# 1995 univega alpina - finished (with pics)



## McNewbie (Apr 5, 2008)

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=401223
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=422206

fork: 1996 marz. bomber z2 w./ speedbomb kit and blackspire brace.

stem: 1 1/8 mongoose DH stem with thompson shim.

headset: vintage chris king nothreadset.

brakes: new tektro levers, new brake cables, avid 1d-30 with kool stop salmon pads in the front and some cheap generic tektro v-brake in the back. eventually going to be dual avid SD-7s (probably)

derailleurs: shimano aceraX front and STX rear.

crankset: shimano hyperdrive-c in 24-34-42 with 7-speed rear in 11-13-15-18-21-24-28.

pedals: wellgo mg-1.

chain: replaced with sram PC-890.

handlebars: tranz-x zanzibar.

wheelset: araya 26 x 1.5" with shimano aceraX hubs; Trek slick in the front and Kenda knobbly in the back.

---

i'm having a problem with the rear derailleur in which it will catch some sort of tension in the chain or something, and flip up and bang against the chainstay. i've tried adjusting it with a screwdriver until my fingers are red and sore and i'm about to pull my hair out. what can i do to fix it? i can't really ride it hard until i get it taken care of (i imagine pulling up to do a 4' wheelie drop and my chain slips just as the front wheel goes over)

this bike is purely for riding and training on, as you can see there's no really valuable old VRC parts to it. it's a nice, reasonably light bike though and i'll be happy with it once i get all the kinks worked out.


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## wheelbender6 (Sep 25, 2007)

The Univega Alpina 969 that I own is a great climber. It's good steel.


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## jacdykema (Apr 10, 2006)

You better watch those derailleurs. Stan will try to buy them off you for whatever change he happens to have in his pockets at the time.


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## McNewbie (Apr 5, 2008)

jacdykema said:


> You better watch those derailleurs. Stan will try to buy them off you for whatever change he happens to have in his pockets at the time.


man, whatever for?

i can't get the back one to stop banging against the chainstay and slipping links.


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## jacdykema (Apr 10, 2006)

Ha ha. I've got an STX on my Slingshot right now with the same problem. I curse that derailleur daily, hopefuly I can get something else on there soon. It just seems like half the bikes Stan puts up on here have Exage or STX or something low end on them.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Headset makes up 99% of the value of the bike.

You considering upgrading that front tire?


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

seeing that headset next to that Walmart stem and top cap is kind of interesting.


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## McNewbie (Apr 5, 2008)

Rumpfy said:


> Headset makes up 99% of the value of the bike.
> 
> You considering upgrading that front tire?


lol, i know. it's not a collectable vintage build. but the parts are solid (most of them) and the bike is as light as my '05 trek hardtail was, so i'll ride it into the ground or until this one gets stolen too.

the headset i got from JmZ on ebay for a very fair price. i paid more for the shocks. i'm very pleased with both of them.

the avid brakes i picked up on ebay on a buy-it-now for $18 shipped. i think that with the kool stop pads and appropriate marketing i could resell them for a cool $40-50 judging on how some others have closed recently. that would be almost enough for a front and rear set of single digit 7's.

the guy i got the bike from (for $100) gave me two rotten sets of wheels, two slicks he'd used for commuting and 2 kenda dirt tires. you see one of each on there. only one wheel out of either set was worth putting back on the bike. yeah, they're both probably going to get switched out soon.


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## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

*hey..do some research before you open your trap...*



jacdykema said:


> Ha ha. . It just seems like half the bikes Stan puts up on here have Exage or STX or something low end on them.


I thought we were over this mudslinging... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=397986..Try going back and find a bike I've posted with Exage or STX...I don't think I've ever crossed you or made fun of you. But if it makes you feel better, go right ahead.

I actually have had good luck with the STX parts I've used in the past. If you know how to properly adjust components on a bike correctly, they work just fine.

By the way....I looked back through your posts and I don't really see you "bringing anything to the table". ...Except those hideous Sidi shoes  But I guess that explains alot about you.. .


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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

stan4bikes said:


> I thought we were over this mudslinging...


What would we be without mudslinging>


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## jacdykema (Apr 10, 2006)

stan4bikes said:


> I thought we were over this mudslinging... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=397986..Try going back and find a bike I've posted with Exage or STX...I don't think I've ever crossed you or made fun of you. But if it makes you feel better, go right ahead.
> 
> I actually have had good luck with the STX parts I've used in the past. If you know how to properly adjust components on a bike correctly, they work just fine.
> 
> By the way....I looked back through your posts and I don't really see you "bringing anything to the table". ...Except those hideous Sidi shoes  But I guess that explains alot about you.. .


Whoa, no offense meant there fella. I was just going off what I considered was good natured ribbing that was part and parcel of this forum. Stan likes blue collar bikes, Gwin' has that crazy Klein, this person likes this, this person has a thing for this, Rumpfy and Hollister's ongoing thing with Ruthie's bike (I not even sure what that's about). I seriously meant no offense whatsoever.

As I stated in the post I'm running a STX derailleur on my beater Slingshot right now so if I was trying to disparage anyone I certainly would not have volunteered that fact. I was having good luck with it until it started wearing out which it did much faster that some of my nicer stuff. I love cheaper stuff. Its what keeps bikes going. I can't afford to put XTR or XC Pro on everything and even if I could I don't know if I'd want to put the wear and tear on it when its mostly just my back and forth to school and work bike.

As far as "not bringing anything to the table", I think I have contributed as much and maybe more than I have time for as a full time student at University of Michigan who also happens to work a lot. As a "broke ass college student" I also have VERY limited funds as well as time to hunt down bikes and parts so I tend to work very slowly. I have posted a few things about my Slingshots but neither is completely done and I wanted to make sure everything on them is perfect before I properly submit them to the scrutiny of "the elders" on this forum (that includes you) who I have learned a sh1t ton from since I started watching this forum and who I have massive amounts of respect for.

As far as the shoes, of course they are hideous. That was the point.

In summation Stan, I meant no offense whatsoever. I think its cool how many bikes th' Hoove has treated us to on a frequent basis. I also think its cool that you pick up and ride bikes that are old, cool and ridable; not just museum pieces. I was just ribbing you in a way I thought was both accepted and encouraged on this forum.

I apologize.


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## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

*No harm..no foul*



jacdykema said:


> Whoa, no offense meant there fella. I was just going off what I considered was good natured ribbing that was part and parcel of this forum. Stan likes blue collar bikes, Gwin' has that crazy Klein, this person likes this, this person has a thing for this, Rumpfy and Hollister's ongoing thing with Ruthie's bike (I not even sure what that's about). I seriously meant no offense whatsoever.
> 
> I apologize.


 No problem, just throwin it back at ya. My job here is to rile it up once in a while....at least I wasn't whining 

But "Blue Collar" doesn't mean low end bikes and parts.


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## JmZ (Jan 10, 2004)

Looks like a definite rider. Enjoy.

I'm still running the STX front mech, it's one of the only two parts left from when I bought it (the other is the stem.  ).

The 'Vega was one of the first bikes that felt inspired. A production bike no doubt, but not the same as the Giant's/Specialized's, and the like that were all around when I got mine.

JmZ


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## jacdykema (Apr 10, 2006)

I agree. I always liked the look of the Vegas. The super skinny steel tubing is something I've always liked on bikes. Univega and Kona both did a good job of this on mid-level bikes as well as their higher end bikes back in the day.


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## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

jacdykema said:


> As far as the shoes, of course they are hideous. That was the point.


Dude, the shoes are awesome. Anyone who equates the color of shoes, clothes, bikes, etc. w/ sexual orientation is a narrow-minded moron...

BTW, low-end components can work just fine, as many people has said. I'm running a 200 GS drivetrain w/ 9-spd bar-end shifters (worth more than the bike) on friction mode and everything works great. Some people seem to think that unless you're running the best components you might as well not waste your time. Screw those people, go ride. It's that much better when you pass 'em...


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## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

Haha, I just noticed the Wal-Mart Kenda rear tire. I threw a new pair of those on my Kona and I actually kinda like 'em. I hate the look but I ride the bike on the street and to the trails so the connected tread in the middle helps 'em roll well and they seem to offer pretty decent traction off-road. They're probably not the most durable but I haven't had a problem yet...


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## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

*hmmmmm?*



Slimpee said:


> Dude, the shoes are awesome. Anyone who equates the color of shoes, clothes, bikes, etc. w/ sexual orientation is a narrow-minded moron...
> 
> ...


If that was in reference to my comment about the shoes...I wasn't implying ANYTHING about sexual orientation, just that they were hideous.....where did that come from?


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## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

stan4bikes said:


> If that was in reference to my comment about the shoes...I wasn't implying ANYTHING about sexual orientation, just that they were hideous.....where did that come from?





stan4bikes said:


> Except those hideous Sidi shoes But I guess that explains alot about you.. .


Tone certainly is hard to read over the internet...


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

I find that reading all posts in this forum with a heavy sarcastic tone tends to eschew any obfuscation of implied meaning or intent.


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## jacdykema (Apr 10, 2006)

Concerning the sexual orientation of my shoes goes, I don't mind anyone calling them gay. I love the gays! My shoes are also Italian (ie. Euro) and as everyone knows, Italians are often mistaken for gays due to their impecable fashion sense. In either case, I bought them because they are old and loud and likely to make all the track bike hipsters around here look at me like I'm from Mars.

As far as forum etiquette goes, I think two good rules are:

I. Don't be a d!ck. 
a. If you are going to be a d!ck, be a funny d!ck who means no harm.
b. If you are going to be a serious d!ck, you deserve any smack talking you get

II. When someone is a d!ck to you assume that its all in good fun unless you have a good reason to believe otherwise.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Those alpinas are actually nice frames... aside from the 1" steerer tubes. You boys will REALLY laugh at the one i'm doing though when its done.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

jacdykema said:


> Concerning the sexual orientation of my shoes goes, I don't mind anyone calling them gay. I love the gays! My shoes are also Italian (ie. Euro) and as everyone knows, Italians are often mistaken for gays due to their impecable fashion sense. In either case, I bought them because they are old and loud and likely to make all the track bike hipsters around here look at me like I'm from Mars.
> 
> As far as forum etiquette goes, I think two good rules are:
> 
> ...


great rules. some people are too sensitive around here adding jr high drama to the forum which is not really needed.

now where is Dick? He was good at 1a.


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Slimpee said:


> Dude, the shoes are awesome.


I agree. I immediately looked on eBay for a pair my size (45 by the way hint hint). They are way cooler than the mid 90s blue and yellow Doms I have.



Slimpee said:


> BTW, low-end components can work just fine, as many people has said. I'm running a 200 GS drivetrain w/ 9-spd bar-end shifters (worth more than the bike) on friction mode and everything works great. Some people seem to think that unless you're running the best components you might as well not waste your time. Screw those people, go ride. It's that much better when you pass 'em...


Agreed again. We sold TONS of LX and STX rear ders to 'racers' who finally got tired of replacing XT or XTR derailleurs they had worn out or shreaded. Southeast roots and clay are hard on bikes you know.


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## jacdykema (Apr 10, 2006)

IF52 said:


> Southeast roots and clay are hard on bikes you know.


F'real man. I did the Helen, GA NORBA in 1995(?) and I messed up so many parts that weekend between the roots and the clay (and the $*&#'in mud).


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## McNewbie (Apr 5, 2008)

JmZ said:


> I'm still running the STX front mech, it's one of the only two parts left from when I bought it (the other is the stem.  ).


yeah, the aceraX front derailleur is shifting fine and not giving me any trouble. it's the STX in the back that's giving me such a headache. i may end up replacing it with the deore XT or similar quality SRAM.

*so* guys, what do i do about the STX 7 speed rear derailleur popping up and hitting the chainstay at random times and not even necessarily under load? :madman:

is it the chain?? the new SRAM chain i put on there is exactly the same length as the old generic one and i haven't made any changes to the drivetrain. it was in pretty poor shape and i didn't get to ride it much to see if it had that issue before i took it all apart and put it back together again.


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