The Bianchi Pista Concept has been a desirable frameset for some time, even more so since it became hard to find and was eventually discontinued a year or two back. I picked up the pictured 2006 version brand new in mid 2007 and have put a couple of thousand miles on it since, using it primarily as a longer distance road bike but also around town and in some alleycat races at home and beyond. For 2010 Bianchi has replaced it with the $750 Super Pista frameset, for all intents and purposes an update on a successful design maintaining the exact same geometry. The bike is definitely meant for the track first with steep geometry and a stiff aluminum frame that doesn’t have bottle bosses, a rear brake mount or clearance for big tires. For people that could not get their hands on a Pista Concept or are just curious as to the difference between the models, here they are, head to head with some comments and more images of the changes after the break.
- The seat tube and clamp are perhaps the most obvious changes, with the seat tube having a deeper teardrop profile to it and the seat clamp having been updated to a removable collar. Integrated clamps on aluminum frames are certainly light, but historically are prone to breaking when overtightened and near impossible to repair once the damage is done. This is a very welcome change.
- Other tube profiles have also been updated, with the downtube looking slightly different but the seat- and chainstays being noticeably beefed up. The seatstays have a larger weld surface with the seat tube, and the chain stays retain their square profile at the bottom bracket but gain a bridge that should stiffen the bike without reducing tire clearances.
- The track ends are the same, but the bolts are slightly shorter that hold the steel inserts in place and now sit flush. I had to remove two of the three bolts on my old frame as they interfered with wheel positioning.
- The fork is not pictured, but it appears to use the same aluminum crown and dropouts and carbon legs as before yet now is drilled for a brake. Great for me, as on the old version I had replaced the fork with a drilled one so I could run a brake for long days in the saddle. The steerer tube itself has a thinner wall thickness than the previous version.
- Weight. The new frame is heavier than the old one by half a pound, and the fork is lighter by 50g. The 59cm 2006 Pista Concept frame/fork weighs 1520g/610g respectively. The 59cm 2010 Super Pista weighs 1760g/560g.
- Other changes? The graphics are slightly different (no more stupid “No Brakes!” sticker on the top tube) and the chainstay protector is now clear rather than black, but still equally as useless on a fixed gear frameset.
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