Bianchi is one of the most iconic bicycle brands in cycling history. Its characteristic blue color, the elegance of their designs, their triumphs in large competitions, Fausto Coppi ... Few manufacturers have been so linked to the history of competition cycling as
Bianchi.
Surely you know his triumphs as a cycling team in the twentieth century, the successes of Fausto Coppi, the epic of
Marco PantanI winning turn and tour the same year with a bianchi bicycle.
But did you know that Bianchi was the brand that created the first mountain bike in 1915? And the one that designed the first picture with specific women's geometry at the end of the 19th century? Here are 10 curiosities that you probably do not know about the
Bianchi bicycles, but you will surely like to meet.
It is the oldest bicycle manufacturer in the world
Bianchi was founded in 1885. Since then he has manufactured bicycles uninterruptedly. This makes the brand the oldest bicycle manufacturer in the world among all those who maintain their activity in the market.
For 70 years it also made motorcycles
Although the brand main activity since its foundation was the bicycles, in 1897 it opened a line for motorcycle manufacture that remained active until 1967, when it closed its automotive division. Between 1925 and 1930 the bianchi motorcycles reaped great successes in motorcycling races, including a European championship in the category of 350 cubic centimeters.
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Bianchi motorcycle ES250 of 1937 (Image credits: courtesy of the Zweirad- und nsu-museum) Deutsches)[/caption]
Bianchi equipped the Italian army with trucks
In 1901 the founder of the company, Edoardo Bianchi, launched to the manufacture of cars. This is how the first Bianchi car came out on the market. In the 1930s it also began producing trucks in its factory. In fact, Bianchi became the truck supplier for the Italian army during World War II.
At the end of the war conflict, he closed the automotive division because his factory had been bombarded during the war.
His via Nirone 7 model is named on the street where the brand was born
One of Bianchi's most representative bicycle models is the Via Nirone 7. It is called precisely because the first Bianchi workshop was located at number 7 of the Via Nirone of Milan.
Bianchi is one of the most falsified brands in the world
Bianchi bicycles have become an object of worship and collecting. That is why it is one of the most falsified brands in the world. The company has a department dedicated to combating falsifications. Each year more than 4,500 online auctions are involved where unauthorized replicas and falsifications of Bianchi are put on sale.
Bianchi was the brand that invented the front brake and chain transmission
Bianchi applied great innovations to road cycling. The first was the use of wheels with tires of the same diameter. Until then it was frequent that the front and rear tires of the bicycles were of different measures. Edoardo Bianchi adapted the idea of John Boyd Dunlop to replace solid wheels with air chamber tires.
The second great technological innovation was the introduction of bridge brakes with shoes in the front wheel. Today this braking system is still a majority in road cycling and has remained unchanged until the recent introduction of disc brakes.
In 1901 Edoardo Bianchi patented a transmission system that connected the strength of pedaling to the rear wheel using a chain. The modern transmission systems were born.
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Edoardo Bianchi, founder of the Bianchi bicycle brand.[/caption]
Its founder was dedicated to the manufacture of medical utensils
Edoardo Bianchi opened his first bicycle workshop with 21 years. Until then it was dedicated to a totally different activity: it manufactured medical instruments. His knowledge of the industrial design of mechanical utensils led him to apply it in the manufacture of bikes.
In 1895 he created the first bicycle for women
Currently, Bianchi bicycle versions for women receive the denomination of Lady Bianca. It was precisely Edoardo Bianchi one of the pioneers in the manufacture of bicycles with a specific picture geometry for women.
In 1895, given the success that her bikes were having in Italy, Queen Margarita summoned the Monza Palace to show both her and the king to ride a bicycle. Edoardo Bianchi took the opportunity to design a bike picture that was compatible with the huge skirts that the women of the time used. The woman's bicycle was born.
It is said that the classic Bianchi blue color so characteristic of its bicycles is due to the color of the queen's eyes.
It was the official bicycle supplier the Italian Royal House
In 1895, King Umberto de Italy decided to appoint Bianchi official supplier of the Royal House. This distinction was entitled to the brand to use the coat of arms of the house of Savoy. For some years this was the logo of the bicycles that came out of their factory, until it was finally changed to the eagle symbol, which is an adaptation of the old real crest.
Bianchi invented the first folding mountain bike in 1915
In 1915, the Italian army commissioned Edoardo Bianchi to manufacture a bicycle that soldiers could use to move along roads and land and stone. This design a special model that had wider tires, suspensions on both wheels and a system to bend the painting. In this way the soldiers could fold the bicycle and carry it in the backpack.
This bicycle was used by the Royal Italian light infantry during World War I. It was the first version of mountain bicycles.
