I am contemplating buying one of these for the parts quite cheap. The person has it advertised as suntour components but when I went and looked at it it has record wheels/tubulars, SR brakes and NR levers, SR crank/pedals w/toe clips, and a SR FD. The frame is OK shape in about a 60CM. I know nothing about these and rarely see them talked about. Is there any following for these bikes or were they the typical dept store bike of the day?

They are excellent bikes, particularly the ones with frames made by Miyata. Can you post some pics? What model name/number is it?

Univegas were excellent values new and even better values used. Even the entry level 1980s-'90s Univegas like the Rovers are often outstanding bargains on craigslist. Almost every month I have to remind myself I don't actually need another bike, but it's hard to turn down those Rovers selling for $25-$100. But they'd make a great errand bike that I wouldn't need to worry about being stolen, and much lighter than my current errand/comfort hybrid.

Some of the Alpinas were excellent mountain bikes and still are for folks who prefer old school rigid frame/fork MTBs. Those are also often excellent values used, usually under $200 in good condition, and I see them under $100 when they need a little work or just a lot of cleaning.

Comparable 1980s-'90s Trek mountain bikes usually run a bit more because the name is widely recognized. Univegas are less familiar now, but were popular until the mid-1990s. The lack of name recognition makes them great for bargain hunters.

Right now I'm upgrading my 1992 Univega Via Carisma, a mid-priced Univega from that era, a sort of mountain bike-lite. Excellent frame with Univega's unique Bi-Axial Power Oval, and very good components, but originally equipped with low priced single wall rims that the manufacturer specifically warned were not intended for serious off-roading. After 2000 it would have been called a hybrid, and excellent fitness bike for roads, bike paths, groomed gravel/chat trails, etc.

I keep looking for an early '90s Univega road bike with the same Bi-Axial Power Oval frame. So far I've seen only one advertised in 2 years and it was in another state.

After 26 years some components needed to be replaced on the Via Carisma:

• The original Sakae Low Fat pedals were grindy feeling. Since they were the cheap plastic pedals I just replaced them rather than overhauling. I'm going on two years with a very affordable pair of Stolen Bike brand Thermalites, a real bargain at $15. And I have a nice set of Wellgo aluminum pedals that need to be overhauled and will look nice on the Univega.
• Both of the original Shimano indexed thumb shifters finally developed problems (worn spindles/axles, pawls, etc.), which I replaced with cheap but remarkably good SunRace friction shifters. The original shifters can probably be overhauled but I doubt I'll bother. I'm accustomed to the simple friction shifters now and don't even miss the indexed shifters.
• The rim braking surfaces were wearing and had already been straightened a few times, and when I was hit by a car last spring the wheels were warped and it seemed like a good time to upgrade to some better but affordable Alex double wall rims and generic hubs with standard cups and loose bearings.
• The new-to-me Alex wheels came with an 8-speed Shimano Hyperglide style freehub, so I just upgraded from 7 to 8-speed cassette, then realized the otherwise excellent Shimano Exage 500CX rear derailleur won't quite reliably handle the full shift range. So I'm looking at 8-speed rear derailleurs.
• Over the years I switched from the uncomfortable (to me) flat handlebar to a riser bar that was much better for a couple of years. But after the shoulder and neck injury from the car, I switched to albatross bars which are incredibly comfortable and versatile -- definitely a keeper.

I wouldn't bother with all that stuff unless the frame was worth it, and it's one of the most comfortable bikes I've ridden that's also nimble and fun to ride. If the wheelbase were longer and the headset a bit more angled it could almost pass for an old school path racer.

I have two '84 Univega road bikes - Great bikes with Miyata-built frames. Without knowing which model Univega you have, it is difficult to say because they sold everything from beginner's bikes to competition models in Road, Touring, and MTB lines!

My Viva Sport was rebuilt by me to near Miyata 710 specs (mid-upper sport bike) of the same year (only wheelset is different now), and the Gran Tourismo actually specs out a tad higher than the Miyata 610 mid-grade touring bike.

Two discussion threads here on BF.net worth reading are the 'Unoffical Univega Appreciation Thread' linked here or the 'Just how big is the Miyata Cult' here

I'm surprised to read the OP say that Univega doesn't seem to get much attention here. There are countless threads about Univegas, and how much value they delivered. Yes, they made a full range of bikes, with many of those bikes aimed at the general consumer market. Plenty of nothing special Univegas, just as is true of every other brand that put out a full range of bikes. But for most of their history they were made by Miyata, and well appointed with cost-effective and good functioning parts. The higher end Univegas are generally regarded as being on a par with bikes costing far more. If you give us the model name and the serial number, we can tell you what year it was made and where it stood in the line.

The biggest problem with Univega was that they never sponsored pro teams, and their marketing was pretty goofy. The bikes themselves, at least at the higher end of the line, were first rate.

It is a Gran Premio. Advertised as a 56cm but in actuality is closer to a 60-62

It has Nuovo and Super Record components.

I supposed I missed it because I never was really interested in one before. Kinda like before you buy a car you never see them around. After you get one it seems they are everywhere. I will probably pick it up as I need the campy parts for another project and have the suntour pieces to put back on and complement every thing else.

I have a 1980 Gran Premio. In that year there were two bikes above it in the road bike hierarchy, both intended for professional racers. The frame itself was, as I recall, the same as the model above, just slightly lesser components. You can tell the year of manufacture by the letter code at the start of the serial number. 'I' = 1980, 'J' = 1981, and so on. A high number after the letter may mean it was built late that year, and so is one of the next year's models. You can find many Univega catalogues online, if you want to see the original specs.

The naming of Univegas changed from year to year, but the Gran Premio was consistently near the top of the line. If it has Campagnolo components, I wonder if someone who raced bought the less expensive model to move their groupset over from a wrecked frame, so they'd have the equivalent of a top model.

Post a photo when you have time, we'd love to see it.