thumpism

I may have one of these in my junk box, if anyone needs one. You can also give the seat stays a couple of wraps of cloth tape to help the rack remain clamped in position on the bike. The two-bolt clamp had a tendency to loosen over time, so Loctite is also handy.

The Golden Boy 

I'd go with Blackburn.

The Pletscher is period, but it can't handle a decent load, and it'll scratch your stays. I've seen Jim Blackburns on 78-ish bikes, probably earlier.

The Golden Boy 

I thought this was kind of a fun picture- sorta backlit...

Perytion

Well, I've been visiting BF for years but this will be my first post. As an introduction of sorts, then, please allow me to showcase my 1984 Univega Gran Turismo:

I picked up this bad boy off Craigslist for $125 over the winter. It obviously had not been used in a very long time. A ton of grime had developed all over the bike, the freewheel didn't spin free, the chain was dangling off the chainrings, and the brake pads were loose and pointing in crazy directions. But everything appeared to be original (with the odd exception of the seat post), including the Univega-branded tires! Also, aside from the grime and a whisper of rust on the top tube and shift-cable guide clamps, everything looked really good--even the stays are 100% chip-free!

Anyway, long story short, I changed all the consumables, put on a new chain, added some fenders, a Brooks B17, and a Blackburn EX-1 (the original rack was misshapen), and spent a lot of time scrubbing off the filth and generally tinkering with this and that. Now it's a totally sweet ride--smooth and classy. Can't wait to take it out for a tour this summer!

Perytion

Also, this thread has some seriously beautiful bikes! I came here more than once for inspiration with my Univega.

musicdiver

Welcome and nice job sprucing up that Univega.

SteveP223

Very nice!

jjames1452 

There are no words to describe how beautiful and classic that bike is!

simmonsgc

1985 Miyata Two Ten in Sandstone

The Golden Boy 

You did a beautiful job with that Univega!!

You also did a great job at photographing it- one thing that so often gets lost in pictures with old bikes is the metallic glint in the sunlight. You captured that perfectly.




Univega used to spec their bikes really well- so you got an upper end component set on this bike. The Mountech front derailleur is one of the very best ever, however the rear Mountech is one of the very WORST ever. The upper pulley is a sealed mechanism that isn't easily replaced (or maintained). That pulley has a history of getting fouled and catastrophically failing.

As I would hope you've gotten this bike for riding, there are LOAD of other rear derailleurs that are "period correct" that would function as well as the Mountech, but without all the drama.

You'll probably notice that the Mountech shifts REALLY nice- that upper pulley pivot is something stolen from the Huret DuoPar- it allows the upper pulley to get as close as it needs to to shift immaculately. As far as what other 3 pivot derailleurs were around then- the DuoPar (I'm a fan of the shift quality, not a fan of the derailleur), the Mountech II- it's the upgraded model- it has the script on it and a normal upper pulley:




The Suntour LeTech is also a really cool 3 pivot derailleur- it would have been the top of the line 3 pivot and a nice piece of equipment:




Any of the period mountain bike derailleurs would go good on this bike- I always seem to go for the late 80s/early 90s versions of the derailleurs.

3alarmer 

Murray Missile 

Just watched a video yesterday of how they moved this locomotive across the Union Pacific mainline tracks from the museum to the refurbishing shop. A Union Pacific track crew built a temporary crossing , let the WP locomotive crossover and then disassembled the crossing between regularly scheduled trains with no schedule disruptions. Pretty neat to watch.

orcas island 

I think that this fall into the category of "light touring", rather than cross-country workhorse; here is my 1974 Motobecane Grand Jubilee. Spent today watching some basketball and rebuilding hubs, bottom bracket and headset. A nice day indeed!

The Golden Boy 

Do you still have the Expedition?

If you do- you have the unheralded incredible collection of bikes.

You should do a "orcas island collection" thread!

willydstyle

I think in the '70s manufacturers just didn't really have what made a touring bike "dialed in" yet. My Fuji America was marketed as a high-end touring bike, but only has one set of accessory eyelets and a fairly short wheelbase. It does have a triple chainring and 6-speed cog though, so they started to get the gearing right at least Honest, I really enjoy the fact that she's a bit sportier than later touring bikes.

orcas island 

Yes, I still have the Expedition. I'm kind of a sucker for touring bikes. I know that there is plenty of redundancy in the collection of bikes I own, but I've found that I'm just not a "go fast" kind of guy and I've ended up selling all of the short wheelbase, tight geometry, limited gear range bikes I've owned over the years. I seem to only have two speeds; slow and slower, and I just like to meander along at my own pace on a bike that is stretched out and comfortable.

revcp 

Bought this 1985 Miyata Six Ten in November of '14 for $150. Have been slowly working on it since. It was in fabulous shape. Still had the original tires with very little wear. Biggest changes I've made were the Suntour barcons instead of dt shifters, the Suntour Mk II Cyclone RD and FD Brooks Saddle and bartape. Oh, and the HED wheels. I have a bike fairy who got them for me for about 80% off. I was also not a fan of the half step gearing so picked up a 38t Sugino middle ring

The Golden Boy 

Same here.

"Redundancy." Even when I get bikes that are pretty close to the same- I still end up changing out parts for the same ones...



Your Sequoia is almost a "go fast" bike. A "do anything really good" type bike.

badger_biker 

I suffer the same addiction regarding touring bikes and although they do become somewhat redundant I find that each has it's own character and I find them completely different when I ride them. I daydream of touring and wish I had the opportunity to do it much more than I know I ever will but I think part of the draw is the designs are so driven by function.

wheatfly

Can you post a link or info on the video. I would be interested in seeing it.

jcb3

What a collection of bikes!

I'm thus obligated to share my sweet ride - and winter build.

1982 Trek 614 (frame traded with SimplySycles) components from a 1987 520/Cirrus (which was too small for me).

First one overlooking Irvine, second Santiago Canyon this winter.

Murray Missile 

There are a bunch of videos of this locomotive on YouTube.............

https://youtu.be/-hzQtnz2GuE

vqstaphbeard

I agree, wonderful photo!

Perytion

Thanks for the advice. Just curious, what do you mean by catastrophic RD failure? Like, have you heard reports of the pulley just getting jammed, or is it more serious as in the RD collapsing into the spokes while riding and subsequently exploding? For now, the shifting on the Univega is super smooth and the purist in me wants to keep things original. But, catastrophic RD failure does not sound desirable...

The Golden Boy 

If you Google Mountech Derailleur you'll get some horror stories.

SunTour MounTech derailleur (4900)