Why Celeste for Bianchi?
Steve Sloan
Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
Steve Sloan
sl...@jmc.sjsu.edu
Jobst Brandt
Steve Sloan writes:
> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
It is their team color and Fausto Coppi, the "Campionissiomo" rode it
to some of his greatest victories. The aura of Coppi still lives and
people preferred to have the "real thing" although Bianchi bicycles
are available in other colors. Most non racing Bianchis ridden to
work and the like in Italy are not celeste, nor are any of the
greenish bikes Bianchi (Piaggio) sells today. Celeste is a yellowish
pale green that is no longer offered on bicycles. Piaggio changed it
to turquoise when they took over Bianchi a few years ago under a big
advertising campaign "We'll never change celeste", when in fact they
had done so and could stand by their claim as misleading as it was.
Jobst Brandt <jbr...@hpl.hp.com>
alexgian
Jobst Brandt wrote:
>
> Steve Sloan writes:
>
> > Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
> It is their team color and Fausto Coppi, the "Campionissiomo" rode it
> to some of his greatest victories. The aura of Coppi still lives and
> people preferred to have the "real thing" although Bianchi bicycles
> are available in other colors. Most non racing Bianchis ridden to
> work and the like in Italy are not celeste, nor are any of the
Please note that Piaggio doesn't own Bianchi any longer.
Bianchi has been bought last year by a Swedish group (Monark Stiga) that
belongs to an Italian expat: Salvatore Grimaldi. His son Tony is the current
president. Following this acquisition Bianchi is now part of the Cycleurope
Group with other Monark Stiga companies
Alex
nbce...@delphi.com
alexgian <alex...@worldnet.att.net> writes:
>president. Following this acquisition Bianchi is now part of the Cycleurope
>Group with other Monark Stiga companies
Brian Lafferty
John Greenwalt
Celeste is "the" color becuase the Queen supposedly liked the color, at
least that is waht I thought the '96 catalog said. If you really want to
know try their webpage @ http://www.bianchi.it there might be something
there or you could e-mail them.
John Greenwalt
Purdue Cycling
alexgian
Quite a few:
In Scandinavia Monark, Oeglaend-DBS (sorry I don't have a Norwegian
keyboard), Kildemoes, Everton Smith.
In France Peugeot, Gitane, Micmo
In Italy Bianchi, Legnano, Puch.
The group is now probably the largest EU manufacturer (2,000 employees
and 1,400,000 bicycles/year).
Alex
Chuck Schmidt
cycle rider wrote:
> Well, a couple of stories here have gotten really close; but' here's the "story" passed down to
> me some time ago and I might as well keep the legend alive. During the war alot of this paint was
> ordered for military purposes and after the war, there was a boatload of it left. Bianchi got a
> good deal on it and slapped it on their bikes and due to customer demand, has been doing it ever
> since.
>
> BTW - My Bianchi is Celeste; it just wouldn't be right top have a different color!
Hi "cycle rider",
Your "story" is not really very believable considering that Bianchi was
using the color Celeste before World War I. And I hope your referring
to World War I and not World War II in your post, or you are really off
in your "legend"!
Chuck
John Joseph Taglia
Steve Sloan wrote:
>
> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
> sl...@jmc.sjsu.edu
There is a nice article on this in the May 1997 issue of "The Bicycle
Trader," the URL for which is: http://bicycletrader.com/index.html
Adam Shyevitch
I heard that Bianchi picked Celeste because it was the one color that repelled
bike theives.
Adam
P.S.: I'm still riding a Bianchi SuperSet frame that I bought in 1985, and yes
its a beautiful Celeste :-)
Andrew Price
Steve Sloan wrote in message ...
>Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
Steve - the story I heard out there on the road from my cycling mates (so
its probably a bit legendary) is that the Bianchi company was in dire
fianancial staits after the war when being led by a n'er do well son who
inherited the business from a hard working family. who started the business.
Apparently the playboy son eventually met an absolute stunner of a
girlfriend who liked that particular shade of bluey-green for her under wear
and she not only sorted out the son's little red wagon but did a hell of a
lot to get a great bicycle maker back in shape as well. She was some lady
and ever since then the company has painted its bikes that colour in honour
of her.
I wonder where they got the Ferrari red from then?
regards Andrew (Hope Its True) Price
cycle rider
In article <sloan-13049...@jmc110.sjsu.edu>,
sl...@jmc.sjsu.edu (Steve Sloan) wrote:
>Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
>Steve Sloan
>sl...@jmc.sjsu.edu
da...@erinet.com
>>president. Following this acquisition Bianchi is now part of the Cycleurope
>>Group with other Monark Stiga companies
>
> Which other bicycle trademarks are owned by this company? Thanks!
> Brian Lafferty
Cycleurope Group also owns the Peugeot label.
......dave
FelB
Queen Margaherita (sp?, also for the pizza using tomato and cheese)
said something to Eduardo Bianchi as to paint the bikes sky blue. How
it transformed into the "celeste" that we all know and love is a
mystery to me. Look at the Bianchi motor cycles of the 30's- sky blue
tanks; the traditional bianchi jersey, blue with a white band; the
motorcycle fairings of the mid 60s (mike "the bike" hailwood years)
blue with white roundels for the numbers.
two bianchis, both cleste
one colnago, mapei
As to ferrari red, a horse of a different color
ciao
Mike
Bianchi chose the unique color Celeste as a way to identify its bikes
because in the early days of racing, decals were not permitted.
alexgian
Chuck Schmidt wrote:
>
> cycle rider wrote:
>
> > Well, a couple of stories here have gotten really close; but' here's the "story" passed down to
> > me some time ago and I might as well keep the legend alive. During the war alot of this paint was
> > ordered for military purposes and after the war, there was a boatload of it left. Bianchi got a
> > good deal on it and slapped it on their bikes and due to customer demand, has been doing it ever
> > since.
> >
> > BTW - My Bianchi is Celeste; it just wouldn't be right top have a different color!
>
>
> Your "story" is not really very believable considering that Bianchi was
> using the color Celeste before World War I. And I hope your referring
> to World War I and not World War II in your post, or you are really off
> in your "legend"!
>
> Chuck
Chuck,
What makes you think that Bianchi was using the celeste color before
WWI?
Alex
David Rees
I have a book of old bikes, and while the Bianchi story is not mentioned,
here are some observations: The pre-WW1 Bianchis are black, the military
Bianchis from both WWs are a pale celeste (paler blue/green than current
celeste, as Jobst has already noted), and bikes between the WWs are
different colours -I have photos of black, light blue (not blue/green), and
a modern-looking celeste. BSA, Edoardo Fontana, and Legnano used a dark
celeste on 'civilian' bikes. The book has photos of other military bikes,
and the British also used a celeste almost identical to Bianchi's. Ducati
used it for a military moped, too. Bianchi's 'Night Watchman's" military
bike is a dark olive drab, as are some of the officer's bikes. Celeste
seems to be the colour favoured by more than 1 country for Infantry bikes.
I have no pre-WW1 photos of celeste bikes of any make, but the book is not
complete, so I don't know when it first really appeared, but I think it
likely that many used it, but that it has become associated with Bianchi as
they were the only large manufacturer to continue using it for non-military
bikes.
Rick Denney
Ferraris are red because red is the national color of Italy in Formula
One racing. In the old days, F1 teams raced for their countries, and
the cars were painted national colors. That is also the origin of
British Racing Green.
Rick Denney
Take what you want and leave the rest.
Jobst Brandt
John Joseph Taglia writes:
>> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
> There is a nice article on this in the May 1997 issue of "The Bicycle
> Trader," the URL for which is: http://bicycletrader.com/index.html
What article and where. The URL you give has endless text on fixed
gear bikes and a long imaginary six-day bike race with names of people
I know who didn't partake in the story as told.
Jobst Brandt <jbr...@hpl.hp.com>
Steve Sloan
In article <6gvvve$f...@hplntx.hpl.hp.com>, jbr...@hpl.hp.com (Jobst
Brandt) wrote:
> John Joseph Taglia writes:
>
> >> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
> > There is a nice article on this in the May 1997 issue of "The Bicycle
> > Trader," the URL for which is: http://bicycletrader.com/index.html
Wow, this is all great. I have read the story and it is well written.
You get to it by going to the URL
http://www.bicycletrader.com/index.html. Click on "Archives" in the
navigation bar, then select issue #18.
I got the impression it was a bit tongue in cheek, though, when the
writer, Nels Cone, said, "One of the most elaborate versions that I have
heard goes something like this..."
I was wondering if there was something a bit more difinitive out there.
The responses to my post have been very informative.
Steve
tku...@diabloresearch.com
In article <6gui68$i...@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net>,
alexgian <alex...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
> In Scandinavia Monark, Oeglaend-DBS (sorry I don't have a Norwegian
> keyboard), Kildemoes, Everton Smith.
> In France Peugeot, Gitane, Micmo
> In Italy Bianchi, Legnano, Puch.
> The group is now probably the largest EU manufacturer (2,000 employees
> and 1,400,000 bicycles/year).
Wow! And most of them are probably built in the massive Bianchi
facility where automated bicycle production is taken to it's
extreme.
Glad I have a Vitus, Eddy Merckx and a Colnago -- I don't see any on
that list. I guess I shouldn't knock it though, since Bianchi is a
good bike -- the Reparto Corsa machines are as good as anything.
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F. Hayashi
On 14 Apr 1998, Jobst Brandt wrote:
> John Joseph Taglia writes:
>
> >> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
> > There is a nice article on this in the May 1997 issue of "The Bicycle
> > Trader," the URL for which is: http://bicycletrader.com/index.html
>
> What article and where. The URL you give has endless text on fixed
> gear bikes and a long imaginary six-day bike race with names of people
> I know who didn't partake in the story as told.
>
> Jobst Brandt <jbr...@hpl.hp.com>
>
You had to click on 'archive' and then the articles section from May 1997.
It is basically a compendium of all the myths surrounding the color, and
the article really has no information as to the real story behind the
color. It is an amusing collection of the stories, and the article
doesn't try to pass it off as reality.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Fumitaka Hayashi - hay...@u.washington.edu |
| http://macrophage.immunol.washington.edu/~fumi/index.html |
| Aderem Lab - Dept. of Immunology - University of Washington |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Tim Smith
>Ferraris are red because red is the national color of Italy in Formula
>One racing. In the old days, F1 teams raced for their countries, and
>the cars were painted national colors. That is also the origin of
>British Racing Green.
Yes, although it was more than in just F1. Sports racing cars up to
the 1960s (the kind that race(d) at Le Mans, for example) were also
painted national colors. Some other colors were: Germany--silver
(sometimes white), France--light blue, The Netherlands--orange,
USA--white with blue stripes. And no decals on any of those cars at
all.
Also, Italian racing motorcycles have tended to be painted red more
often than not.
There have been times when, in the major European bicycle races, there
were national teams. This happened in the Tour de France, for a few
years in the 1950s or 1960s. It was not wildly popular, and they soon
reverted to corporate-sponsored teams. Even when there were national
teams, though, I don't believe that the bicycles were painted in any
nation-identifying color.
Italian national sports teams (e.g. in soccer or Olympic cycling) have
often adopted blue as their color, and the teams become known as "gli
azzurri" (the blues). There is undoubtedly a tradition behind this, as
well as the red in motor racing. And probably a few urban legends
also...
Jobst Brandt
Steve Sloan writes:
> Wow, this is all great. I have read the story and it is well
> written. You get to it by going to the URL:
> http://www.bicycletrader.com/index.html.
> Under "Archives", issue #18.
> I got the impression it was a bit tongue in cheek, though, when the
> writer, Nels Cone, said, "One of the most elaborate versions that I have
> heard goes something like this..."
The title of the article make that pretty clear:
"Truth or Fiction?, the Bianchi Celeste Story"
This story contains all of the more detailed versions of the origin
that I have heard. I think it must rest with that, its origin
being as vague as the composer of Greensleeves (unk).
Jobst Brandt <jbr...@hpl.hp.com>
Rafael Aviles
Jobst Brandt wrote:
>
> John Joseph Taglia writes:
>
> >> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
> > There is a nice article on this in the May 1997 issue of "The Bicycle
> > Trader," the URL for which is: http://bicycletrader.com/index.html
>
> What article and where. The URL you give has endless text on fixed
> gear bikes and a long imaginary six-day bike race with names of people
> I know who didn't partake in the story as told.
>
> Jobst Brandt <jbr...@hpl.hp.com>
May 1997: Issue #18
Truth or Fiction?, the Bianchi Celeste Story
--
"Opinions expressed are mine and not those of Rohm and Haas Company"
FelB
In article <6h062s$h...@hplntx.hpl.hp.com>
jbr...@hpl.hp.com (Jobst Brandt) writes:
> the composer of Greensleeves (unk)
urban legend says it was Henery VIII
alexgian
tku...@diabloresearch.com wrote:
>
> In article <6gui68$i...@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net>,
> alexgian <alex...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> >
> > In Scandinavia Monark, Oeglaend-DBS (sorry I don't have a Norwegian
> > keyboard), Kildemoes, Everton Smith.
> > In France Peugeot, Gitane, Micmo
> > In Italy Bianchi, Legnano, Puch.
> > The group is now probably the largest EU manufacturer (2,000 employees
> > and 1,400,000 bicycles/year).
>
> Wow! And most of them are probably built in the massive Bianchi
> facility where automated bicycle production is taken to it's
> extreme.
No, AFAIK, the actual production is made in different plants for each
geographic area.
> Glad I have a Vitus, Eddy Merckx and a Colnago -- I don't see any on
> that list.
Well, considering the rate of expansion of the group it may not take that
long before... ;-)
I guess I shouldn't knock it though, since Bianchi is a
> good bike -- the Reparto Corsa machines are as good as anything.
Yes, the machines coming out of the Reparto Corse are definitely as good as
they get, let's not forget that thanks to their resources Bianchi & Co can
afford to invest more in R&D than most of their competitors, not to talk
about the huge experience accumulated in the years...
Alex
dlk...@eudoramail.com
Steve Sloan wrote:
>
> Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
I read the 5 "answers" (guesses) why celeste is Bianchi's main color.
The poster named FelB came pretty close.
Here is why Eduardo Bianchi chose celeste: he wanted a color that stood
out in the fast-moving peloton so he chose Celeste, a color he thought
resembled the sky over the company's Milan factory.
Kevin Wuertz
The original painter (way back) was color blind and mixed the wrong paint.
But bianchi liked it and kept it and they have been known for it ever
since. NO JOKE.
Kevin
tku...@diabloresearch.com
In article <6h062s$h...@hplntx.hpl.hp.com>,
jbr...@hpl.hp.com (Jobst Brandt) wrote:
>
> This story contains all of the more detailed versions of the origin
> that I have heard. I think it must rest with that, its origin
> being as vague as the composer of Greensleeves (unk).
Which, rumor has it, was composed by Henry VIII.
alexgian
Huhm, ever seen the sky over Milano?
Alex
Jon Fiedler
If the celeste of today is fairly near the original celeste, that must
be one weird looking sky. I mean, one of the last colors to come to
mind when describing the color of a Bianchi is 'sky-blue'. But I'm
still in love with the color and the ride of my Bianchi
Jon
David Rees
The original celeste is much, much paler than modern celeste. It's still
blue/green, but with lots of white added to dilute it. I can imagine the
sky being that colour some days, maybe near the sea (which Milan is not).
Dave Whittle
A few years ago I used to be an archer. The british bowmaker Les Howis had a top of the range bow, the KG1. On one production run they didnt clean out the paint lines, and the black they were spraying got mixed with the silver in the lines, producing a beautiful quasi-metallic dark grey. This production run sold like the proverbial hot cakes, and the US importers ordered another batch of the same color. Unfortunately they were unable to replicate it and so those bows were a "limited edition".......
dave
Rafael Aviles
Cute story, but I doubt it is true. Paint and coatings technology that
allows precise matching of any color has been around for several years
now. In particular, if the color you talk about was the result of
blending two colors (black and silver), and they still had the separate
black and silver paints, it would be fairly easy to match the resulting
gray. In addition, a dark metallic gray is most likely to result from a
bit of black added to silver paint, not the other way around.
TomBBB
I read somewhere that a number of years (like 80 or more) ago, the Bianchi
folks were trying to find a unique color that would make their bikes stand out,
and they simply picked celeste from a color chart. The current celeste is
pearlescent, though, while the older color was not. I think Bianchi has a web
page, though, so you can confirm the story.
>Why is "Celeste" *THE* color for Bianchi?
>
>sl...@jmc.sjsu.edu
><
Richard Strayer
I think the burning question in every Bianchi owners' mind, and one which
arises every now and then but is never answered, is "what's the
formula for mixing up some Celeste paint to use on frame touch-ups?"
Matching that color, especially the newer pearlescent celeste, seems
beyond my capabilities; and the touch-up paint my LBS gets from the
Bianchi rep costs a fortune for a tiny amount, and invariably contains
too much thinner (so that it doesn't go on well, and actually tends to
strip as much finish as it lays down.)
Anyone figured this out yet? I think that is the only drawback to owning
this otherwise exceptional bike. I use clear nail polish, just to keep
the frame from rusting, but would love to be able to hide the chips and
dings.
RES
Chuck Schmidt
Richard Strayer wrote:
> I think the burning question in every Bianchi owners' mind, and one which
> arises every now and then but is never answered, is "what's the
> formula for mixing up some Celeste paint to use on frame touch-ups?"
> Matching that color, especially the newer pearlescent celeste, seems
> beyond my capabilities; and the touch-up paint my LBS gets from the
> Bianchi rep costs a fortune for a tiny amount, and invariably contains
> too much thinner (so that it doesn't go on well, and actually tends to
> strip as much finish as it lays down.)
>
> Anyone figured this out yet? I think that is the only drawback to owning
> this otherwise exceptional bike. I use clear nail polish, just to keep
> the frame from rusting, but would love to be able to hide the chips and
> dings.
>
> RES
Richard,
I have friends that have used colored fingernail polish to match the
pearlescent Celeste color of newer Bianchi. The 'trick' is to find some
shades that are close and then mix until you have a fairly close match.
It might take as many as three different colored nail polishes to
accomplish!
Hope this helps, Chuck
Richard Strayer
I'd love to know which colors they started out with, cause every time I
try to mix a batch I end up with brown.
RES