I'm starting a new build, this time with a closer eye on trying to keep costs under control while still building a quality bike.
The frame is Cromoly and lugged. It's a cool old frame, with a biplane, cromoly fork, and a bit of history as these early stumpjumpers were some of the first production mountain bikes.
Interestingly, I found the seller on blogger.com, so this bike is getting way more attention than it probably should.
Photos next.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
1984 Univega Specialissima
This is the first bike I took from beat-up frame to rebuilt and ready to ride.
The idea was to build up a solid touring frame with parts left over from other old bikes. The Univega frames from this time period were Miyata-built, and the Specialissima model was eerily similar in it's features to the Miyata 1000, although I have heard the geometry was distinct between the two models.
I found the frame in a lot of three frames on ebay for a $13.00 bid. Of course the shipping was expensive, and the other two frames ended up being trash. Live and learn. This frame ended up being nicer than I expected, and harder to find than I realized, and exactly my size, so in the end, I was satisfied.
Triple-A Powder Coating, in El Monte, CA did a great job with the bike, with excellent care on the lugs and perfect masking around threaded eyelets and braze-ons. I had heard powdercoating sometimes looked too thick on the bike, but more than one experienced cyclist mistook this for a clean, quality paint job rather than a powdercoat.
My local bicycle co-op, the Bikerowave, in Mar Vista, CA was extremely helpful with some of the more difficult stages, including wheel truing. The bike still needs some adjustment and more wheel truing, but as a first attempt at building a bike from castoff parts, I'm happy with it.
The idea was to build up a solid touring frame with parts left over from other old bikes. The Univega frames from this time period were Miyata-built, and the Specialissima model was eerily similar in it's features to the Miyata 1000, although I have heard the geometry was distinct between the two models.
I found the frame in a lot of three frames on ebay for a $13.00 bid. Of course the shipping was expensive, and the other two frames ended up being trash. Live and learn. This frame ended up being nicer than I expected, and harder to find than I realized, and exactly my size, so in the end, I was satisfied.
Triple-A Powder Coating, in El Monte, CA did a great job with the bike, with excellent care on the lugs and perfect masking around threaded eyelets and braze-ons. I had heard powdercoating sometimes looked too thick on the bike, but more than one experienced cyclist mistook this for a clean, quality paint job rather than a powdercoat.
My local bicycle co-op, the Bikerowave, in Mar Vista, CA was extremely helpful with some of the more difficult stages, including wheel truing. The bike still needs some adjustment and more wheel truing, but as a first attempt at building a bike from castoff parts, I'm happy with it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)