Univega Alpina Racelite 500, back from the dead?
Discussion
I've begun cycling the commute to the railway station when I venture into London to visit the office. Currently I'm riding a hardtail MTB which, I've got to be honest, sticks out in the cycle rack and I've been somewhat concerned about it getting nicked. Not that it's particularly valuable or anything, but no one needs that hassle in their life.
Therefore I've hatched a plan to ride something else. My old Univega had been languishing in the shed at my parents holiday home on the coast. It was in decent condition when it went in there, so I asked them to bring it back next time they were going down. The plan was to sling some slick tyres on it, give it a grease up and away we go. It turns out ten years (or more) exposed to the coastal atmosphere does bicycle components no favours:
What's the best plan of attack here, strip the whole thing down and replace parts where needed? Will this cost me more time and money then it's worth? Am I crackers?
Therefore I've hatched a plan to ride something else. My old Univega had been languishing in the shed at my parents holiday home on the coast. It was in decent condition when it went in there, so I asked them to bring it back next time they were going down. The plan was to sling some slick tyres on it, give it a grease up and away we go. It turns out ten years (or more) exposed to the coastal atmosphere does bicycle components no favours:
What's the best plan of attack here, strip the whole thing down and replace parts where needed? Will this cost me more time and money then it's worth? Am I crackers?
It will be s
t, old school geometry is horrendous, you can’t even make a single speed hack out of it without spending money and trying to restore that and replace the knackered parts is just throwing time and money away on something that’s not worth it. It’s not a great frame, just generic double butted chromoly and the STX rear mech suggests mid range at very best.
save yourself all the hassle, go to Evans, buy the Pinnacle Neon 1, job done.
t, old school geometry is horrendous, you can’t even make a single speed hack out of it without spending money and trying to restore that and replace the knackered parts is just throwing time and money away on something that’s not worth it. It’s not a great frame, just generic double butted chromoly and the STX rear mech suggests mid range at very best.save yourself all the hassle, go to Evans, buy the Pinnacle Neon 1, job done.
OP - ignore pablo and listen to rastapasta. It's always worth renovating a bike if it has a halfway decent frame as a base. Renew/regrease all of the bearings, clean up the brakes and fit new pads. A set of decent tyres, and a new (or new-ish) mid range drive train (including fresh cables) to top it off and it would make a decent station bike.
A commute bike needs to be reliable, but not stick out enough to attract the attention of the ill-disposed. That would tick the boxes, and whatever it costs, if it saves you from worrying about your nice hard tail MTB while you're at work, then it's job done.
Alternatively, if it looks like it'll cost too much to put right, and if it would fit me, then I'd appreciate it if you'd consider me before throwing it in a skip. I quite like "old school geometry" and have a spares box of parts that could turn that into a decent gravel Frankenbike at relatively low cost. I'm always on the lookout for a frame that doesn't have sentimental value to someone, or that attracts 'Hipster Tax', in order to use up a groupset that currently hangs on the bent frame of a road bike I had a collision while riding.
My only concern would be the potential for corrosion to have taken hold inside the tubes of the frame. A good look over it before proceeding should allay any fears though.
Good luck with it!
A commute bike needs to be reliable, but not stick out enough to attract the attention of the ill-disposed. That would tick the boxes, and whatever it costs, if it saves you from worrying about your nice hard tail MTB while you're at work, then it's job done.
Alternatively, if it looks like it'll cost too much to put right, and if it would fit me, then I'd appreciate it if you'd consider me before throwing it in a skip. I quite like "old school geometry" and have a spares box of parts that could turn that into a decent gravel Frankenbike at relatively low cost. I'm always on the lookout for a frame that doesn't have sentimental value to someone, or that attracts 'Hipster Tax', in order to use up a groupset that currently hangs on the bent frame of a road bike I had a collision while riding.
My only concern would be the potential for corrosion to have taken hold inside the tubes of the frame. A good look over it before proceeding should allay any fears though.
Good luck with it!
Skinwall panaracer smoke/dart tyres... don't bin them, the retro MTB brigade will pay good money for them if not perished ;-)
Was probably a £500 bike back in 1995-96. Will still ride better than a £150 halfords bike though, so if you can get it going for less than that, happy days.
Mechs might be savable… i'd stick them and the cassette in a bath of something like bilt hamber deox. New chain needed for sure. Shifters are mainly plastic inside so might be ok. You can't put 8 speed or more cassettes on 7 speed rear wheels, the widths are wrong. Chainrings look too far gone but you could replace the chainset cheap enough, loads of second hand bits out there.
Agree with Yellowjack- give the frame a very good check over for corrosion though. My dad has a steel Marin MTB of similar vintage that has severe rust in the downtube and probably isn't safe to ride- it does take hold eventually.
Was probably a £500 bike back in 1995-96. Will still ride better than a £150 halfords bike though, so if you can get it going for less than that, happy days.
Mechs might be savable… i'd stick them and the cassette in a bath of something like bilt hamber deox. New chain needed for sure. Shifters are mainly plastic inside so might be ok. You can't put 8 speed or more cassettes on 7 speed rear wheels, the widths are wrong. Chainrings look too far gone but you could replace the chainset cheap enough, loads of second hand bits out there.
Agree with Yellowjack- give the frame a very good check over for corrosion though. My dad has a steel Marin MTB of similar vintage that has severe rust in the downtube and probably isn't safe to ride- it does take hold eventually.
pablo said:
It will be st, old school geometry is horrendous, you can’t even make a single speed hack out of it without spending money and trying to restore that and replace the knackered parts is just throwing time and money away on something that’s not worth it. It’s not a great frame, just generic double butted chromoly and the STX rear mech suggests mid range at very best.
save yourself all the hassle, go to Evans, buy the Pinnacle Neon 1, job done.
And as a counter to the above, as long as the frame isn’t damaged due to rust then try and save it. If you’ve got the ability to strip and rebuild a bicycle, there’s a huge amount of satisfaction in bringing one back that most would consider ready for the tip. Set a budget though! t, old school geometry is horrendous, you can’t even make a single speed hack out of it without spending money and trying to restore that and replace the knackered parts is just throwing time and money away on something that’s not worth it. It’s not a great frame, just generic double butted chromoly and the STX rear mech suggests mid range at very best.save yourself all the hassle, go to Evans, buy the Pinnacle Neon 1, job done.
Look, i’m all for bike resurrection but that’s just not worth it for the end product, I just about get the fascination with steel Joe Murray-era Konas but a Univega isn’t the same, it needs the following replaced be it new, second hand etc etc;
-rear mech
-front mech
-screw on 7 speed block (assuming the old one comes off ok)
-New cable inners and outers
-square taper triple chain set, those chainrings are fked and look like they are riveted on so that needs replacing
-chain
-brake blocks
-new bottom bracket, you may get away with it but why not replace given you’re committing to it
-new headset bearing, again you may be lucky but they will almost certainly need renewing
So that’s about £150 for a station hack. Then there is the following I’d seriously consider;
-Wheels, because putting your faith in 25 year old spokes that have been exposed to salt air on our potholed roads is brave
-Tyres and tubes, there is a substantial risk they will fail when there is a decent amount of psi in there
And factor in the cost of any tools you’ll need to do it that you may not already have. Remember the People saying save it aren’t the ones who will have to put the time or money into it, I’m just being realistic.
-rear mech
-front mech
-screw on 7 speed block (assuming the old one comes off ok)
-New cable inners and outers
-square taper triple chain set, those chainrings are f
ked and look like they are riveted on so that needs replacing -chain
-brake blocks
-new bottom bracket, you may get away with it but why not replace given you’re committing to it
-new headset bearing, again you may be lucky but they will almost certainly need renewing
So that’s about £150 for a station hack. Then there is the following I’d seriously consider;
-Wheels, because putting your faith in 25 year old spokes that have been exposed to salt air on our potholed roads is brave
-Tyres and tubes, there is a substantial risk they will fail when there is a decent amount of psi in there
And factor in the cost of any tools you’ll need to do it that you may not already have. Remember the People saying save it aren’t the ones who will have to put the time or money into it, I’m just being realistic.
All of that is true of you're looking for perfection but for a commuting hack not really needed. It depends what is still moving and working.
If the cables still move the brakes and derailleurs, and the bars and crank turn smoothly and don't feel or sound dry and notchy, you could probably get away with replacing the chain and brake blocks and slinging some slick tyres on it and away you go. If everything still works the rest is just cosmetic.
Could be as little as £40-£50 to make it suitable to leave at the station.
If the cables still move the brakes and derailleurs, and the bars and crank turn smoothly and don't feel or sound dry and notchy, you could probably get away with replacing the chain and brake blocks and slinging some slick tyres on it and away you go. If everything still works the rest is just cosmetic.
Could be as little as £40-£50 to make it suitable to leave at the station.
The point isn’t to make a hack bike on the cheap that’s not going to get stolen, it’s to make it safe enough to ride on the road with other traffic. I don’t want you hitting me just because your safety critical parts are rusted to fk and you thought it didn’t matter because you couldn’t be arsed to spend money on repairs or a decent lock.
k and you thought it didn’t matter because you couldn’t be arsed to spend money on repairs or a decent lock.pablo said:
The point isn’t to make a hack bike on the cheap that’s not going to get stolen.
I think that's exactly the point isn't it? What isn't the point is spending £350 on a brand new bike, as you suggested, to replace a relatively low spec hardtail which is currently in use, with the intention of worrying less about it getting stolen! I think you are answering a question which hasn't been asked.OP, I spend a fair sized chunk of my working life bringing bikes back in to regular use, which come to me in condition very similar to this. From what I can see in the pictures I suspect it will be mostly fine as I've said. How far you go with it is up to you but it looks like a perfect starting point for a station bike to me.
Good luck with it, enjoy working on it, and shout if you need any advice.
Well, it's back on the road.
Stripped it all down, removed rust where possible (Bilt-Hamber Deox was a good shout), greased up and reassembled. Needed a new bottom bracket, chain, derailleur jockey wheels, cables and brake blocks.
More than serviceable now, if I ever need to ride to the station ever again it will be perfect.
Stripped it all down, removed rust where possible (Bilt-Hamber Deox was a good shout), greased up and reassembled. Needed a new bottom bracket, chain, derailleur jockey wheels, cables and brake blocks.
More than serviceable now, if I ever need to ride to the station ever again it will be perfect.
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