RSC website the L has subtle reinforcements in the steering area, the XL has more pronounced reinforcements. The XL does not have a braze-on derailleur mount. The consumer versions also weigh significantly more than the original XL.These tend to sell for anything between $500-800.
The evolution aka the EV2
The undoubted commercial and racing success of the Mega Pro XL and its consumer versions quickly spawned a series of other alloy bikes. The Mega Pro XL Performance came in 1999 was SC610.10a triple butted and tended to be sold in Celeste. Bianchi also extended the Mega Pro moniker to steel bikes too including some Cromor models as well as some ultra light (for steel) Boron models which the Mercatone Uno team used for some longer races
The year 1999 was a less successful one for Pantani. He was leading the Giro d’Italia, with only one mountain stage left, when a blood test at Madonna di Campiglio revealed a hematocrit value higher than the regulation 50%. He was subsequently suspended for two weeks for his own health, and was therefore denied the podium in the Giro. Engulfed in rumours about EPO use, while depresssed, as he believed that dark forces had conspired to rob of him of a second Giro, Pantani elected not to ride the Tour.
It wasn’t just grim for Pantani and Mercatone Uno. It wasn’t great for Bianchi who had a new bike to sell. It had taken its Mega Pro concept a step further with the launch of the Mega Pro EV2 (EV stands for Evolution). Decked out with a 10 speed Campagnolo Record group set its finish was different too in that the EV2 sported a dark blue and yellow finish. This version is often referred to as the Oropa bike in recognition of Pantani’s stunning come back in the Oropa stage of the Giro after, ironically, losing seconds to a faulty bike. Other versions, which included elements of pink (Pantani used the black-pink on the tour in 2000 where he duelled with Lance Armstrong) as well stripes followed in the coming years.
It had reinforcements in the steering area but basically the same shape as the old XL. The EV2 was also originally made by Dedacciai, though later version came from Columbus,
Demand for the Pantani-style alloy bikes from amateurs who wanted to emulate their hero was huge, and it could be argued that Bianchi struggled to keep up. The EV2s, like many of the Bianchi high-end alloy bikes from this era, were so lightweight that they felt delicate. When looking at an XL Performance frame from the era, a friend said that the bike’s aluminum top tube reminded him of Bacofoil.
To be fair to Bianchi though I wonder if the top-end bikes were also really only really designed for one season of riding. I guess no one imagined that they would be taken on sportives 30 years later.
Rumours began circulating of quality control issues, especially of cracks around the bottom bracket and the head. Bianchi did start to address these by injecting structural foam. The company said that this increases the rigidity and resistance of the EV2 and EV4 aluminum frames, used in the professional field and, therefore, subjected to very intense stresses, in particular at the bottom bracket node. It was however primarily a move to reassure consumers that their shiny new bike would outlast its warranty.
Yet in some ways it was too late, the damage was done. Do any research on online forums about the EV2 and its successors and you will read horror stories about cracks, which ultimately must have put many potential buyers off purchasing them.
EV3 and EV4
The EV3, which debuted in 2002, proved to be another highly successful bike for Bianchi thanks to Jan Ullrich who pushed Lance Armstrong all the way at the 2003 Tour while riding a customsied version of the EV3 for the newly formed Team Bianchi. The frame differed from its predecessor with its oversized downtube and redesigned top and seat tube profiles
The final version – the EV4 Hyperalloy was also launched in 2002. Again this was available in the signature yellow and dark blue Pantani finish as well as other shades such as the Team Coast paintjob, and unusually for Bianchi, straight black finish. It was superlight weighing in at only 808 grams, and again was made in collaboration with Dedacciai. Unlike the EV3 and its predecessors, it had more traditional drawn aluminum tubes. It too featured the life-prolonging structural foam injection.
Both the EV3 and EV4 are seen for sale from time to time. I have noted that the EV4 tends to sell for less, especially when sold in non-Pantani style finishes. A couple of black ones, in seemingly decent condition, have sold on eBay for less than $500 and the team Coast ones, like the one above, also tend to be less expensive.
The postscript – the FG Lite and Via Nirone 7
Lance Armstrong and his Trek, along with the carbon bikes then emerging from the US and far east, arguably finished alloy racing bikes off even for Bianchi.
Although there is an interesting postscript. In 2005 Bianchi unveiled the FG Lite which may potentially be the last alloy bike ever used on the Tour. It was certainly used for hill climbing by Stefano Garzelli, Danilo Di Luca and Luca Paolin as part of the Liquigas team as late as 2006 – by which time carbon was pretty much the de facto material for Pro racers.
The FG Lite is a wonderful bike and in some ways a forebear of the revamped Specialissima, which debuted in 2016, with its hill climbing capabilities.
There is also a rumour that the ultra-strong Impulso has been used on the cobbles as recently as 2019, and not always by teams sponsored by Bianchi.
By the mid-00s carbon dominated the peloton and Bianchi started to ditch alloy and embrace carbon delivering firstly its 928 series and ultimately the Oltres that we have today.
Some interesting alloy consumer bikes followed in the mid-00s notably the SL3 which was only available for a couple of years and is highly rated by some Bianchistas for its performance and stunning paint job. There are also SL Lite and SL Alloy and the lower end version ML Lite and ML Alloy, invariably decked out in variations of the Mercatone Uno colours. These are still wonderful bikes to ride, though I do wonder if many have succumbed to the cracking head issue.
Perhaps the most important bike to come out of the period was the bike I call the ‘People’s Bianchi.’ Named after the address of the factory where Bianchi started his business, the Via Nirone 7 has become a huge global seller and an ideal entry point to Italian bikes. It will soon hit 20 years of production, which is a lot longer than I think any other Bianchi bike ever.
If you do want to channel your inner Pantani there are a few EV models currently for sale. In each ad the owner stresses that they have been very lightly used – you can draw your own conclusions.
I guess the final postscript is that Bianchi did kind of resurrect the Mega Pro XL and the EV2 a few years ago when offering their colour schemes in limited editions of the Specialissima. So, if you have the money you can buy a bike resplendent in the colours that Pantani rode in his prime, yet not have to worry too much about your bike’s longevity.
For more on the Pantani years this is well worth a read
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