SDHawk

Looking at this one.. Seller says it shifts and brakes perfectly. Suntour Superbe. Any thoughts on the year, quality, and approx value? Thanks!

noobinsf 

Univegas are great bikes -- serial number will be the best way to date it, but that tubing decal was used '84-'86 or thereabouts. If the bike fits you, you won't be disappointed. I had an '86 Gran Premio, great bike.

What's the asking price?

SoccerBallXan

Small bike, does it fit?

SDHawk

Thanks for the info. Asking $200

Not sure, but I'm 67.5" so should be close. Ad says it's a 54.

noobinsf 

Eep, that looks more like a 50cm -- definitely try it first. I would pay $200 for that and be ok with it. I wouldn't feel like I got a deal, but it's a fine price, especially if it's had recent maintenance, like new cables/housing and repacked bearings.

LanterneRouge14

I bought a used early-1980s Gran Premio frameset (w Univega's light brown metallic flake paint) from a seller in Ventura, and built it up w a newer mix of Shimano 8 speed components for my son to ride. He's away in college, and after taking if for a long test ride, I've kept riding it. I think it rides really well, especially for what it is (a 35 year old, mid-levelish production lugged steel road frame, built with triple butted tubing; Sheldon Brown wrote that "most" were made in Japan by Miyata, implying their higher end models).

I've read a comment online (maybe on these forums?) describing the Gran Premio as being the least expensive Univega model that could still be raced back in the day. In the '85 catalog, it's listed as a triathlon bike, and follows their higher end models: Superspeciale, Superstrada, and Competizione.

I agree w noobinsf--the one you posted looks smaller than my son's ~54cm frame. Unfortunately I can't post any pics yet.

Measured dimensions of my son's ~54 cm Gran Premio:

~54.5cm TT (center to center)
~52.5cm ST (center to center) or ~54cm ST (center to top)
~11cm HT (end to end)
~73 degree HA* (*measured w angle finder app on smartphone, so take angle w a grain of salt)
~74 degree SA*
~41.3cm rear center (w rear axle all the way back into the dropout as far as it can go)
~26.8cm BB height w 28mm tires
FWIW, I'm 5'8' and the distance from the center of BB spindle to the top of my saddle is about 72.0 cm--the 54.5 cm TT feels pretty good for me (w/ an 11 cm stem), and I would not want to ride a smaller frame.

From online catalogs, I think the Gran Premio you've posted is newer, ~1985, that was built up with Suntour Cyclone components (and if I recall correctly, Suntour's top 3 road groups were Superbe Pro > Sprint > Cyclone).

So if that frame fits and isn't damaged, and the components are Superbe or Superbe Pro, then I wouldn't hesitate about buying it for $200.

SDHawk

Thanks for the great info, appreciate it. I haven't decided yet whether to check it out, but will report back if I do.

LanterneRouge14

Glad the info helped.

Also, since I can't yet post pics, I uploaded 2 pics of my Gran Premio into an album associated w my profile. So you can eyeball the proportions of my ~54 frame, if that helps.

noobinsf 

Pic assist (hope this works...)

SDHawk

Hey, thanks a lot. Yah that def looks bigger that the one I posted.

LanterneRouge14

Yes, thank you for posting that pic!

ramzilla

You might get $300 for it if you're patient. It would go a lot faster at $200. Since it's so small, I would be tempted to convert it to an upright handlebar "city bike". It's got threaded eyelets for a rear rack. It would make a great bike for grocery runs or coffee shop meets. Be good. Have fun.