Bike of the Month: Bianchi Milano Citta
14. Mar, 2010 
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By Tara R. McKee
One of the fashion capitals of Europe is Milan, a.k.a. Milano, which is the name the Bianchi company has given its series of city bikes. The Bianchi Milano Citta bike is our bike of the month for March. With the Milano Citta (Ladies’ model), you’ll have 8-gears for getting around town with ease, a rear rack for carrying your bags, and a step-through frame that will allow you to wear your favorite skirts with ease. The whole Milano line gives riders an upright comfortable position so you can enjoy the ride and take in the sights.
Bianchi bikes have been around a long time. A very young Eduardo Bianchi opened up a bicycle repair shop in 1885, and right away began tinkering with the bike designs of the time. He made so many innovations with bicycle designs that he is to bicycles, what Henry Ford is to cars. He was one of the first to introduce the “safety bicycle,” so called because the wheels were the same size and it was closer to the ground. He also introduced the first bicycle with pneumatic tires and made many other innovations.
The crest of each Bianchi shows the crown of Queen Margherita.
The Story of the First Bicycle Designed for Women
In 1895, he developed the very first bicycle specifically designed for women and he presented it to Queen Margherita of Italy. The bicycle was unpainted, and when the queen asked why, he told her it was because he wanted to see the color of her eyes first and paint the bicycle to match. The color developed was a greenish blue, and was called “celeste” (pronounced in Italian che-les-te) and became the signature color for Bianchi. If you look close, on the crest design of a Bianchi bike, you can see the Queen’s crown, the royal endorsement of the queen. Incidentally, it was this same queen, Margherita, who started a craze for pizza in Italy, that later made its way over to America. So take your Bianchi bike over to your pizzeria, order a Margherita pizza and give a toast to Queen Margherita who knew a good thing when she saw it! (And I think all pizzerias, in memory of the queen, ought to give all Bianchi cyclists a 10% discount on pizzas!)
Thank you to Cyclesmith of Salt Lake City for making this bike avaliable.
My wife has one (though black). It’s been quite a joy. We upgraded the seat with a brooks aged leather one from chainreaction, and have raise the quill stem as much as we could.
Note: you get some chain rub until you shift the chain guard to just that right spot.