DIMcyclist

Hi Everybody!

Maybe I should have posted this in the 'Uniivega Appreciation' thread, but I just thought I'd share some images of my latest finished project- a 1984 Univega Land Rover 10, with a 650B conversion.

The drivetrain was a blast to build, and it really tested my knowledge of compatibility to the limit; 6/7 Sp. derailleurs; 7/8 sp. crankset, HG cassette, & 'Light Action' shifters; 8, 9, & 10 sp chainrings & 10sp Tiagra rear hub (with a spacer), all held together by the mechanical marvel of Sram 7.1mm 8sp chains: it shifts smooth as butter & rides smooth as silk.

Btw, thanks FBinNY for your timely advice about older BMX headsets; turns out you were right about the nomenclature-thing- it WAS a 32.5. Unfortunately I wasn't able to salvage the original HS; while it was in pretty decent overall condition, the crown race was totally shot, however, the Neco HS currently installed was a real find. It's a much better design- with sealed cartridge bearings- yet the whole shebang only cost me $4 more than would have the parts (+ shipping) to repair the original.



On the whole, not too shabby for a bike built from (mostly) spare & leftover parts from my two previous 650b projects, no?

Bianchigirll 

Looks great, I think Ben would be proud of this make over.

Velocivixen

@DIMcyclist- wow, it's gorgeous. You gonna ride it or sell it? What size is that lovely?

NormanF

Nice cyclotouriste velo!

You really want an Alex Singer but not all of us have the budget for one.

Still a good homage to French porteur bikes of the 1940s and 1950s.

DIMcyclist

Both. Maybe... sorta. It's a 20", btw.

I built it to clear some extra parts out of my garage; to sell it, really; but after riding it... I honestly don't know- it's pretty awesome; a first-class bar-hopper and a surprisingly functional all-around townie. I hadn't planned on that.

I might add that it's way comfy- the B-17 Champion/ Narrow works really well on this bike; much better than it did on my XO-3, since the GP crankset has the q-factor of a double rather than a triple.

So... now I'm torn about keeping it or selling it. On the one hand, it's two bikes too many; on the other, it's better at what my XO-3 does than my XO-3 (despite its far nicer build quality & tubeset). Maybe it's kinda like what John Lennon once said about Pete Best & Ringo Starr: Pete's a better drummer, but Ringo's a better Beatle.

DIMcyclist

Funny story- a couple of weeks ago a guy passed me and said, "Dude- nice Pash-- um; what??"

At first glance it did have kind of a Pashley-esque look to it (before I fitted the fenders)... It kinda makes sense: when viewed side-on, the frame geometry is actually a lot more like an old English 3-speed or path-racer than a French randonneuse: the head & seat tube angles are a pretty slack 68 degrees, and the chainstays are quite long at 47cm.

It's a really strange frame- these were originally fitted with 26" wheels, albeit with 74mm caliper brakes- despite being sold as ATBs (note: no canti-bosses). When fitted with long-reach calipers, the 650B wheels are a perfect match (and I mean, dead-on perfect), which inclines me to think that this frame was probably one of the slew of typical Japanese commuter frames (which were often based on English designs and used 650A & 650B wheels) that were re-purposed with the smaller American wheel size, in order to meet the market demand for MTBs in the early '80s.

photogravity

I have found that despite the fact I have a larger butt than I'd like, the B17 Narrow and Professionals (or the redos that @rhm does based on those) are the most comfortable saddles for me.

Nice job on the 650B conversion, too.

Velocivixen

@DIMcyclist- I'm in Portland, so at least let me take it for a ride around the block before you sell it (if you do). It's my size.

DIMcyclist

Sure! If you bump into me sometime, feel free to ask.

I live in NE and make the usual rounds.

DIMcyclist

Thanks.

Actually, I might want to speak with RHM sometime about recovering my old Ideale TB-6. It's easily the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden, but it's getting towards the end of its life. I've done my best to take very good care of it and its frame is in excellent condition (almost no rust at all).

The TB-6 is a two-rail touring saddle, much like a Brooks B72; a slightly different shape maybe, stubbier & more deeply curved along the rear rail. Unfortunately the clamp-offset makes it an awkward fit with this Univega's long top tube (I'd have to be about six inches taller to make for a good fit with the Ideale on this bike).