Monthly Archives: May 2013

Univega Alpina Uno Rivendell-style townie cruiser

Posted on by
2

univega1

Inspired by the Rivendell "Bombadil" bicycle, I revisited the vintage mountain bike-as-a-townie concept with this build, starting with a 1983 Univega Alpina Uno hardtail frame.  Made of stout cro-mo tubing and featuring a gorgeous "biplane" fork crown, it makes a handsome base to build up a fun "around town" bike that can also handle gravel paths, fire trails, and the rough roads of New York City.  It has a 47cm c-c seat tube and 56cm c-c top tube, making it a good choice for riders 5' 5" to 5' 10".  Read on for more detail and pictures…

Continue reading →

1972 Italvega Super Record chrome 53cm road bike

Posted on by
2

chromital_DS1     

I built this bike up over the weekend, starting with a vintage Italian-made frame that I found online.  It was fully chromed under the paint, so I stripped the paint and polished up the chrome to a nice shine.  I added a shiny silver Shimano 600 group and Dia-Compe brakes, along with brand-new wheels and saddle that complimented the classic spartan look of the frame.

While the frame didn't have any identifying logos, some research confirmed that it's an Italvega Super Record. Italvega bikes were designed and hand-built within the noted Torresini workshop at the Torpado factory in Padua, Italy.  It was carrying a sticker from Zumwalt's Bicycles in San Diego, CA so perhaps it was their in-house brand at one point. 

It's a quality frame, with gorgeous long-point lugs and Columbus SPX tubing, one of their higher-end tubesets.  Size-wise, it's 53cm bike, with a 53cm center-to-center top tube and a 53cm center-to-top seat tube.  Read on for more pictures and details:

Continue reading →

Bridgestone MB-2 commuter townie

Posted on by
1

mb2-fullDS

This is a cute lil' commuter / townie bike I built up in the winter of 2011 for my girlfriend.  I found an old Bridgestone MB-2 frame, a high-quality lugged rigid mountain bike from the early 1990's.  It had a lot of scratches and small dents so I gave it a new coat of paint and a built-in top tube protector made of shellacked hemp twine.  Read more after the jump…

Continue reading →