# Univega - decent or not in its day?



## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

Before buying my current ride, I bought an old road bike at a little shop around the way to see if cycling was for me. It's been beat a bit, and I'm now thinking of stripping the paint, clearcoating it, and building it up (relatively cheaply) as second bike, to use when pulling the kids' trailer or going up the road to the store.

I know that this bike is not worth anything, but I was curious to know if a Univega NuovoTech 450 (aluminum frame, Shimano Exage components) was a decent frame in its day, or if it has always been a lower tier ride. Anybody out there familiar with this bike?

Thanks for any info....


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

I don't know anything about the NuovoTech 450, but most Univegas were decent bikes - many being built by Myata. The Exage components date it to around 1989-1990 and peg it as an entry-level sport bike. Most aluminum bikes of this period are the bonded-type (Raleigh Techniums, Trek 1xxx series, etc.) that tend to have a nice ride (but a little "dead") due to more normal sized tubing.

I recommend skipping the strip/clearcoat if it is a bonded frame...I keep an old, rusting Trek 330 at the office for lunchtime rides.


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

*Bonded?*

Thanks for the info!

I hate to betray my ignorance, what what does "bonded" mean in terms of frame construction, and how will I know if my frame is in fact bonded?

Also, what is it about a bonded frame that would lead you to recommend against the strip/coat job? Difficult to work with, or just not worth the effort. I was just going to do for the heck of it as a project.


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

The NuovoTech 450 had aluminum main tubes glued (bonded) to Cro-Moly steel seat and chainstays - the two reasons I wouldn't strip it are:
1 - might damage the glue
2 - while clearcoated aluminum is OK, clearcoat is not enough to protect Cro-mo frum rusting.

A magnet should show if part is aluminum and part is steel.


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

Hmm. I definitely don't want to damage the glue. But the paint is looking pretty bad on the thing, and I was hoping to clean it up. Can I paint it without stripping it? I mean, I could rough it up good, prime and paint....but didn't think that it would come out nice that way. 

and yeah, is says right on it "Chromoly Stays". The seat stay is actually fastened at the top with two Philips head screws or bolts. Seemed odd. I like how the bike rides. Except for the rear wheel now needing to be trued, it works great.

Another question....I don't if it design or a symptom of use, but to my eye it seems like the chainrings are almost oval in shape, as if they've lost their circular shape. ??


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

The Exage rings were non-circular "BioPace" rings. They were a fad and lessened the gear ratio thru the power portion of the stroke. The ovalized rings used by Julich, etc. are the opposite - they increase the gear ratio through the power stroke.


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

If the stays unbolt, the main tubes might not be bonded - you might be able to strip and clearcoat the main triangle.


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

Well, the seatstay is only bolted at the top. Does this matter? The chainstay is not bolted anywhere.

If I stripped the main triangle, what would I do with the stays? I would have to do something with them at any rate if I touch the rest of the bike.

With what you said about the BioPace in consideration, I would say that all of the components (except maybe the wheels) on the bike are in good enough shape that I wouldn't waste time or money replacing them. Just clean it up, strip it down, take off the frame, repack/regrease, and reassemble.

Any suggestions? I'm pretty new at this and I appreciate your input....


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

If the stays are only bolted at the top, then they are bonded at the bottom bracket, so I'd skip stripping.

One of the nice things about a "beater" bike is that you don't need to care about its appearance - so just attend to the mechanical aspects. It might be worth it to replace the bottom bracket bearing with a newer sealed unit if you ride in rain. Also, you can get new wheels with a freehub (so you can use your existing freewheel and shifters) for cheap from Nashbar. I'd probably even wait to replace the Biopace rings until they are worn out - I use them on my wind trainer bike and don't notice any difference.


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

OK, you've convinced me not to strip the paint. But do intend to do something about the frame. I just want a solid coat of paint on it (since it seems that clearcoat is out the window) for protection. Between that, your suggestion of a sealed BB, and the other parts already on the bike, I'll be in good shape.

Do you know the best way to go about painting a frame yourself? I have no intention of spending the money to pay someone to do it so that it looks really good........the best I can do will suffice for this bike. Do I just rough it up as best I can (sandpaper, wire brush wheel, etc), prime, paint? Just use the best spray paint I can find (is there an automotive spray paint better than what can be found in a hardware store, or are those paint all made to go into sprayers?), using several very thin coats?

I did do a search here on repainting a frame, and found limited results, but I'll keep looking.

Thanks for all of your help.


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

If it were me, I'd get a few rolls of electrical tape and give it the bike-courrier treatment - good luck with finding repaint info. 

If you can strip the paint without using any chemicals, the bonded parts should be OK.


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

Well, I know your suggestions more appropriately reflect the value of the bike, but I think I'll enjoy the project.

Thanks again for the advice.......


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

Sorry to bother you again, but may I ask you another question?

I am considering getting low cost wheelset for the bike (used or new). It seems like the old wheelset never stays true, and the nipples are rounded and I can barely get a spoke wrench to turn them. I think I'm better off with newer wheelset rather than having an LBS replace all of the spokes and true it up, considering the age (I think wheels have Weinmann rims, sound familiar?).

Anyway, I am concerned about ordering the correct wheelset for my components. You mentioned freewheel, and I know that my old set is 700c. But I want to ensure that I can use my old components. Do I use my old cassette (or actually is it NOT a cassette..its a freewheel of the proper speed, i.e. 9 speed freewheel?) or buy one that works?

I am willing to have an LBS put my old cogs onto the new wheelset if I am not comfortable with that when the time comes. I just want to buy the right stuff, and I think my budget will prohibit me from buying from the LBS. I might go Performance or Ebay or whatever.

I guess the "buying the right stuff" question goes for:

-the wheelset

-the bottom bracket (work with my crankset?)

-pedals (do I need to worry about thread size to match my crankset, or is this standard?)

-a bottom bracket tool (I'll remove the old one in order to work on the frame, and decide when the time comes if I want to install the new one myself or not).

If you can offer any info, I'd appreciate it. Part of why I'm going to work on this bike is to learn all of this stuff and be more self-sufficient in the future. Making mistakes won't be as big of a deal on this old bike (as long as they are not impacting safety), with cheaper components.

Thanks again...


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

I went through alot of this with my landfill-rescue Trek.

With downtube shifters, it is easiest to keep your drivetrain at the same speed - going from 7sp to 9sp means new shifters, new cranks (to space the chainwheels closer so the narrow chain doesn't get stuck), new wheel, new cassette, new chain, new cables, etc.

WHEELSET - Any front wheel will fit your bike. For the rear wheel, if the existing drivetrain is 7sp or better, you have two options: (1) purchase a new 8/9sp wheel(set) (freehub), new cassette (same # of cogs as your drivetrain) and spacer (and width appropriate chain since cassette is new); or (2) buy a new wheel meant for use with a freewheel - Nashbar has had a Velocity Twin Hollow Road Wheel in the past, but they are presently out of 700c/freewheel models - I'm not sure about other possible sources; Harris Cyclery ( http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels.html ) might have something.

What I ended up doing was buying new 9sp wheels for my good bike and passing the older 9sp wheels down to the Trek by buying a 7sp cassette, spacer, and chain (at the LBS). The LBS said to use the spacer on the inside, but the smallest cog interferred with the frame, so I ran the spacer on the outside and it works great.

BB - square taper BBs are still commonly available. Measure your existing one to find the right size for a new one - The Harris Cyclery and Sheldon Brown web pages have lots of info on this and the tools needed.

Pedals are all standard.

A good bike service book or the Park Tool DIY web pages will help alot.


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## amishspin (Sep 29, 2004)

Thanks again!

I have the bike disassembled, except that I need to get a crank remover and BB tool. I took measurement as best I could with the BB still on the frame, and I think that it is a 68mm/122mm. But I'm not going to buy anything until it's off. 

As for the wheels, I'm definitely going to keep everything the same speed. I'd like to just get my old cogs onto a new wheel, if possible.

I have decided to paint the frame. However, there are two things still on the bike that I wonder if I should take off. One thing is on the headset - the head race and bottom cup (correct terms?) are still on the head tube. Should they come off or would it be best to simply tape them off when painting, considering the circumstances? The info I have says that this would require special tools/skill...i.e. have a shop do it. I'm inclined to just tape them off and not worry about it.

The other thing is the thing (no idea what to call this) that actually is inserted into the frame to hold the downtube shifters. I have taken the levers off, and there remains the part the the screw fastens into to hold the shift levers. Again - tape it off or remove? I turned this around a bit and it spins, but nothing seemed to happen as far as removal.

I do have a maintenance book that is guiding me a bit so that I know what parts I am removing and how to grease them, etc, when replacing, but some things are either not clear or I cannot find them in the book (Bicycle Magazine book).


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