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Conference noted::bicycle

Title: Bicycling
Notice:Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:JAMIN::WASSER
Created:Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3214
Total number of notes:31946

1155.0. "Univega Brand" by AKOV11::SHIH (Koyin Shih, GIA FS Business Information) Wed May 10 1989 14:31

    
      
    I am thinking of buying a used woman's Univega 12-sp racing bike
    for non-racing, pure recreational riding.  Is Univega a good brand?
    (I wouldn't want the bike to crumple on my when I hit a rock, etc...)
    Is $275 a reasonable for this bike that is supposedly in 'mint'
    condition?
    
    Any info will be very helpful.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Koyin
    
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1155.1HARD TO SAYWMOIS::C_GIROUARDWed May 10 1989 15:4511
     The questions are tough not knowing the model and how old the
    bike is. You're going to draw some opinions on the "women's"
    bike though. Assuming "women's" means a mixte frame, my vote
    is that even though the riding you wish to do is recreational,
    "roads is roads" and most of the time they won't be great, the
    mixte frame is weaker than the "so-called" men's frame. 
    
     My limited knowledge of geometry, coupled with conversational
    input and some reading is what my "MIXTE OPINION" is based.
    
     Chip
1155.2...I'll keep looking...:-)AKOV11::SHIHKoyin Shih, GIA FS Business InformationWed May 10 1989 17:0034
              <<< RAINBO::$2$DJA6:[NOTES$LIBRARY]BICYCLE.NOTE;1 >>>
                                -<  Bicycling  >-
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Note 1155.2                       Univega Brand                           2 of 2
AKOV11::SHIH "Koyin Shih, GIA FS Business Informati" 25 lines  10-MAY-1989 12:48
                        -< ...I'll keep looking...:-) >-
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    Yep---the bike I was considering is a mixte.  I didn't even know
    what the mixte meant until today.  Knowing what I know now,
    I think I'll pass up on this offer.  (Unfortunately, I didn't know
    the model/year either...)
    
    Back in high school about 8 years ago, the big name brands seemed
    to be Fuji, Peugeot, Schwinn. Back then, I owned a men's 10-sp Schwinn 
    le tour. (For some reason, I remember that men's bikes were 'in' so all
    the females simply bought men's bikes because they were in fashion...
    I never considered the structural advantages until now..tee hee)
    My younger brother has since confiscated my Schwinn and tells
    me it's still in great condition!  Anyways, I just started my
    search for another bike recently and I've been overwhelmed by all
    the new names, new available add-ons, accessories...etc....
 
    I'll keep reading this notesfile to overwhelm myself even more!
    Are there any brand names that are fairly respectable/reliable across all
    their bike models?
    
    Thanks for your reply.........
    I'll keep searching through the Want Advertizer magazine...
    
    
    Koyin
    
1155.3DON'T JUDGE A BOOK...WMOIS::C_GIROUARDThu May 11 1989 11:0019
    Just (what I believe to be) a generality "rule" today. The industry
    has become EXtremely competitive. You'll find that there will be
    a commonality among components use by different companies in price
    ranges. The only differences being the frame itself (and this might
    only transfer into paint and logo since some companies sub-contract
    their frames from other, e.g. Schwinn) and minor stuff like tires,
    rims, etc...
    
    I guess what I'm trying to say is they'll be fairly even in quality
    and reliability within purchase price ranges. The major variables
    will be age of the bicycle (may or may not be important), and the
    biggie will be how well the owner took care of it.
    
    Different makes... VERY subjective. Kinda like the question; "Which
    car do you prefer, Chevy or Ford?"
    
    Have fun hunting, there are a lot of 'em out there.
    
    Chip
1155.4Shop the Shops tooBOOKIE::CROCKERThu May 11 1989 20:027
    Take a look at new bikes too.  Even if you buy used, the knowledge
    you can aquire by visiting several reputable shops should be valuable,
    and you can learn about fairly recent innovations like indexed shifting
    (where you're much less apt to undershift or overshift, because
    your shift lever clicks into place).
    
    Justin