I'm looking for some information on what is likely a 90's Univega Superstrada. After getting all excited that I'd found an old Miyata made high end frame, the bike in question appears to be TIG welded and if I'm identifying it correctly is built up with an RSX triple.

Does anyone have any experience with the TIG welded Superstrada and know much about these frames? Is the tubing still on par with the earlier lugged Superstrada? Given the original was built up with Dura Ace am I correct in suspecting the Superstrada was downgraded in quality/attention to detail as time went on? Would you recommend it as a bike worth restoring / putting some money into?

... And here is a picture....

What grade is the tubing? It was likely just a shifting of the lineup. Perhaps since CF bikes were coming online at lower prices the name was moved down to keep it on a steel frame. as for the tig welding it is just a sign of the times and slightly cheaper way to build a decent frame.

I think this would be a great bike to fix up and ride but I am not sure I would start putting DA or C-Rec bits on it. Aside from the saddle and what appear to be larger chainwheels this appears to be a dead ringer for the '95 Deep Purple SuperStrada. Of the 4 road bikes Univega offered that year 2 were carbon, this one and one below it with a Exage mix.

Thanks Bianchigirl. I'm not sure of the tubing - according to the seller the only sticker offering a clue is on the fork and refers to it being Cr-Mo.

So I'm assuming that as it is welded this is no longer a Miyata made model, and clearly no longer a rebranded Miyata Pro. Correct?

Proabably a decent rider as you point out, but I did have my heart set on the 80's version, and other projects to work through. On the fence now...

It still could be built by Myata but just to a cheaper spec that Univega/Ben Lawee wanted to make a steel price point.

The catalog doesn't give more than 9/69/ Double Butted Chromonly main frame and stays, so it may be Myata tubes if built by them or some one elses tubing.

I have one of these mid 90's Superstrada frames in that same color.

I answered an ad a few years ago thinking the same thing as you...that I would find a Miyata made, Dura Ace equipped lugged bike.

I wasn't too disappointed though and rode it for a few years as my commuter / errand bike. The RSX stuff is decent and works well, but isn't high end. I eventually moved the group to an 80's Cannondale I had repainted for my girlfriend.

Tubing on mine is listed as "Racelite 4130 Double Butted Chromoly".

As others have said, this should be a nice enough rider but not really a high end bike frame-wise or component-wise. I thought the Univega / Miyata "partnership" had dissolved by the 90s, but I could be wrong.

Which catalog is that? Are you sitting on a pile of Univega catalogs that deserve to be scanned?

Cheers folks. I'm trying hard to not add to the stable unless it is mighty compelling.

But I can give that idea up any second...