Is this a real vintage Bianchi Strada? I'm contemplating whether or not to buy a Bianchi vintage mixte bike. I was told that it's a 1986 Bianch Strada but I have never seen a serial number like this: 51027563 (all numbers no letters). Photos are attached below. If someone knowledgeable about Bianchi bikes could answer these questions it'd be of tremendous help!


Is this bike a 1986 Bianchi Strada?
Given this 8-digit serial number is this a real Bianchi bike (and not a knockoff)?
Warning: this answer is based on rumours, speculation and hearsay.

Serial numbers:  I don't think the Good Lord Himself could make sense of Bianchi serial numbers, so don't put too much weight on that as anything is possible.

Lugs and frame design/welds looks somewhat odd for Bianchi, in fact without the decals I would have guessed Nishiki.  Thankfully, there is a fairly persistent rumour that Bianchi subcontracted cheap frames from Nishiki due to production problems while they were moving production from Japan to Taiwan in the mid 80s. If true, this could be one of those bikes.

If this is the case, it's a fun bit of bike history curiosa.  As others have noted, the suicide levers on an otherwise mid-range equipped bike says it's probably a US-specific model