sheddle

Got the price from $375 to $325 so guess who's a dumbo with poor impulse control?





Saddle, and brakes were replaced, everything else looks original including the hipster dream Nitto 55 bars and weird Esquartz pedals.

casanewt

Congrats! I found a 1982 Competizione that was just a little small for me that got me back into biking a couple of years ago. I wish I had never sold it because I have yet to run across another at a reasonable price. That fastback stay Miyata frame is a classic. I'm happy I found the "Fiesta Rose" Gran Rally a few posts above in my size tho...

noobinsf 

Very nice! I love my '82 -- I paid a little less than you did, but mine was in very rough shape and needed a good bit of refurbishing. I swapped out a bunch of original parts to suit me better, but I have all of the original parts except stem, bars, and brake levers (which had been swapped out long ago).

One note about the Esquartz pedals -- they take proprietary toe clips that may be difficult to source, but the pedals are standard thread, so you can use any pedals you want.

sheddle

Yeah, I'm fine using them as platforms for now, they actually fit in surprisingly nicely with my MTB shoes. Probably going to go the boring route with modern SPD pedals, though.

sheddle

I don't know if it's the frame, the tires (old but good condition GP3000s), the Benotto tape, or the setup to have as little tire clearance as possible but this thing (the Univega Competizione) just feels fast. It reminds me a bit of a CAAD where it's just this absolutely no-nonsense racing frame that feels wrong unless you're hammering. I love it.

boonie

Sold mine for 280 with superbe pro crankset. Rode neo retro but stripped the aero crankset when removing it. Then placed most of the group set back.

rranchhand60

Always thought top model Univegas were under rated.Have a Super Special with Campy Super Record and a Late Super Strada with last model Superby Pro.Both outstanding bikes.This is the only one not in my collection of 9 Univegas.

tgot 

Hi,

I just bought an ItalVega Gran Turismo frameset, and started both a rebuild project, and new thread: ItalVega Gran Turismo - Frame-up build


It's 6-digit serial number 102371, no stars. But riveted headbadge, and I thought those two didn't go together.

In the interests of not-spamming, most of the photos are on that thread, I won't duplicate everything here.

Of course, when it is ride-ready, I'll show it off here again!

Until then, I'd love to hear from other ItalVega Gran Turismo owners, and what they've done to build them up or keep them running; here or on that thread.

In particular, does anyone know the correct seatpost diameter? I can't exactly measure my frame to find out.

bluebikerbot

Hi so just found this thread! I was wondering if you know about the rarity of this bike color? This is the first bike with the same color as my Univega Maxima Sport. I would love to talk about it more!

T-Mar

Welcome to the forums. The colour is not rare. Various shades of teal became a trendy aesthetic treatment in the late 1980s, as part of the Miami Vice influence that permeated the bicycle industry during this period.

gear64

Latest incarnation of my Gran Premio...

bike2thespot

Just scored this '84 Gran Rally for $100. (Don't mind the mattress in my spare room, that's going soon.) Seems like pretty much everything is original. I'm going to see about converting it to a single speed since it's drive train is already pretty tired. Also very excited to swap out those brake levers.

dickbandit 

'88 Univega Alpina Uno in it's current configuration: Soma Portola drop bars and an anachronistic Suntour VX GT. Just picked up the Ruth Works Brevet bag (A+) and took some photos yesterday mainly to show off the bag situation. This bike has been through a few different evolutionary stages, but I think I like this set up best.

ryansu 

I was looking hard for a Hybrid last fall but never quite found one and then out of the blue in this COVID market a 1993 (?) Univega Via Montega pops up for $40 and I snapped it up. My first ever Univega and first hybrid

sheddle

Proper pic of the Competizione. I think the rear derailleur cable tension needs adjusting, either that or the freewheel position, because it only sort of wants to shift into the big cog.

noobinsf 

Also double check the limit screw... Nice pic!

sheddle

It wasn't a limit screw issue- initially the RD wouldn't even move enough to get into the big cog at the lower detent of the rear shifter until I adjusted a freewheel spacer (what I initially thought the issue was.

I'm not really great at cable tension adjusting, but I think that's the issue- ratchet shifters are a bit new to me, though.

noobinsf 

If you don't have a cable puller, it will be worth the small investment ($20-30) to get a decent one if you do your own maintenance. It was a game changer when I had one passed along to me. You can really dial in the tension precisely, like to the mm.

One example: https://www.amazon.com/Pedros-138900.../dp/B000IZGF6A

engineerbob 

Five years ago, I bought a mint condition 1983 Gran Turismo. It even had its original tires, which I immediately replaced.

I put on a Brooks B17 and swapped the stock crank for a Sugino that accommodates a smaller chainring. Initially, I replaced the DT shifters with a set of Suntour bar-ends, but reverted to the DTs because I think they have a better feel due to less cable friction.

In my opinion, it is a surprisingly good bike. It feels relatively light and responsive, which I attribute to its double-butted (Miyata?) frame. I don't know what it cost in 1983, but I should have bought one then.

arex

I feel the same way about my '84 Gran Turismo. It's a real joy to ride. It's not as pretty as yours...it was crusty in the extreme when I pulled it out of the junk shop pile, but it cleaned up well. Eventually, I'm going to have the frame powdercoated, since the finish is pretty beat up.

HenryhHuber

love the triple chain ring set! Dope bike!

gear64

Thanks, as far as I know it was factory triple; however I had an issue with pedal cross threaded or something while trying to swap straps for clipless. Couldn't get it off with many tips in the forums including disassembling the pedal and putting the spindle in a bench vice, then trying to rotate crank. The triple on there now is borrowed from another bike. The wheel set on there now is also borrowed until getting around to fixing broken spoke, but now I kind of like them on this bike. It's my best fitting frame.

staticinvasion

I found this mid-80's Univega Gran Sprint on Craigslist for $150. It has changed my life and especially during this pandemic! Since buying the bike I've made some minor changes. It was all original from the original owner so I wanted to respect the history of the bike. For my particular riding needs, I changed out the seat, bars, and pedals. I went with tape-grips and a Brooks saddle for comfort and I added a rack because I actually use the bike to carry things from time to time. that's about it. Aside from break levers, all the other components are original. This bike can hang with the best of them, and I can do balance stands at stoplights for minutes with ease! The bike just gives you that kind of steez!

I'll post a picture when I'm allowed to. I'm new and it says you have to make 10 "or more" posts. Not sure I'll make that many but you never know!!

Mid 80's triple butted chromoly frameset built by Miyata for Univega. This bike might not be set up for everyone, but I took a while to tune it for my riding style.

ryansu 

staticinvasion Welcome to the forums, a work around for the 10 post things is putting pictures in the Gallery

staticinvasion

Ryansu, thank you and also thanks for the heads up! Side note, I'm from Seattle and my name is Ryan. Crazy!!