Last Updated on May 23, 2022 by FAB Jim The Cyclist
Univega was the creation of Ben Lawee in the 1970s. He had a long history as an importer of bikes like Motobecane and Bianchi. The first brand he created was Italvega and these bikes were made in Italy. In the mid 70s he moved production to Miyata in Japan and the brand changed to Univega. The brand is well known for its road and mountain bike models. Lawee designed and spec’d out all the bikes. The bikes they made prove he was very good at designing bikes.
Lawee was constantly unhappy with the offerings by all the current bike brands. He felt they were too expensive or often didn’t meet the needs of riders. He spec’d high quality bikes that were fun to ride and affordable. His slogan was “Ride it your way”.
Models
Activa Action
Activa Country
Activa Trail
Alpina Sport
Alpina Uno
Competizione
Custom Maxima
Gran Rally
Gran Premio
Gran Turismo
Maxima Sport
Metroten
Nuevo Sport
Pro Comp
Rover Sport
Specialissima
Sportour
Superlight
Super Strada
Via Carisma
Via De Oro AL
Via Montega
Lawee sold the brand to Raleigh in 1996, and I think they slowly disappeared from the market afterward. In 2018 Univega was bought by Kent International, and they are bringing the brand back. Bikes are all assembled in the USA.
1983 Univega Super Strada
Will be adding more info and pictures soon.
Nice ride
They are!
I’ve been looking for this!