Hello all,
I am new to the forum and found it by way of researching a Univega Super Strada I just purchased. I have yet to take note of the serial number, I am still in the "revelling in it's beauty" phase. The bike has the Dura Ace AX group, pretty lugs with diamonds, fastback seatstays, and a very nice over the BB cable arrangement I haven't seen before (cable stops as opposed to brazed-on guides); well, you all probably know more about it than I do. What a fine bike! Of course now I want to know all about these old Univegas. Can anybody tell me what the early '80's models were and their relative hierarchical order? I imagine the Super Strada must be high on the list. The only thing that I miss are fender eyelets. Any recommendations there in the Univega roster? One last question, has anybody here done a 650B conversion and if so, which model(s) would be suitable? Thanks for your help!

You most have won on E-Bay for $399.99, if so congratulations. The bike was a very nice bike, in fact so nice you could not buy a better bike for anywhere near the price back in the day, and it was the top of the line Univega. It was based on a Columbus frame probably labled "Tubi Rinforzati Garantiti Acciaio Speciale", but check your label to make sure this is right. I think you got a good deal, but I couldn't see the pics real well because they were dark so the bike detail was limited.

You should treat us to some good photos, including the BB cable thing. As you may already know, this was built by Miyata for Ben Lawee the West Coast importer and sounds like one of their best. You can try some of the Blackburn fender mount doohickies for the rear DOs, but maybe you'll have to settle for a shorty front fender. I haven't yet done a 650B conversion, but here's a link to some info:
https://www.freewebs.com/650b/

Hi delmastro, we will not let you come visit us anymore unless you get some photos to show us .

Just joking, but we LOVE photos.

Welcome to Bike Forums, too!

East Hill

Thanks for link, unworthy1, I will do some research there. Freako, that ebay Super Strada looked good too but is not the same bike. I bought mine from a guy in E. CT who posted on C.L. last week with about 50 classic bikes for sale. Most of them were too small for me (thank God) but the Super Strada fits me perfectly at 60 x 56. I just need to get over my fear of tubulars and I will be riding it soon. Oh, the tubeset sticker says Tange Champion, I believe. Thanks for your replys, fellas. I will definitely post some pics soon!

Sounds like you have quite a find. I finished refurbishing a 1982 Univega SuperStrada a few months ago and can attest to it's beauty and comfort. So much so, I've put my 2002 TREK 1000 up for sale. The Univega is just a better bike for me. With Shimano DuraAce drive-train on almost everything, it was well worth the few dollars I put into it to get it rideable. My son-in-law was going to toss it out in the trash. I replaced the 27" wheels with 700C wheels which puts the 63cm frame at a comfy "Rivendale" size for me. I was considering switching it to 650B wheels but it would put the BB too low and cause the pedals to scrape the ground. The 700C's work very nicely Take a look at this site for more on the Univegas: www.yojimg.net/bike/univega/ . I've tried to attach a photo of my bike. Hopefully it makes it through. Anyway, have fun with you Univega. PG.

Pretty bike, PG. Thanks for that link. I just took some pics of my Super Strada but am not sure how to upload them here. They are on my desktop, any help?

Scroll down to the "Quick Reply" section and click on the "Go Advanced" button. That'll take you a page where you can add the photos from your desk-top. Thanks for your compliment. PG.

Thanks for the help, PG. However, my jpegs are too massive to upload here! You can see pictures here:
https://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...astro/Univega/
The serial number is K983747. Maybe somebody knows the provenance from that. I have no idea. In fact I have scoured the web in search of more info on these bikes but still don't know how the models lined up. I assume the Super Strada must be pretty close to the top judging from all that shiny Shimano and those pretty lugs. Anybody know what the models were back in the day? Thanks again to all for your interest and advice.

The serial number indicates a Miyata manufaxctrured frame, with 1983 being the probable model year. That would certainly be in line with Dura-Ace Ax group, which is very underated in my opinion. Given the group, it should be top of the line or maybe one step down.

Thanks T-Mar for that helpful information. I remember 1983........ vaguely. As you might be able to see from the pictures I have yet to put new tires (tubulars) on the bike. I have been looking for a comparable wheelset of the clincher variety to put on there as I've never used tubulars and I fear what I don't know. The rims are in really fine shape, though. I should probably just use what I've got as the late great Billy Preston sang (anybody?). Any recommendations for a robust 700x28 tubular?

On an unrelated note: I just tonight purchased a frameset that the seller assured me as being an RB-T. I have just spent the past hour looking closely at the Bridgestone catalogs at Sheldon's site but am unable to find an RB-T that matches the configuration of this frame. What sets it apart from the others is the inclusion of a third water bottle mount. "Aha!" you say; and so do I as the only canti-equipped frame that I could find with the 3 bottle mounts is a T 700. But...... the T 700 has a really nifty spoke chain guard that this frame lacks. Also of note: the rear brake cable guides are offset to about 2:00 and are stops not tunnels, which makes me think it later than a T 700. In all respects it certainly looks like a Bridgestone, sloping fork crown, Suntour vertical drops. I should mention the frame has been resprayed so there are no decals but the serial IS visible and it is C121519. Any ideas?

I'm thinking it might be a '91. It IS black and maybe that was the original color after all. I was told it was sprayed or clear-coated so maybe just the same color? Anyway it's a perfect frameset for building up my cross bike and it also came with some nice wheels (MA 3's). Thanks Jim!