The counterpoint to the complaint about Bianchi's mix of components is that at least their WSD bikes fall into that elusive "mid-range" category. When I was looking around at various bikes last week, my husband commented that with women's bikes there is this huge gap in a lot of lines: you go from Sora/Tiagra straight to Ultegra, which makes things hard on someone trying to shop on a 105 budget.

And Bianchi seems to be phasing out Campy on all of their mid-range or lower bikes, not just the women's bikes. The only steel available with Campy this year is the Eros, and that's Mirage. It's a bummer, because the Veloce was such a nice bike and the Veloce gruppo is such a bargain. Campy Only did a great review of the 2001 Veloce triple, the group that is on my bike ... it really shifts like a dream compared to the equivalently priced Shimano. (Well, it is easier to find your front chain ring with 105, but it just takes a little practice with the Veloce. If I can do it, anyone can do it.)