I was recently given this Univega to commute to work in. I decided that since it needed a new seat, tires, tubes, grips, and tune-up that I would be best to sell it and purchase a new bike. I posted it on craigslist and got a ton of responses. Now I'm thinking it might be worth fixing up and riding. Any info on the bike would be much appreciated.

Would this be a good bike to get me up and down the hills between home and work? Also, if I decide to keep it how should I go about repairing everything...I'm a total n00b at bike commuting.






















I may still decide that its easier to get a new bike, so an estimated value would be a big help too.

Thanks!

Are you over 6'6" tall? If not, sell the bike and get one that fits you.

That Competizione model is on the higher end of the scale I believe. Well worth fixing up if it fits like USAZorro mentioned above--that's a big one.

While I think USAZorro exaggerates a little, based on the seat height and the tilt of the bars, it probably is too big for you, if that is the way you have it adjusted.
I don't know much about Univegas, but it appears to be a middle of the line bike from the mid 80s. The Suntour Cyclone components are gaining popularity. It does have some nice looking lugs. If you clean it up and put a different saddle on it, you could probably get close to $200 for it. Depending on the market, you might even get more, especially if you part it out.

If it fits I'd keep it for fitness riding/charity riding or racing and pick up another bike for commuting. Your Univega is a terrific road riding and racing bike; however, it apparently lacks braze-ons for racks and unless you're the master of backpack packing your back is going to hate you if your commute is over 5 miles.

If you like the road bike/drop bar format then depending on your budget I would look at either a touring bike or cycle cross bike or even a Harris Cyclery San Jose8 which would make a natural commuter. Otherwise I would look along the cheap side of it and look at 700c hybrids along the lines of an entry-level Specialized Sirrus.

I have a similar (but smaller!) Univega Competizione that I use mostly for commuting. It's a dry weather commuter because of the lack of mounts for fenders, and I can't put anything wider than a 25mm tire on it because of the lack of clearance. But it's a zippy, quick ride, well suited to when I don't need to carry much. I also had mine powdercoated orange and have it set up as a single speed with flat bars.

Neal

Wow! And to think the guy I got it from was going to give it to Goodwill. I haven't adjusted anything on the bike, I haven't even sat on it because the tires are completely flat. The bike is a little tall, the top bar comes up just below my hip (I'm 6'). I think I might try and fix it up since my commute is really short.

Now I need to find the nearest bike store to get everything.

Nice find! Tall bike, though. Hope you can make it fit. Can't beat a free bike, and so nice. I've got a buddy of average height who got a free Fuji from the '80s. It's way too tall for him. He makes it work, though. Where there's a will, there's a way.

From your description, it sounds a bit too big for you. You can replace the parts you listed fairly inexpensively ($50-100) and recoup your investment upon resale if it doesn't work out, but first I'd stop by a LBS and get properly fitted for a bike if you are unfamiliar with how a road bike should fit. You'll quickly lose the lust for commuting on an ill-fitting bike.

Don't make a bike that's already too big for you into a money pit. Make some money on it and keep looking.

Well, I'm 6'4" and that's just about the right size for me, even though I can ride this bike, which has to be at least 3cm taller.

If you can stand over the top tube when the tires are fully inflated, then you're tall enough to ride it.
I say fix it up and ride it for a while. Then when you find another nice bike that's exactly your size, sell yours and buy that one, you might even make some money on it.

What's the seat tube size? It's got a tall headtube, but maybe that's partly attributable to a short top tube. I'm 6'1" and I'm riding a 62cm x 59cm with the seatpost at about the same height. While I think 60cm would be ideal for me, I like the fact that I can keep the saddle level with the bars (without requiring a Nitto technomic stem). I don't feel any discomfort on the bike, largely because I have a longish torso in proportion to my legs. The top tube length should be your first point of concern, and finding an appropriate stem length can help you find your ideal reach. I think I've read that the range should be about 80mm-120mm on the stem to avoid handling quirkiness at either extreme - but of course, that could vary depending on frame geometry.

Since you're talking about commuting only a few miles, if you feel comfortable with the standover, I'd go for it. That's a nice frame.

I just got back from the local bike shop, we're I spent $42 on new parts. I have new grips, tubes, tires, and an dapter for my air pump. I sat on it for about 30 sec before I left, but couldn't keep it balanced with the flat tire. After I clean it up and put new bars on I'll see if I can make it work for me, or if its just too tall.

Right now I don't think I can stand over the bar and have both feet on the ground. Plus when I was at the bike shop I saw a flat black Globe bike that I really liked. It had front suspension, big comfy seat, fenders, and an up right position. For $350 I might go that route, especially if I can get upwards of $200 for the Univega.

I'm not sure I could do that on any of my bikes. What's most important is the fit when you're sitting in the saddle in riding position, not standing. Did the bike shop give you any advice on fit?

Neal

Somebody said not to sink money into this, but someone else then told you to get fitted at a bike shop. I've never been fitted by a 'bike fit expert,' and while the idea sounds nice, if a person's not going to be racing and riding 50 miles per day training rides, I think that's as bad as a money sink; especially b/c one of the things they'll tell you when you get fit is you have to swap out every piece of componentry that'll "hurt your back and knees and hips." Bike fit doesn't have to be that much of a science for a person looking to commute and ride for recreation or just personal joy.

Personally, I like having at least a tiny bit of standover height, so when I come to stops in the city, I don't always have to be ginger about "the boys." If your rides are very long w/o stops, then you can maybe get away with the no-standover-clearance issue.

As far as the bike you're showing, that'd get a decent chunk of change here in NYC, and it looks like a lot of the parts on their are upgrades. If you are looking to maximize your available money from the bike, then do as others recommend and sell off the parts. The other option is to ride this and search for a decent road frame in your size. Shouldn't cost too much for such a frame. Then you could just move all the parts over to that, and sell this frame. Univegas from the 80s are nice, well-made steel frames, and they have beautiful paint jobs (clean and polish that puppy up!)

Nice bike, and a very desirable collection of components. I would get it road ready and ride it before making any decisions. You can play with the seat and stem adjustments to try and find a sweet spot for your riding position. If your stem length isn't correct, post it up in the "For Trade" sticky, stems are one of the more plentiful inventory items in everyones parts collection/box/pile.

While not a traditional commuter, it doesn't mean it can't be used as such. You can get rear racks that attach at the axle/skewer and attach to the seat tube. Nashbar and performance have rally affordable trunk commuter bags to keep stuff off of your back. If you find you will be riding in rain, there are clip on fenders as well.

Heck, it was free to start, so you have some room to experiment. So far you have less than $50 invested, and you won't touch a similarly equipped bike component/performance wise for less than 10 times that new, if not more.

Well I got the new tires and grips on and took it for a ride. Even without cleaning and lubing everything up it rides great, but I'm about 2 inches too short for it. I was really hoping that I could make it work too.

So now the question is: How much do I try and sell it for?

I don't really want to deal with parting it out and stuff, so I want to sell the whole thing on craigslist. I live in Portland OR, supposedly biking mecca, so the market is pretty good. Any advice would be great as I clean it and get ready to sell it.

I'd watch eBay/CraigsList for a replacement frame that fits and is English threaded (another Japanese frame, for instance, or a Trek or decent Raleigh), and use most/all the components from the Univega on that. Then sell the Univega frame. Truth be told, all the response you got previously was probably onaccounta the components, not a bunch of large folk looking for a nice bike.

OTOH, if you have your heart set on a new MTB with suspension, then you might make more dough parting it out -- larger number of people looking for the components than for a complete bike thats supersize. There are some large folks on this forum that might like that frame; or the complete bike.