Classic & Vintage - How I dated my Univega Sportour bike

I couldn'tfind a numbering scheme for Univega (please msg me or email me- charles [then use the sign above the two on your keyboard] loveofcolor.org .

At http://www.vinetage-trek.com/component_dates.htm (http://www.vintage-trek.com/component-dates.htm), they list Dia-Compe brakes as having a numbering sequence for dates. They reccomend looking on the backs of the brake levers for numbers such as "1085", which would indicate the brakes were manufactured in the 10th month- october, in 1985.

My brakes show "5583", which I would assume might be June- but I am not sure. June should be 05. Perhaps one of the Dia Compe brake stampers decided to get exact in his/her punching skills?

I'm going with the year- 83 seems about right. Unfortunatly, I heard Japanese frames that Univega used (Miyata?) were very well made around 86.

By the way, My Univega Sportour serial number that was stamped on the bottom of the crankcase is J624679 . Perhaps the frame may have been made in '79 - but I doubt a Bike Manuf. would keep a bike frame around for four years, then assemble it and ship it out.

Perhaps the Frame is a 79, was shipped and sold in 79/80 and the first owner replaced the brakes after a terrible sliding spagetti accident involving a certain metal-digesting acid broke from a container and destroyed the standard brake levers.

All is speculation, as I only have 5583 as the numbers.


Regards,
Charles

The Vintage-Trek site is an excellent resource for component date codes. A 1983 Univega Sportour should have SunTour ARx derailleurs and freewheel, and SR cranks stem and seat post, which should have date codes that you use to corroborate what you found on the levers.

While frame serial numbers are the preferrred method of dating bicycles, the decryption keys are known only for a small percentage of the manufacturers.

Consequently we are stuck with component date codes as the next best method. However, there are pitfalls with component date codes.

1) Unless you bought the bicycle new, it is possible that the previous owner replaced parts.

2) It is possible that the components were sitting around on the frame manufacturers shelf for a long time, possibly years. Often, when new stock comes in, the old stock is pushed to the back of the shelves, instead of being used up first. Thiis practice is more likely on older bikes, when components had long manufacturing life spans and in cases of smaller companies. Larger companies, tend to rotate the stock to use up the old parts on the shelf before opening new shipments, a practice called FIFO (first in, first out).

3) Component manufacturers start to build the components for a particular model year in the fall of the previous year. This allows them to build up the inventory to meet the contracts for the fnext model year. So, it's also important to look for the month or week coding on components. If all the codes are for the last few moths of a particular year, it is likely that the bicycle was actually built in the following year.

4) On some 1970s and earlier bicycles there may be no component date codes. Many smaller manufacturers did not date code their parts and even some large large companies, such as Shimano, did not start date coding until the mid-1970s.

The best way to minimize incorrect deduction of the year due to the above reasons is to date code as many parts as possible. The more you get that agree with other, the more confident you will be that you have the correct model year. It is not uncommon to find date codes spanning a period of up to six months.

Many of the Univega frames were manufactured by Miyata, however, your serial number does not match the Miyata format. If we could get a get a dozen or more people to submit component date codes and serial numbers for their Univega, the code could probably be broken. It is relatively simple to do, and I have done this for Miyata and am currently working on some others.

By the way, the Univega Sportour was a legitimate 1983 model. I have specs for that year, if you need them.

Hello to the forum. I just found a Univega custom maxima with shimano brakes and stem shift in my parent's back yard. It is in good shape and I was wondering if it was a Miyata frame. I put about 100.00 into a tune up and tubes and tires. Rides great. Serial Number is M502624. It has a made in Japan sticker on the botom of the seat tube. Has a Mangalight sticker that says frame tubes, high tension forks and rear stays. anyone have any information on this bike?

The J in the OP's serial number seems to indicate a frame made in 1981 if it were made by Miyata- which wouldn't be too far out to have 1983 components on it, if it were kept around for a year plus...

The M in the other poster's serial number indicates a 1984 bike.

I believe this thread was started in 1984.

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I'm so thankful to have found others who are interested in decoding the Univega bike. I just acquired a men's Univega road bike with the serial# [OG76434]. The front brakes are Shimano [DR-Z57] and the rear brakes are Arai 27 Drop Forged. The crank is Univega Cotterless Custom.

I am looking to find out more information on when this bike was possibly manufactured. Thank you in advance!

Not sure where I found it originally, but as alluded above the serial number decoding scheme is simple assuming Miyata built or at least the same encoding. Initial letter denotes the year, I is 1980, J is 1981, etc. O would be 1986, if I can still count this late in the evening.

Not sure where I found it originally, but as alluded above the serial number decoding scheme is simple assuming Miyata built or at least the same encoding. Initial letter denotes the year, I is 1980, J is 1981, etc. O would be 1986, if I can still count this late in the evening.

I think you might a better late night counter than I am a daytime reader ;) hehe thank you for the clarification! Looks like I have a 1986!

Thanks everyone! This thread has really helped me figure out the date of my Univega Sportour bicycle.

It has the serial number H381533. According to the system that has already been mentioned, this dates my frame to 1979.

Then I looked on the Vintage Trek site to figure out some component codes. (http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm) Most of the components on my bicycle appear to be original, although I have replaced some of them.

-My Dia-Compe brakes (model 5583) have a “0679” stamp. This translates to June of ’79.
-My rear derailleur (Shimano Altus) has a “DH” stamp. This translates to August of ’79.
-My cranks (SR Silstar) have a stamp of an 80 over a 1. I think this is January of ’80.
-My SR seatpost has an “H 79” stamp below. This translates to August of ’79.

Based on this information, it seems pretty clear that my bicycle was sold in 1979 or 1980.

There are a couple of weird things I was curious about, however:

The rear wheel has a six-speed cassette in which the smallest cog is threaded and holds on the rest of the cassette. Also, the rear hub spacing is 120mm. And yes, I am sure it’s a cassette. That would make this wheel a replacement (not original), right?

Also, the BCD (bolt circle diameter) on the chainrings is 118mm. I just checked Sheldon Brown, this is an obsolete SR size. (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bcd)

Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge presented in this thread!