As far as the stem/bars positioning, I would expect the bike to have a most flighty steering response with such height and with such little offset from the sterer.

As for an extreme rearward saddle, this precludes the possibility of easily moving to a stand-and-lean-forward riding position, as might be needed for steeper inclines, and so increases the likelihood of knee strain and injury. So it's suitable only for relatively level ground.
Advantages are that it matches the handlebar positioning for an upright position that would suit riding in traffic. Also that it might improve climbing traction where an extremely slippery surface happened to exist. But again, unsuitable for steep climbing imo.

Level ground is just about alle we've got here. I plan to take it for a spin tomorrow. I'll report back on how it feels.

Pretty tame design for Luigi

I dont know about the bars but all my bikes seem to fit best with alot of setback,
I'm using a seatpost very similar to this one on a bike with a Brooks B17 because the short saddle rails don't allow for much setback adjustment. I use bullhorn bars with this setup. Every BODY is different and on that bike it just works for me.

i have a Brooks saddle too and i am having the same issue. Working on a new bike build, and will have a setback seat post. This time. I am not tall: 5'4"

If this meant that there were unsold quantities left in stock by the mid-eighties, this may well be an explanation for Union to use them. The company was in trouble at the time, so anything cheap would have been welcome.

While I'm at it, I might as well show some other details that may be of interest to future visitors of this thread.

The dropouts are Huret, but the fork ends are more mundane:





The frame has brazed-on cable guides for full-length shifter cable housing:

I think also the term "randonneur" has several different usages, one focused on long-distance road riding, and the other on the concept of just wandering with a perhaps vague endpoint in mind, as I see it. Equipment in the second mindset is more like the Stevens bike (a trekker?), and like a classic Singer, a Boulder, or custom Weigels in the first mindset.

I just did a first ride on this Union, and that was interesting. It is a true cross-over. It feels and rides like a town bike, with relaxed angles and upright riding position. But it does have the advantages of the drop bars with multiple hand positions, and one can ride in the drops without body parts getting in the way.

It's to an Alex Singer or René Herse what the Nissan Quashqai is to a Landrover Defender or Jeep Wrangler.

Which doesn't mean it's bad. Far from it. It's comfortable, it feels very solid, the Shimano deerhead stuff is excellent and the stem-mounted ratcheting thumbies are really nice.

I can see how this might have appealed to a certain audience. If you're new to drop bars and derailleurs this is a nice first bike to try them out on.

These are nice:

Wow, great shifters! Unishift iir, not ratcheting. A true retrofriction design. That's a clever installation that tempts me to use such a pricey set for, but I've got to save my set for a StumpJumper build.

I hadn't realized beforehand, but the very short bar stem puts them at your finger tips, which suddenly makes stem shifters a logical proposition.

Found another one, recently for sale in Germany. Thought I'd update this thread for reference purposes.

I love those Pletcher double kickstands I wish my bike had space for one.

Cool bike.

My daughter has a Union bike, 4 speed. Forgot the name atm. That bike also has a double stand... Or had, I replaced it with a more normal one. The old one was quite a bit anodized and too stiff for a 12 yo.

If you dont mind you can send me a link through pm. Curious what a bike like that will go for, and from where in (D). I'm not too far from the border...

This is a holy-sh** moment for me, suddenly finding out where Grant may have found his inspiration!

As for the short stem extension favoring stem shifters, Schwinn seems to be the first to have made shifter mounts that positioned the shift levers ahead of the stem quill axis (Suntour later offered long stem shift levers with brackets for either ahead of or behind the stem quill axis).

The forward-offset Twin-Stik levers are the bomb for use with a racing-length stem:

The actual ad had already been taken down (Die gewünschte Anzeige ist nicht mehr verfügbar), but the Google cache still had the pictures, as well as the asking price: €299.

I have this one as well and it seems to have the same setup (adjustable seatpost, high stem). I bought it in the Netherlands in the summer of 2017 for around 60€. Seller told me the bike had spent most of its lifetime in the garage, so I guess most of the parts are original.
Unfortunately, some vandal kicked the mount for the brake from the front fork, so the next project is finding a replacement fork that fits. Any ideas where to find one? I just created an account here, so I can't share a picture of it.

Welcome, Niek! Thanks for chiming in.

See if you can upload some pictures to your profile album. If so, other members can publish them here.

WRT the fork: replacements can be found at the various swap meets and jumble sales. Note the length of the steerer you need. Be sure to share it here, as local members may be able to assist.