kevindhaun

Mine must be Italian made then, if it had Columbus tubing and your Japanese one had Tange.

Night Tiger

That's what I'm thinking as well. Next time I see it, I'll have a closer look and see if there are any decals indicating origin.

realestvin7

Anybody ever paid attention to the serial format on the Italvegas? Does anyone else have the sweet stars on both ends of the number?

unworthy1

Vega: it's a star
"the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere"-Wikipedia
That's my best guess...anybody remember the car that preceded the Chevrolet and was light years from it: the Facel Vega?...classic and vintage

kevindhaun

My Italian Univega also has two huge oval holes, with a thin bridge running between them for the shift wire braze-ons.

mech986 

Resurrecting this old thread to address the OP's original question - Did Univega have any Italian built frames and bikes? The answer is YES!! At least for the 1980 catalog, and I suspect the years from the Italvega transition to Univega 76-80, there may have still been some remaining, left over, or newly built Torresini / Torpado frames that were badged either Super Strada or Superlight (Both Columbus SL stickered) with all Campagnolo (Superlight) or Campagnolo/other Italian (Ofmega) parts. This is documented in the Univega Catalog 1980 found here: https://univegacatalogs.wordpress.co...jp-carousel-18 . Unfortunately, the specs page for the Superlight and Superstrada are not included.

There are later versions of both models which were of Japanese manufacture but following Italian / Lawee designs and geometry, so important to check the frame tubing stickers and of course likely have mostly Japanese components.

kevindhaun

Yes the gold Superlight in the picture is mine . I have never seen another one on the road or while I was racing it . Some people above mention ride quality of the Japanese made bikes and I will share a little comparison I did back when it was new. I was used to riding my Italian Uni with Columbus tubing when a friend let my try his SR Professional with Tange tubing . Compared to my bike ,that SR felt dead and hard on the road while the Italian frame felt more more lively , springy and lighter and more comfortable on the turns and bumpy roads. Although I never liked the color , I bought it because it had all the same stuff as a Colnago but $400 cheaper. I was never sorry I made that choice , and it still has an honored place in my collection today.

mech986 

Even though realestvin hasn't been here since 2016, I will confirm for him that the bike frame he had was an Italvega Nuovo Record. However, that frame should have had stamped fork ends and a triangular TreiTubing gold foil sticker indicating 3 main butted tubes of Columbus SP and likely Falck straight gauge tubing for the forks and stays. The chrome pattern of a large long center chrome seat tube and rear chrome stay socks is very common for the Nuovo Record frame. However, the color white is not factory as far as I know which suggests a repaint - that would go with the black decals chosen as those only came on later mid 70's Italvegas or the lowest level bikes which were not root beer brown with the gold brand and model lettering.

kevindhaun Glad you made it back to this thread!! Post one more time and then add your pictures directly to the thread. I have been searching for clear evidence that Italian made Univega branded Superlight bikes actually existed in the flesh in the US. Yours would be one of the first ones to actually surface and be documented. Please let us know if you found any serial numbers or frame sizes stamped anywhere on your frame and bike. I'd love to see what it looks like now even with a repaint or two because the frame detail will be important to try to figure out what year it was built. Since it should have been all Campagnolo equipped, the Nuovo Record rear derailleur and crank arms will have date codes stamped on them, which would correlate to at least when the bike was assembled. Please add your newest pics when able. Thanks!!

mech986 

MauriceMoss maybe you and juvela may be able to help us as well?

kevindhaun

I will do my best. the Forum told me to post the pics after I have posted 10.

kevindhaun

I think this is 9.

kevindhaun

This is 10.

kevindhaun

I just got it back from Cycle Art. Looks much better than the original Honda Accord gold.

You can see the Torpado/Univega diamond cut outs. Custom drilling everywhere.

This bike came with a Campy Super Record on the rear.

Super Record or custom drilled?

More drilling on the brakes.

Seat stem custom fluted with Univega logo out of view.


So here are the pics of my Italian Univega. From my research, it was probably made by Torpado after they dropped the Italvega name. It came with all of the stuff the best Italian Colnagos and Gios and others had. Even though the decals are gone, it has Univega engraved all over it , such as , the seat post , the handlebar stem , and on the chainring , the same way Colnago and all the others did at the time. It also has some features many of the others did not , like a cool 7th position on the shifter that allowed you to derail the chain without touching it to get the back wheel off , and it came with a hand stitched leather Cinelli handlebar.In case you were wondering, there is no serial number anywhere on the bike. It should have cost $1500 or $1600 with all the hot stuff and custom drilling , but Univega set the price at $1195, so I took out my first bank loan and bought it.That would be equal to $3700 today.

jacksbike

FYI I own a white Italvega Superlight. It has all of the drilled out Campy parts. Original white paint job. My best friend owns a green one . Ours are the only Italian Italvegas I have ever seen. Love my bike and it sure is a lively ride !

kevindhaun

All Italvegas are Italian . Anyway, I looked yours up. Yours has the same frame except for the braze on cable guides. It has the same diamond cut outs and the same huge cut outs on the bottom bracket that lets all the road dirt into the bearings . You aint kidd'n about the drilling. Your crankset has so many holes in it, it looks like a tin can at a shooting gallery.

mech986 

gentlemen, this is a pleasant development. jacksbike
jacksbike, please post your Superlight pics here for comparison. Yours is an early 4 number serial number so am interested in some details that are/may be different from the later production Superlight frames - is your serial number on the bottom bracket and is the size also stamped there or on the seat stay? Is the chain stay bridge a curved metal plate with 3 holes or a flat plate with the diamond cutout similar to the lug and fork crown shapes? Do you have similar shapes in the chain stay lugs? Pics would help to document.

if we could also get some pics and the serial number of your friend’s presumabaly pearl green metallic Super Speciale would love to see it. I and another CR member have separate Italvega databases which I am adding to. Thanks! Also, can you or your friend provide history on your bikes? Is he also a BF member?

Kevin, thanks for your pics. Your bike looks fabulous, well done!! Did you do the polishing of the parts? Great build!

Do you have any pics of the bike as it was initially painted showing the frame color (was it sort of a pearl gold or gold metallic - not an Italvega colorway but that would have been a few years prior) Could you also photo doc the same questions about frame details I asked Jacksbike as above?

Is the size stamped anywhere on the frame? Very curious that there is no serial number on the bike - normally stamped on the bottom bracket somewhere. And was the fork and stays initially fully chromed or painted, or did you have them chromed? Looks great in Red, sort of a metallic or candy??!! Oh, please show us a bit more detail on the brake drilling, it looks like the brakes were milled and slotted rather than drilled. Love to see the stem and seat post pantographing. As far as I know, there were no specific Italvega pantographed parts but there were and are Torpado bits that were on their Superlight and Super Strada models.

mech986 

unworthy1 Do you remember is the bike had a sort of silverish blue pearl color or was it more of a solid color. The large double hole cutout strongly suggests a 2nd generation Superlight or Super Specaile frame, especially if it had the diamond cutouts in the forks and lugs. You don't happen to remember its serial number or the person you sold it too?

Night Tiger Even though you may not be with us, yes, that was likely the Japanese version of the Univega Superlight if it had Tange Tubing indicated. Only close inspection could tell us what it was and where it came from.

Kevin, where are you located? Can you recall which shop you bought the bike from and where? Have you considered re-applying the original style decals to it? I know the designer of that Univega updated modern font. The pantographed chainring is great!

A few details you asked about - the bike has a Super Record RD, looks like Patent 78 stamped on the knuckle? The FD is the shortlived 4 hole version of the record FD with a thin band. That particular FD was only available during 1978, which would be consistent with the RD. Here's the Velobase page about it and a comment: VeloBase.com - Component: Campagnolo Record 0104007 (1978, 4-hole)

"Short lived variation of the Nuovo / Super Record derailleur first seen in Catalog 17a supplement, in late 1978. Derailleur was later revised to have 3 holes instead of 4, and went back to the more traditional style front clamp band. The narrow clamp was reported to be weak and prone to breakage. Likewise the additional 4th hole was prone to snagging on chain pins and causing damage to the derailleur.The 4-hole version was available overseas in late 1977 as a 1978 production piece, and went out of production at the end of 1978 with the introduction of the 3-hole version. This derailleur was displayed in the 1979 Campagnolo-USA Catalogue Supplement 17A, as part #0104007 (see URL: Campyonly.com). This was, I believe, the last year of the large "winged wheel" logo. Apparently, there are some overlapping 3-hole 1978 narrow clamp versions with the large logo on the outside plate, but when the SR black anodized 3-hole was introduced, the logo size was reduced."

Unclear to me whether the milled and panto'ed chainring is a modified Campagnolo Record ring with 2nd reinforcing ribs removed or an Ofmega part. The Super Record part is already rib relieved but also has holes in the spider. The milled flutes in the drive crank and seat post are nice touches and were used in most of the Italvega Superlights.

jacksbike

Will post pics with help when I figure out how to. The serial number and frame size are stamped onto the bb near the slotted cut outs. The rear brake bridge is round and has diamonds where it is brazed on to the seat stays. Will try to get pics of my friends bike who I believe has repainted it.

unworthy1

[QUOTE=mech986;21569984]unworthy1 Do you remember is the bike had a sort of silverish blue pearl color or was it more of a solid color. The large double hole cutout strongly suggests a 2nd generation Superlight or Super Specaile frame, especially if it had the diamond cutouts in the forks and lugs. You don't happen to remember its serial number or the person you sold it too?



No, sorry but my memory is too weak but am pretty sure the color was more "silver-ish pearly blue" than a plain solid color. I think the dropout faces were also drilled but cannot recall details like if it had diamond lug/forkcrown piercings. Maybe I can dig them out assuming I took pics of it and I do not recall who I sold it to but there was a guy in Berkeley (or thereabouts) who was hunting for one and this was too big a frame for him.

mech986 

Thanks unworthy1, will wait to see what you have. In my iPhone With the mobile version of BF I can’t directly copy and paste pics. You have to choose where in your message you want the pics to drop “inline”, leave the cursor there, and then use the “manage attachments” button to choose and upload pics from internet or your photo albums or your device(s), choose them, it uploads a preview. You can then comment, change sizes, and move them around for order. Then importantly press the “upload” button link to fully upload to your message.

similarly, you can do the same with the desktop version but I think that one allows direct copy and paste of pics. If not, then same process as above.

mech986 

Shoot, I forgot to ask folks to also document with calipers the seat post diameter and / or the upper seat tube seat post opening. This is to try to document and determine the specific Columbus tubing used in the frame. It has been speculated the 2nd generation Super Speciale / Superlight frames with drilled Campagnolo dropouts and fork tips were made with SL in at least some of the frames (smaller frames) rather than SP tubing.

Here is a look at a Pearl Silver Blue Superlight that was at Eroica California 2018. It had been put up for charity auction but did not make it opening bid of just $400!! Maybe because of its 54 cm size? I would have brought it home even if too small for me but I was traveling with my wife at the time! These pics are from a later Ebay auction for the bike, I don't believe it sold then either.


Drive side

Non-Drive side

Milled crank flutes, hand drilled (?) and relieved 52T and 42T Record chainrings. Earlier Superlights also had the crank arms drilled.

Milled Record seat post. Some were regular length, others shortened.

3TTT bars and stem, stem with elusive Italvega pantograph, one of the very few I've seen.

Drilled Front Campagnolo front brakes, note small drill patterns, later bar end shifters probably added by previous owner.

Typical Italvega water transfer decals, very fragile.

Drilled standard Campagnolo 1010 long dropouts, undrilled stock Nuovo Record RD.

Seat lug, tube, biconal seat stay and brake bridge detail. Note the gold dove English Columbus tubing sticker. Doesn't seem to differentiate for SP / SL tubing so far.

Non-drive side details including straight diamond cut out seat stay bridge, apparent absence of diamond cutouts on upper seat stay lug sockets, old California bike license and Wilshire West Bike shop stickers, Torresini design decal, brazed in cable guides, backside chainring drilling detail,

mech986 

Superlight fork details:

Fork details including fully painted, chromed flat crown with diamond cut relief. I don't believe the fork was fully chromed. ​​​​​​​

This can be a helpful guide to those who have any Italvega or Univega Superlights and the similar Italvega 2nd Generation (2G) Super Speciale and possibly the Univega Super Strada.

kevindhaun

Nice touch on the Graphics, don't you think?

Drilling on this bike is elongated instead of round holes.

Rather than use Super Record , they did their own drilling.

Size 58. The only numbers on the whole bike.

Really nice engraving. I think it is a record crankset with all of the extra bars cut off

I found no numbers on it . Just Super Record.

Huge cutouts let all the dirt and water in. No serial number.


Most of the stuff is Record or Nuvo Record but custom drilled.

No date, unless that 9 in the diamond means something.

kevindhaun

So I posted more pics of my Univega Super light. You can compare mine with the Italvga above . It's cool to see the differences. By the way , I bought mine at Jone's Bike shop in Long Beach on Long Beach Blvd. in 1980. I read that Ben Lawee , the guy who owned Univega owned those shops.

sheddle

That pantographed Univega crank is the coolest thing I've seen.

All those drilled parts, and pantographed everything- that bike epitomizes late 70s/early 80s cool. Love it.