Project Univega mixte

It's done. With new brake pads and some final cleaning and waxing, it finally reached the point in the project when there truly wasn't anything left to do.

On a shakedown ride earlier in the week, the bike performed flawlessly. It is a very, very nicely-riding bicycle. If I ever come across another Univega project, I will scoop it up.

It's heavy, no doubt, but it doesn't mess with what works, I guess is how I would describe it. The solid Suntour drivetrain still shifts clean and crisp, and the Dia-Compe center-pull brake calipers are surprisingly strong. 

Yes, it has turkey levers, but like a minivan, you can't deny their utility. 

The saddle received the full tear-down/rebuild treatment, and is quite comfortable, at least over short distances, and the new black wrap can be swapped out for something more adventurous at any time. 

The 27 by 1 1/4 Araya rims were a pain to clean, but it was worth the elbow grease, and some patience was rewarded after a few days of brake pad truing.

I reused the chain, mostly to get some experience doing it. My bike book gave a good tip not to fully push out the chain roller, so you can push it back in. It worked, and while I probably should have done another round of degreasing before reinstalling, it functions just fine. 

What a fun project. The big takeaways from this one would probably be that it's amazing what a thorough scrubbing will do; that Barkeeper's Friend does amazing work removing rust from chrome; and that it's worth trying to save an old chain. 

If I keep it, I'm thinking fenders and rack and yellow bar tape. If I sell it, I expect I'll at least make my money back. Either way, the process in this case was its own reward.

Wonderful stretch

Southbridge Street, tailwind.

Recent weeks have blessed me with good riding and good eating. Today, for example, the temperature soared into the 70s, reminding me about why I love spring so much. Riding in the winter has its own set of enjoyments and rewards, but there's nothing like simply lacing up the sneakers, throwing on the helmet, and hitting the road.

Grass and dandelions.

It's views like this all over the place as lush grass still waits for its first cut. Everything is just so lush and colorful this time of year. The trees and their various buds, flowers popping everywhere. The things you have the time to notice on a bike.

Pasta with vegetables and basil-garlic oil.

Recent months have revealed a bit of a food rut on my part. Not anything as desparate as losing my love for cooking, but just a general un-adventurousness, if that's a word (it's not). My wife shaking up her eating habits has in turn forced me to stretch a bit, and I've been inspired to work on little things like the basil/garlic oil I whipped up for this pasta dish. Pasta dishes like this fill my plate several days a week, but the quick, easy herb oil makes it interesting and new and fresh all over again.

Ball bearings, herded back into the headset.

New and fresh and all over again has been the wonderful experience so far with the Univega mixte. It's just about wrapped up, and it went back together nicely. Look for details in an upcoming post. Here I was repacking the headset bearings. They seemed in good shape if a little dirty, so I cleaned them the best I could with household kitchen cleaning being my chemical exposure limit. The bungee cord holding the fork on was a godsend, and while it took three days to pick up all the loose ball bearings that scurried all over the floor upon disassembly.

Riding in warm weather, learning the contours of a fascinating old bike, anticipating the new road bike some time soon, and enjoying time with the family. In such an uncertain, anxiety-ridden world, there is much to be happy about. The fundamentals are sound.

Project Univega

Last weekend my wife warned that some rain was forecast for the week. I had been looking for a project bike beyond my endless loop of 24-inch mountain bikes, so I figured it might be a good week to keep an eye out for something cheap to work on.

Later that day I stopped by the Salvation Army on my way to the grocery store. I stop in semi-regularly to see if any hidden jewels show up, and while I'm not sure it's a jewel, I've been rather impressed with the $8 Univega Mixte I spied that rainy Saturday.

For $8, the fact that every part was there and functioning on a basic level was impressive. From what my cursory internet searching has turned up, my best guess (since there are some stickers/decals missing) is that it's a late 70s "Super Ten" model. It seems the Super Ten was Univega's entry-level assortment of good but basic components with a sort of heavy hi-ten frame.

One thing that seems to be said often of Univegas was that they were good bikes for the money in their day, and I'd have to agree with that, even though it's in a million pieces in my basement right now. The Suntour/SR drivetrain is honest and of good quality.

The Dia-Compe brakes seem like they might get a little finicky, but they are in great condition.

I love the saddle; there's some fraying near the bottom on one side, but it seems to be in pretty good condition.

There's something appealing about mixtes. It's way too small for me, but I guess mixtes were never intended to be thought of strictly as women's bikes. It just seems to have turned out that way. But I love that continuous bisected line from head tube to dropouts--it's like a bike with foul lines. The lugs are elegant and have nice paintwork surounding them.

My plan is to simply put it back together again. I'm repacking the bearings in the bottom bracket and the headset. The Shimano hubs laced to Araya steel rims seem perfect, so I'm not messing with them just yet. If I was going all out for a bike for my wife or something (she did raise an eyebrow of interest, so who knows), I'd switch out the rims, maybe go to an indexed setup in the rear, and replace the turkey levers in front and move to an alloy drop bar. Brooks saddle? Porteur-style bars? The sky's the limit, I guess.

But my limit is limited here. I spent $8, and I shelled out an additional $38 for new tires, bar tape, and cables (I still need tubes). So for around $60 invested, I should be able to turn a profit no problem.

In the meantime, the Univega is pretty much mission accomplished keeping me busy. It has been a joy to work on.