Classic & Vintage - Italvega - Help Please!

hey guys, this is my first post so be nice...

so i was riding along one day and out of a dumpster this bike tire catches my eye. I pull over to see if it was in any good shape and low and behold attached is a beaut of a find: a complete Italvega in really nice shape besides a very slight wobble in the back rim.

Now obviously, i am no expert on vintage bikes and i was wondering what you guys needed to help me identify the year and where it was made and such... i would love to know more about my new favorite bike ride. Even with the wobble it is one of the smoothest rides i have ever been on.

So thanks in advance for all the help.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Italvega is a brand of road bicycles imported and branded by the California-based bicycle distributor, Lawee, Inc., which was responsible also for the bicycle brands Univega and Bertoni. The handbuilt Italvega bikes were designed and manufactured within the noted Torresini workshop at the Torpado factory in Padua, Italy. They were built beginning in 1970 and continuing through the mid- to late-70's before the operation was moved to Japan under the name Univega.

Models manufactured under the Italvega marque include (in order of increasing quality):
Viva Sport
Nuovo Sport
Nuovo Record
Super Record
Super Speciale
Super Light
The top-end models were built with double-butted Columbus tubing and Campagnolo Record and Nuovo Record components.


You can get the wobble trued up at your Local Bike Shop for under 20 bux. Mine trued my rear wheel for free when I bought a set of tires and tubes.:thumb:

ride down to the bike shop and ask them to take a peek, a straight and true rear wheel will make a bike feel like new.

Ok, we will need pictures to start. there's a good chance that someone here will be able
to ID the bike and narrow down the age to within a year or two.
Failing that you can look at the components, they usually have a date code on them somewhere.
http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm good site with date code info.
and for the bike http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/
has a 1976 Italvega catalogue.
I believe that Italvega ( a creation of Ben Lawee ) were produced in the Torpado factory from
about 1970 thru 1977.
(duh I should have read the above post)
Marty

Here are two pictures of mine. It is a full Campy Record bike and I think is a 1975/76. Roger

alright here are some pics and as far as i can tell the serial number is 750637 (ending and starting with a star) the other number is a 63, just hanging out by itself. i am guessing that is the frame size?

If the pics arent easy to see, i will have to wait til tomorrow and take some outside in the light. thanks guys

That's an early 70's Super Special. Can't believe anybody would toss it in a dumpster! Looks like the brake calipers were switched to post '78 style. The rest of the parts would all be Nuovo Record originally. Check the pat number on the rear derailleur. Or maybe the bike is a '78, but I thought the sloping crowns were only on the early ones?

Great score if the frame isn't broken or bent. If it's not you size, it will be easy to sell on ebay for a good profit.

rear derailleur reads patent - 72, and the frame is in great shape, obviously the decals are a little worn but thats it. took it out for a 12 mile loop today and everything went very smoothly

That is a fabulous find! It hurts to think that a bike that valuable actually could have ended up in a landfill. No wonder this country is going broke -- whatever happened to "waste not, want not"?

That is a fabulous find! It hurts to think that a bike that valuable actually could have ended up in a landfill. No wonder this country is going broke -- whatever happened to "waste not, want not"?

Do you have any idea how much the bike is worth???? and just fyi i would never sell this baby, i fell in love with it the moment got on it, i have just always wondered how much the thing would go for...

Do you have any idea how much the bike is worth???? and just fyi i would never sell this baby, i fell in love with it the moment got on it, i have just always wondered how much the thing would go for...

Cleaned up and well presented, re-decaled, and assuming all the Campy stuff is in nice cosmetic shape,$400-$600 on ebay on a good day to the right person.

Italvega's don't get too much respect from the folks who have to have a builder's name associated with the their marques. But the high-end examples like yours are very soild 70's Italian bikes, and are usually very well thought of by anybody who has owned or ridden one. Anyway, I like 'em.

there was a beautiful brown Italvega on Ebay this last week but was pulled early - I'd been eying it like a starving man in a life raft. You have quite the find there - holy cow!. Make sure to keep us all updated with some beauty shots as you clean 'er up...please. No one likes a tease. ;)