Well, I buy bikes to part them out / flip, that was my plan originally. Only once before did I
keep a flip as a second bike. This Bianchi is easily the nicest and most original / complete bike I've ever encountered, and I sort of feel bad about breaking it up. But at the end of the day, this is business, it's not personal. lol
Appreciate the info about making the bike rigid but there's no point as the frame is too small for me to ride, and I'd think it would command a higher price as originally spec'd, especially since it was designed and sold as a hardtail (according to BikePedia and other info I've found online).
I saw what those Stronglight cranks go for on eBay, it's one reason why I was attracted to this bike. That and the frame, which I know is crazy light and would probably bring pretty decent money. The fork, rebuilt (which I have the time to do and enjoy doing) could also be worth a few bucks, considering recent sales on eBay.
I haven't started looking for rebuild kits yet but would love the elastomer guy's info if you can recall it at some point.
So my plan was/is, to take my time tinkering with it (redo the fork, go over the drivetrain, clean it well, get it sorted) and maybe see if I could flip it as a whole bike to the right buyer. I've got plenty of other inventory and am in no rush, and the damn thing is just so good looking. But it's possible (very likely) no one would want it even then, and I'd end up parting it out anyway. Which is fine too.
That's the beauty of life with vintage MTBs & their parts. They are actually a pretty good investment. You can buy them, use (not abuse) them, then sell them for what you paid or more. What a world!