Originally Posted by cranky old road

Hardly Classic, possibly Vintage, I did save it from the Dump. It was sitting on front of the scrap metal pile when I made my annual trip. This Motobecane Approved Tri-star set me off on some interesting Googling. It seems that it is identical to the Univega Tri-star. The gentleman who started Italvega and then Univega was the US distributor for Motobecane. He suggested models to Motobecane that would appeal in this country. I'm seeing this bike as a transitional phase of Motobecane that ended with its current incarnation. This one was made in Taiwan. I was particularly taken with the World Champion strips. It was purchased from Cycle Mart on Dixie Hwy in Miami. Google suggests that this store is owned by some cranky folks. I wonder if Mike of Bikes Direct had any relationship with this store. After lubing the chain and cables, and working them a bit and then pumping up the tires, the bike is rideable. I also had to remove the misthreaded drive-side pedal and screw it in from the backside to chase the cottered-crankthreads. It's properly threaded now. The bike will need new cables and tires if it is to be ridden out of the yard. A woman-friendly 3 speed would be cool to have around, as my wife is intimidated by the Bianchi Sport SX 12 speed I built up for her.