Twennie Dollah

Which is what my new project cost me.
Okay, not really, for along with my twenty bucks I got a cool astronomy book:



I think they wanted a couple of bucks for the book so the frame was actually only eighteen bucks.
It was what they call a no brainer.
I think.
Get it? no brainer? I think? brain? think?
Nevermind.
So anyways, I've been on the outs ever since I got rid of my Globe Vienna. It was a do all bike with a rear rack and front basket.
Nice to just ride to the store to pick up some cheese rolls and kim chee or whatever.
I mean I can't exactly stuff some kim chee in my jersey pocket and ride on home.
Okay, I can but well, I don't.
This Univega is just what I was looking for:



I eyeballed the frame and figured it was around a 48 or 49, it came out to a 49. The thing I liked was that tall head tube, so tall that I got me a bike that I can ride in what the airline folks call a full upright position.
It's a 27 incher, so I'm not too sure what I'm going to do about that since I haven't checked the wheels yet. I'm thinking the rear is a free wheel and I got no idea on how to work with those or even take them apart.
I'll have to do some research.
The spokes are all oxidized and stuff but if the wheels are true, I think I'll use them.
Or maybe I can send them out and have them rebuilt with Sapim CXrays or something.
Kidding!
It has Diacomp brakes so I may be working with those also:



The 5 speed shifters are Shimano, friction type though the rear has that lock out lever so maybe it's supposed to be indexed:



I moved the lever and they don't index so maybe it's just toast.
Front and rear derailleurs still work even if they are a bit weathered:



The frame is actually in pretty good condition, not too much surface rust and doesn't look like any of it is pitting.
It didn't come with a seat post so that's one of the first things I'll be looking for.
No, not the aero kind!
I have no clue what kind of tubing it has although it says it's butted:



There's a Made in Japan sticker so I suppose it was made by Miyata.
The Sugino cranks turned but they felt a bit loose. I'll have to check the bottom bracket and see if there's any funky grinding noises. It's a triple with what appears to be a 48 big ring.
I couldn't exactly flip it over and test it since it has no seat, but I'll be getting to that later tonight or tomorrow.
The really cool thing is that I finally got a bike with a real head badge:



I apologize for the images, I took them in the fading light yesterday.
Better pics as I get started.
Now on this bike, I've sort of decided I'm going cheap. If it was an Italian Univega, I might get a are you happy to see me bulge, but in this case it's a Japanese bike so it will be a budget restoration.
I'll use as many of the original parts I can and look for the cheapest replacements I can find.
Then again, I still got that nine speed Campagnolo Mirage stuff sitting in a box doing nothing. If the rear spacing is 126 it may be good to go.
That's a big maybe.
I can at least use the derailleurs and maybe change it to downtube shifting.
Oh, and just by chance, I picked me up an adjustable 70mm quill on the eVilness the other day.
The 27 inch wheels sort of bother me, so I'll try my other wheels in there to see if there's the possibility of a conversion. If not, it's okay, I'll work with what I got.
Okay, so here's the raw material for what will soon to become The Flat Tire Super Meetay(TFTSM)!
Stay tuned.