Show off your Univega Alpina
02-04-20, 05:18 PM
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Show off your Univega Alpina
Now that I have one, I notice that there is no dedicated thread for this versatile name and bike that appears to have been produced for more than a decade. There was the Team, the Pro, the Uno, the Comp, the Trail, and so many decimals. I’ll start with my Alpina Comp, seen here before disassembly (because it is currently in many pieces being overhauled).
Last edited by noobinsf; 02-04-20 at 06:33 PM.
02-04-20, 06:00 PM
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Univega made some really nice MTBs
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
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02-04-20, 08:05 PM
#4
Thrifty Bill
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You missed a model, here it is: 1983 Alpina Ultima, the top of their line. Suntour Superbe Tech RD, Nitto black chrome plated bull moose bars, full Tange Champion tubing, Sunshine cartridge bearing hubs, etc. Original Univega tires on this one. Bought from a flipper in Florida. I've also owned an early Alpina Pro. But the Ultima was the top back in the day.
1982 was Univega's first year for MTBs, I had a 1982 Alpina Uno frameset only.
The early 1980s MTBs were the bomb!
1983 Univega Alpina Ultima by wrk101, on Flickr
https://univegacatalogs.wordpress.co...jp-carousel-35
1982 was Univega's first year for MTBs, I had a 1982 Alpina Uno frameset only.
The early 1980s MTBs were the bomb!
1983 Univega Alpina Ultima by wrk101, on Flickrhttps://univegacatalogs.wordpress.co...jp-carousel-35
Last edited by wrk101; 02-04-20 at 08:18 PM.
02-07-20, 04:45 PM
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That petered out pretty quickly. Bump for any other Alpinas?
02-07-20, 09:09 PM
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I have a Univega Alpina just like the photo of 2cam16 above. I seen it marked at $35 at an estate sale . It was real dusty and I didn't need it so passed. I got to thinking about it the next morning and went back.. The price drops day 2 so price was 25% off.
It cleaned up like new . The brake pads are hard so I have salmon pads to put on it now. Nice bike and fits me.
OK, OK, I'll get the grandaughter over and show me how to post photos .lol
It cleaned up like new . The brake pads are hard so I have salmon pads to put on it now. Nice bike and fits me.
OK, OK, I'll get the grandaughter over and show me how to post photos .lol
02-07-20, 09:50 PM
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02-08-20, 08:01 AM
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Mine went from this to more upright with Soma Oxfords, to now the drop bar conversion.
1990 Alpina Team
1990 Alpina Team
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02-08-20, 02:30 PM
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Late entry....This is an ‘84 Alpina Uno. Fun to ride this thing, sometimes in winter, sometimes on single tracks.
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02-09-20, 06:09 AM
#13
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I've never owned a Alpina but an old friend of mine had one and I'd love to find one just like it. IIRC it was a '90 within a beautiful lavender color with big multi colored paint flecks on it festooned with Mountain LX which became Deore the next year and the Deore group moved to Deore DX. It was a great looking bike and although to small to really tell seemed like a great rider.
Of course there are lots of other great models and colors I might snatch up if I ever saw them for sale near me.
The '90(?) Alpina Spot LX (Internet pic)
Of course there are lots of other great models and colors I might snatch up if I ever saw them for sale near me.
The '90(?) Alpina Spot LX (Internet pic)
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
02-09-20, 06:10 AM
#14
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Beautiful! Univega had some fabulous color schemes
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
02-09-20, 02:09 PM
#15
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Nice additions, everyone, thanks!
02-09-20, 08:20 PM
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Plenty of love for Alpinas here, I'd say. Just not a lot of them left. I forget the year on mine, maybe '90? My first orange bike:
Found at a thrift store sale, turned into a "geezer-glide" with a ginormous spring saddle, cheap steel bar ends, and pieces of galvanized pipe hammered onto the bar ends to extend them. Concept One stem was broken. And it was filthy.
Here it is, turned back into a bicycle. Good cleaning revealed all Ritchey Logic and Suntour XC Pro. Dual-oval frame tubing and "max mudroom" chainstays; the frame is kinda mind-blowing. And a blast to ride.
Found at a thrift store sale, turned into a "geezer-glide" with a ginormous spring saddle, cheap steel bar ends, and pieces of galvanized pipe hammered onto the bar ends to extend them. Concept One stem was broken. And it was filthy.
Here it is, turned back into a bicycle. Good cleaning revealed all Ritchey Logic and Suntour XC Pro. Dual-oval frame tubing and "max mudroom" chainstays; the frame is kinda mind-blowing. And a blast to ride.
02-09-20, 10:11 PM
#17
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Two Alpina Family
I built the Alpina 5.7 (‘92 or ‘94?) for my wife and I was jealous, so I went shopping and found my ‘85 Alpina Pro.
Last edited by Evil Cisum; 02-09-20 at 10:28 PM. Reason: Mis-identified model
02-10-20, 12:36 AM
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Seeing the recent bump here, I will post this awesome red Alpina Uno sport "mixte" that I worked over for my son's girlfriend.
Frame only mostly, I need to get complete pics, thought I had some before pics.
Frame only mostly, I need to get complete pics, thought I had some before pics.
02-10-20, 12:44 AM
#19
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merziac
Wow, that’s beautiful. I’d love to see final setup photos. I didn’t know the Alpinas were made in mixtes. My wife would have loved to find one of those. She’s gotten used to the top bar height on her 5.7, and I’m always jealous of the components and wheels, which she seems not to care about so much.
Wow, that’s beautiful. I’d love to see final setup photos. I didn’t know the Alpinas were made in mixtes. My wife would have loved to find one of those. She’s gotten used to the top bar height on her 5.7, and I’m always jealous of the components and wheels, which she seems not to care about so much.
02-10-20, 01:33 AM
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merziac
Wow, that’s beautiful. I’d love to see final setup photos. I didn’t know the Alpinas were made in mixtes. My wife would have loved to find one of those. She’s gotten used to the top bar height on her 5.7, and I’m always jealous of the components and wheels, which she seems not to care about so much.
Wow, that’s beautiful. I’d love to see final setup photos. I didn’t know the Alpinas were made in mixtes. My wife would have loved to find one of those. She’s gotten used to the top bar height on her 5.7, and I’m always jealous of the components and wheels, which she seems not to care about so much.
I'll get the other pics in a few days, standby. I have seen quite a few of these but none recently.
While we're at it, you'll notice I put the "mixte" in quotation as these are not true mixte's not having two separate tubes running from the headtube to the rear dropouts.
This version with the single large TT running to the ST is technically called the Sport version even though the companies called them mixte's.
Another point to bring up here is that mixte's are not women's bikes, it literally translates to universal, unisex, everyone.
It was a utilitarian design, some companies only made them in one version for all.
PS, the very cool Dura in the other thread is also a Sport as well.
Last edited by merziac; 02-10-20 at 01:39 AM.
02-10-20, 02:15 AM
#21
Me duelen las nalgas
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There's at least one long-running Univega thread with lots of their mountain bikes representing. I browse that thread once in awhile, then go peruse craigslist trying to figure out why I want one.
Don't get me started, though. I don't need a mountain bike. But I've had the itch since finding a late 1990s Kona Lava Dome Race Light in a pawn shop last year. Kicking myself for not making at least a lowball offer. By the time I made up my mind it was gone. Pretty thing, my size and weighed less than my Centurion Ironman. I always thought those 1980s-'90s rigid mountain bikes were 30 lbs or so, but some of 'em were closer to 25 lbs., despite being all steel except for aluminum bars, stems, etc.
What I really want is the early '90s Univega with the same splattertastic paint and Bi-Axial Power Oval frame as my Univega Via Carisma. Something about that bike always amuses me. It's just fun to ride. But I tamed it from a MTB-lite configuration to a citified hybrid that's comfy on modest gravel too. Nitto albatross bars, bar-end shifters, big ol' Issi Thump platform pedals. That flexy fork makes it very comfy.
Don't get me started, though. I don't need a mountain bike. But I've had the itch since finding a late 1990s Kona Lava Dome Race Light in a pawn shop last year. Kicking myself for not making at least a lowball offer. By the time I made up my mind it was gone. Pretty thing, my size and weighed less than my Centurion Ironman. I always thought those 1980s-'90s rigid mountain bikes were 30 lbs or so, but some of 'em were closer to 25 lbs., despite being all steel except for aluminum bars, stems, etc.
What I really want is the early '90s Univega with the same splattertastic paint and Bi-Axial Power Oval frame as my Univega Via Carisma. Something about that bike always amuses me. It's just fun to ride. But I tamed it from a MTB-lite configuration to a citified hybrid that's comfy on modest gravel too. Nitto albatross bars, bar-end shifters, big ol' Issi Thump platform pedals. That flexy fork makes it very comfy.
Last edited by canklecat; 02-10-20 at 02:19 AM.
02-10-20, 08:54 AM
#23
Hoards Thumbshifters
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02-10-20, 09:15 AM
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'88 Alpina Uno
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02-10-20, 09:35 AM
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