What can you tell about Univega Aluminum 7xx?
 

Have a chance to pick it up for not much but it needs work. Wondering if it’s worth sinking time into. Thanks!!

I can tell it is likely a bike seeing as it is Univega which was a brand started during the 70s bike boom and it is probably made of aluminum given the excellent description you gave in the opening title and it maybe a model 7xx. However I think you probably already knew that seeing as how that is all you posted.

Hopefully you caught my drift. If not let me break it down, you need to give us information if you want information. If you have a post from the person selling it post that, if you have any pictures post them or any information you can provide post it all.

At this point I wouldn't sink money into an unknown product and if you say it needs work than it certainly isn't worth it.

I picked up a Univega for free a few years back and really loved that bike, but I was too much into MTBing at the time to fully appreciate a road bike and ended up giving it to a friend.Other than that, I can't tell you what to do. Good luck,

Hilarious
 

The listing doesn't have much information - needs a new seat and chain, below is the only photo:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fcd81abd23.png
I can't find any info about this line of Univegas online so I thought perhaps nice people here would share anything helpful. For example, how does it compare to a Trek 830?

It looks like a pretty average 25yo MTB. Aluminum that early is probably going to be a nicer model... but the nicest one that year would have a suspension fork, probably. Hard to judge condition from a photo like this but at least it's not scratched up and dirty. You can't upgrade it into something entirely modern, lots of things have changed since then.

See the Hardrock posted recently in this forum for the kind of thing you could do to it if you wanted.

Edit: I think the fanciest bikes this vintage were carbon tubes and aluminum lugs

Guessing it is mid 90’s bike, aluminum and canti’s. Hard to tell from the pic, but I think the crank might be an STX.

Univegas were decent bikes, but it isn’t a sought after bike. “Everything” depends on condition. If the hubs are rough, rims are worn out, shifter worn, chainrings worn, etc. the cost to replace the components, especially in today’s vintage market, probably outweighs whatever deal you get on the bike.

If everything is smooth and in exceptional condition, then replacing a seat and chain is no issue. However I have doubts that a bike with a worn seat doesn’t have other worn out parts.

How you plan to ride it, does come into play.

John

Thanks! I’m indeed asking about the provenance of the model line. About this specific bike I will, of course, have to go and see.

Italvega was started during the 1970s bike boom, an American distributor who ordered bike-store quality bikes overseas. They found they could get more, cheaper, better product in Asia and changed their name. They sold average-to-good bikes at the normal bike-store levels. But hardly anything fancy or collectible. There's another "classic and vintage, what's it worth?" subforum around here and someone might crop up with a catalog although those guys are usually more interested in 1960s-80s bikes and racing bikes

This is probably your bike, MSRP $515-615 Clinton-era bucks depending on 701 or 703. It would make a great commuter with slicks.

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=32766

Seeing the pic now I realize you're not looking at the lightweight road model Univega. My bad, Good luck,

It looks like a mid-range aluminum Univega...not a great or exceptional bike but not absolutely terrible. The frame seems to be in decent enough shape judging by the single photo but not worth a ton. In terms of a Trek 830, you potentially got a better frame in terms of pure material as it is steel and steel is real but the components aren't that great.

For closure: I went for it as a project bike. Need to research the components. More photos:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...11f573bb8.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae28f589b.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2f6a7c5a0.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...30ae012af.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f51ce108e.jpeg

The bicycle is an entry level mountain bike from the mid 90,s. Id guess maybe $400 new. The Alivio components and steel handlebar give it away.

Nice looking lightweight aluminum frame, and thankfully it still has an original rigid fork as a lot of bikes from this era have heavy poorly or non functioning pogo stick suspension forks (because the elastomers are rock hard or the seals are gone along with the oil and no replacement parts.

The bar ends are upside down. Check the rims to see if they are concave from heavy brake usage .

bike looks like its in pretty good shape though. —

It's a bit better than Trek 830 of the era. I'd compare it to the 1996 trek 7000

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=57984

I think I found your bike, a 1995 Univega 701.

Previous owner must have replaced the gripshifts , a lot of people hate them for some reason or another.

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=32766

good job, man :-p

Oops didn't scan the previous posts very well :)

I had them on a very nice paramount mtb in the mid 90s and loved them.

Then after using rapid fire for 20 years, I wanted to try the new eagle drivetrain-but I detest SRAM push push shifters so switched back to Gripshift and it was eye-opening how intuitive and natural it was . So much so that when i built my dream bike this year, i couldnt afford to make the jump to AXS, so gripshift got the nod once again

If I were to venture a guess I’d say that the proliferation of grip shift on department store level bikes caused a lot of people to think the system must be inferior or something

SRAM's high level grip shifters are not the same as the cheap ones. The cheap ones, which I'm sure outnumber the nice ones 100:1, feel like mush when pulling cable and like something is breaking when you release it.

Thanks for chiming in!

I actually have a question - the spring in one of the shifters has slipped out, while I look for a good troubleshooting video or even schematic, can you recommend an inexpensive replacement that would go with the rest of the drivetrain? Is attempting to fix it even worth it?

Saw some Rapidfire 7/8 speed shifters on Amazon for $18 --- i cant get the link to work though - sorry

I guess i dont have much experience with the mass market ones then -- the set on my PAramount years ago were designed to compete head to head with Deore XTR and XT level products and were thought to save weight IIRC over the combined shift/bake lever operation of Shimano's

Current SRAM Eagle versions i have in GX on my trailbike and XX1 on my short travel rig. I admit they shift "chunkier" than Shimano Rapidfire and seem to go out of adjustment quicker

Refurbished!
 

Done for now. It is not pretty but at least it rides now… well, rode… I blew up the chain during the test-drive :) Was hoping to get away with the old one but I guess it’s a hint to get a new chain.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d6b113b5c.jpeg
Nekkid!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a70ac60d1.jpeg
Old components
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...842d7965e.jpeg
New components
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3fbb38b42.jpeg
Finished (for now)
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...33d33c61b.jpeg
Drive-train
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4ff982321.jpeg
Front half? I don’t know…
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b3e5bcb08.jpeg
Maiden voyage. I christen thee “Affectionate Dino” in honor of the pervy CL seller of a component on another build :D