jroecycle

I have been looking for a bike for a while to ride to the gym and was given this one for free. I dont know much about bikes and have found little about this one. I am mostly interested in knowing if it is worth putting money in to. I needs a rear wheel and tires, seat and bar tape as far as I can tell. Im sure there is more to an experienced eye. So if anyone can tell me when it was made and what its worth, that would be great.

Crank pic wouldnt load but it is a Sugino GT I think the gears are 52, 42... if that makes sense.

wrk101

Depends where you live, as is right now around here $50, $75 max. Its towards the basic end, and needs a fair amount of work. Most buyers want bikes ready to ride, those buying projects want them cheap.

As far as fixing it up, it depends on how resourceful you are, and who does the work. A resourceful person, doing the work themselves, would do fine fixing it up. Sold as is, that is probably who will buy it.

Its pretty easy to get upside down even on a free bike if you pay retail for parts, and have a shop do the labor. Nothing against bike shops either, they have bills to pay, taxes, overhead, wages, rent, and hopefully will have something left as a profit.

jroecycle

I will be doing the work myself. I am a professional mechanic and think I am up for the task. I will definitely be looking to for some online deals. I hope to make this Univega a functional gym ride for me. I'm not a cyclist, I am just looking for pure function and reliability. Thank you for the info!

wrk101

Think of a co-op instead, and consider used parts (I do use new consumables). Should make a worthy project.

Cougrrcj 

Univegas are a funny brand. Univega was not a manufacturer, but rather a company that had spec-built bikes built for them. The model names changed every year! Many of the frames were sourced from Miyata, and the components used were similar, but not necessarilythe same as what was on the corresponding Miyata level bike. Thus they were sold at a cheaper price point. With the top-mounted shifters on your downtube, this dates your Uni to the early '80s. I have and '84 Univega Viva Sport that also has those shifters. What derailleurs does yours have? Hubs? Rims? Your serial number will help nail down the year of manufacture.

What is wrong with the rear wheel? If it is simply out of true, that can be fixed easily. They look to be presta-valved wheels as well, so this puts this bike in a better category - NOT a department/discount store cheapie by any means. More like a lower-to low-mid bike-shop bike in the '80s.

My Uni was in better condition in that it had new tires/tubes and a new freewheel on it. I bought that one for $140. I'm going through it anyway to make sure the bearings are properly lubed, etc. because I want to be certain things have been maintained properly. I'll also be tweaking the 'fit' by adjusting the seat, bars, etc. to match my own preferences...

jroecycle

It does have presta-valves, and the rear wheel wobbles a bit. Serial number is M480205. The rear derailleur says Suntour Cyclone II, I think the front used to say the same but it has worn off some. The front wheel has a Mavic sticker on it and I cant find anything on the rear, Im thinking the front has been changed at some point.