# Seeking info on univega frame



## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

I googled around a bit but did not have any luck. Serial number J403905 thanks


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

See if you can find what your looking for in these catalogs. Univega made some nice bikes at reasonable prices.

Open the link I provided and click on the catalog cover to open catalog.

https://univegacatalogs.wordpress.com/


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

Cloud9quest said:


> I googled around a bit but did not have any luck. Serial number J403905 thanks


post drive-side pics or we can't help you much.

google tells me the leading "j" in the serial is 1981 if it's a miyata made frame (as are most univegas i've owned). the other digits are meaningless. 

i've had several univegas, and they were very nice riding bikes once i fully overhauled them. 

look on the back of the components to find date codes you can then reference on the vintage trek website.


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Univega sold a TON of bikes 20+ years ago; some nice, some average, some cheap. Just a serial # ain't enough.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

Thanks y’all. This bike was rebuilt as a SS so I don’t have any of the original components. I’m not concerned with it’s value either. It’s just an old fast beater bike. It’s geared at 52/18 so it’s fun for zipping around Atlanta. Thanks again and those catalogs are awesome


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Still waiting for a pic......


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

I’ll would have posted a pic in my original post if I could. I am assuming that is not an option with a free membership? Either way it’s not popping up as an option on my phone when I select quick or advanced reply


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## Veloptuous (Oct 13, 2017)

I rode an awesome blue UNIVEGA as my campus bike back in my undergrad days. Great ride and I really wish I had that thing around. I’d second the date code likely indicates an ’81 model year. I would say it’s too bad the components were swapped out during the SS conversion, but it sounds like a super fun ride in Atlanta. This is not my actual ride (sadly I don't have a pic of it) however it looked like this one.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

My frame is that same sky blue although it’s pretty scarred up from lots of use over the years


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Cloud9quest said:


> I’ll would have posted a pic in my original post if I could. I am assuming that is not an option with a free membership? Either way it’s not popping up as an option on my phone when I select quick or advanced reply


ANYBODY can post a pic, assuming they know what they are doing....


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

Thanks man. You seem to have a firm grasp on the obvious. Like I said, on my phone when I select “post quick reply” or “go advanced”, as these appear to by my only options for making a post, there is no option for adding any attachments. So yes I obviously don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to posting pics. If you really want to see the bike maybe you could make a helpful suggestion to help steer me in the right direction.........or you can just keep being a dick because the internet doesn’t have enough of them. Thanks for playing.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

It says the FAQ page won’t load because it’s not supported by my mobile device. I’m assuming that may have something to do with my inability to post pics too. Toulouse, as the resident local why arent you aware of this issue? I’m startimg to believe that you don’t know what you are doing. Such a shame


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

Cloud9quest said:


> If you really want to see the bike maybe you could make a helpful suggestion to help steer me in the right direction.


the easiest way is to host the image on flickr or a similar site, and then place the image's whole path and file name within "img" brackets, like this:

'80 gran rally









'84 sportour-s









click "reply with quote to see what the syntax looks like. 

imgur upload is maybe the easiest way to host images. you can also upload and attach them here to rbr, but if you don't see the 'picture' icon above the dialogue box where you write your reply, I can't help you.

the images i shared above are two of the many univegas i've owned over the last several years. if the '80s univega road bike has forged drops, that's usually a sign of a chromoly frame, so i'm often interested in rebuilding it. '80s miyata frames are very well made. and the mid-level univegas didn't skimp on components.



> or you can just keep being a dick because the internet doesn’t have enough of them.


you have that guy pegged correctly. he's a troll that gets off on his ignorance and misanthropy.


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## Veloptuous (Oct 13, 2017)

It can certainly be more difficult to do on a phone depending on a number of factors. Do you have access to a computer...desktop or laptop? I think it may be much easier to post pics n' such from there. You could e-mail the pics to yourself from your phone then try to post them if you are able to get on a computer. 

In the quick reply on the computer it has an "insert image" icon and I select an image from my desktop to post and it seems to work just fine. Although I have not tried to do so from my phone before.


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

i view this site in full mode (desktop, not mobile) with an android phone. works fine.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

Well here are the pics, finally. thanks again for your patience when i got to my lap top it was not an issue to post the pics. and i'm not sure why i didn't include the fact that its a viva sport in my op lol


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

i'm only seeing the viva sport in the catalog from the 80's


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## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Looks like a mid-range frame. Holy crap, that setup is giving you a LOT of gear-inches! Are you doing motor-pacing??? I assume that there are no hills where you live...


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Be careful if you ride a bike with conventionally cabled brakes.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

Plenty of hills in Atlanta. The cool thing about our city is if you aren’t feeling it just go over a street or two and the Hill is no more.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

velodog said:


> Be careful if you ride a bike with conventionally cabled brakes.


What’s the issue. I haven’t experienced any


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Typically the front brake is operated with the left hand. Riding a bike, as yours, with a right hand operated front brake could have you grabbing the rear brake on a conventionally set up brake system.

Muscle memory, being what it is, has me preferring to have things operate the same, bike to bike. But that's just me.


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## Hellgate64 (Aug 7, 2017)

velodog said:


> Typically the front brake is operated with the left hand. Riding a bike, as yours, with a right hand operated front brake could have you grabbing the rear brake on a conventionally set up brake system.
> 
> Muscle memory, being what it is, has me preferring to have things operate the same, bike to bike. But that's just me.


Not if you ride motorcycles...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

Cloud9quest said:


> i'm only seeing the viva sport in the catalog from the 80's


the viva sports i've owned had nicer cranksets. they were very much mid-level bikes. if your crank is original, that tells me yours is lower than a viva sport. so the rear stays and fork are probably hi-ten, not chromoly. it's not a big issue. the nice thing i see is the forged drops and rear derailleur hanger. please don't cut it off!

start looking for a cooler looking crankset, like a period-correct one from japan (sugino, takagi, or sr). you can find one on ebay in the winter under $50 or at a local co-op (or craigs) under $20. the uglier the better, cause you can always deanodize and polish it up!

and that is a tiny stem for such a large frame! with your saddle so far back, you might want to find a 90mm-100mm stem (at least). then you can move the lever over to the left if you want. period-correct sr stems are inexpensive (under $10).


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Hellgate64 said:


> Not if you ride motorcycles...
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


Different animals.


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## Veloptuous (Oct 13, 2017)

Nice work in getting those pics posted. Looks Great. If it were me I’d likely switch the brake lever to the other side as Velodog mentioned but as long as you can keep it sorted between your other more conventional bikes and this then no worries. Have you considered just adding a rear brake since you are riding single speed and not fixed gear? Just some added safety for the fast city riding…but again as long as it manageable it’s all good. 
Do Love that blue J


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

Thanks and a rear brake would prob be a good idea as I’ve had a few hairy moments catching a red light on a down hill but managed ok. The front euro brake hasn’t been an issue as hellgate pointed out. I like the idea of getting a period crankset but first I need a new wheelset as those are pretty shot. Any suggestions? Obviously I’m not looking to drop several hundred on a set but curious what y’all might suggest. Thanks again.


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## Veloptuous (Oct 13, 2017)

I ended up getting a set off Craigslist as a guy in my town had upgraded the wheel-set on his Langster and had the stock set to sell. Has non-descript hubs and AlexRims (good enough for me at $45)
So it’s certainly worth a look at CF…you never know.
Otherwise I’ve also notices some track wheels for sale on Bike Nashbar
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product2_10053_10052_517441_-1
I do not have personal experience with these (maybe someone else here has) but the price looks pretty good…on sale now… and they are Vuelta for what it’s worth.


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

I will read up on those. Also been looking at the Shimano 105 Mach set. They are just under $100 as well


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

Cloud9quest said:


> I need a new wheelset as those are pretty shot. Any suggestions?


build them yourself using your upside-down bike frame as a truing stand. sheldon has an easy to follow guide on his site. i use sun rims (either cr18 or m13ii, at around $70/pr shipped), sapim spokes ($35 shipped from danscomp), and your own vintage hubs (or get some second-hand). i have m13ii's on all my vintage bikes (with campy record hubs).

it may take a few hours to build each wheel your first time, but there's no harm in trying. if you fail, you can always drop off the laced wheels at a good shop to complete. there is nothing like the satisfaction of building your own wheels.


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Are the wheels on the bike 700c or 27"?


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## Cloud9quest (Oct 15, 2017)

27 and thank for the suggestion black but building out my own wheel set sounds like the furthest thing from fun to me lol.


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Cloud9quest said:


> 27 and thank for the suggestion black but building out my own wheel set sounds like the furthest thing from fun to me lol.


It looks like you're going to have to get a longer reach brake set if you go with a 700c wheel replacement. It's not really a problem, but something that you need to be prepared for.


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

sun rims come in 27" and 700c. other options are black or polished, and 36h or 32h.

because the original brakes are nothing special, new tektro dual-pivot calipers are inexpensive, and you can buy new ones individually (as opposed to a set), i would favor a 700c conversion for this bike. this decision simply makes tire purchases easier and adds some value for a future sale.


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## Veloptuous (Oct 13, 2017)

blackfrancois said:


> sun rims come in 27" and 700c. other options are black or polished, and 36h or 32h.
> 
> because the original brakes are nothing special, new tektro dual-pivot calipers are inexpensive, and you can buy new ones individually (as opposed to a set), i would favor a 700c conversion for this bike. this decision simply makes tire purchases easier and adds some value for a future sale.


Certainly number of options and as velodog pointed out, you just need to be "prepared for it." Perhaps long reach brake calipers as mentioned or other modifications like that proposed by Sheldon Brown:

Home Made Drop Bolts



Although in practice I find that many times, older brakes often have sufficient reach and if they do a good enough job at stopping the bike you may be ok....either way there are options...and relatively inexpensive ones at that.


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