CL find....Univega Alpina 5.5 MTB
03-13-13, 12:45 PM
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80's bikes FTW
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CL find....Univega Alpina 5.5 MTB
CL finally came through after 4-5 months or literally nothing good whatsoever. This is a 1994 Univega Alpina 5.5, first univega I have owned and I planned to pick this up and flip it over the summer but....its 25 lbs....WHAT? Thats insane light for a MTB. On a diet I can see this thing being 23 lbs. Its whole frame is tig welded Formula 969 Double Butted Cro-moly. Never heard of formula 969 but I can tell you its pretty darn light, feels like the thinkness of the tubes is similar to a Columbus SP/SL. The tubes near the BB shell and headtube are oval and round in the center. Has a full Deore LX group on it as well....pretty nice little bike. 
03-13-13, 01:13 PM
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Thrifty Bill
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MTBs got progressively lighter in the 1990s. My 1992 Trek 950 is a nice, but heavy, lugged steel frame bike. Meanwhile, my wife's 1994 Trek 950, just two years newer, is at least five pounds lighter, with an equally nice, TiG welded steel frame.
03-13-13, 01:32 PM
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I'd love to find a rig like that for some single track shredding. Wonder what other decent rigid makes/models there are out there... What size is that? 
03-14-13, 09:09 AM
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80's bikes FTW
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Man there are all kinds of sweet rigid rides out there. Youve got GT, Univega, Trek, Gary Fisher....to name a few. I believe this bike has a 20" frame but I have not measured it yet. I plan to ride it a little and then sell it once MTB season is in full swing. I think its going to ride really nice too.
03-14-13, 10:09 AM
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I had a similar Univega Alpina 505 a few years ago, it was very nicely made. I assume the tubing number relates to the wall thickness: 0.9, 0.6, 0.9 - double butted.
03-14-13, 10:56 AM
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80's bikes FTW
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Yep you are right its .9 at the ends and .6 in the middle. Which is probably why this thing is so light, this tubing is not that thick at all!
03-14-13, 01:30 PM
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Thrifty Bill
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First rule of scoring deals on C/L, don't ask questions, just drive. Most sellers are L A Z Y, so given a choice between two potential buyers, the one with questions goes to the bottom of the list. I always keep my email replies short: "I would like to buy your bike, when would be a good time for us to meet? I am available immediately"
03-14-13, 02:14 PM
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aka Tom Reingold
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Ever so smart and practical Thrifty Bill! 
Andy, I had one of those for a short while. I found I couldn't ride it no-hands. Not that it's important, but can you?
Andy, I had one of those for a short while. I found I couldn't ride it no-hands. Not that it's important, but can you?
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Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
03-14-13, 02:35 PM
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80's bikes FTW
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First rule of scoring deals on C/L, don't ask questions, just drive. Most sellers are L A Z Y, so given a choice between two potential buyers, the one with questions goes to the bottom of the list. I always keep my email replies short: "I would like to buy your bike, when would be a good time for us to meet? I am available immediately"
You are so right. I basically said in my email, "I would like to buy your bike, is it still available and if it is when is a good time for me to stop by?". I even got the guy to drop the price on it because lets face it we are cheap...or maybe im cheap. lol. I lost out on a Cl ad last year...it was a 25 dollar Bianchi road bike. I had a local guy wanting to buy my Campy NR crankset, and as we were talking on the phone I said, " yea and Im going to pick up a 25 dollar bianchi today, so I can pick up that bike and then drop off this crank to you." Long story short the guy as soon as we got off the phone went and bought the Bianchi right from under me for 75...apparently he HAD TO HAVE IT and wouldnt have even known about it had I not said something. So then later in the week when he calls and says...ok I still want that Campy crank for 45 bucks I go, well I dont think I can sell you this crank unless you want to put it on the Bianchi that you ripped out from under me...and then I went on to really let him know how I felt. I ended up selling that crankset for 105 bucks on ebay so it worked out. lol.
I trust NOONE!
03-14-13, 02:38 PM
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80's bikes FTW
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Im not sure, I only rode it around the block to make sure the wheels were true....and that it stopped, and shifted. Then I took it home put it on the stand and got the front derailleur to shift again, cleaned it up and now its hanging up. I will report back when I take it for a little test ride. I can go no hands on all my bikes....road bikes, and mtn bikes. I would assume this Univega to be no different unless the geometry is somehow a little odd and no hands is difficult. Think your fork was bent on yours?
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