Univega Rover 304 for light touring ?

[widowmaker]

Been offered a Univega Rover 304 steel bike frame for a very modest ammount. Pretty sure the guy said it was Anodised.

I had a Racelite Alpina a few years back and was a decent bike and nice to ride.

I know the Rover is lower in the range, and probably eat headgaskets , but anyone have any experience of them, are they durable and able to hold up to some touring with pannier racks etc.

 

[hamster]

Any mid-range steel MTB frame should make a decent tourer. Frame geometry can vary, it's suck it and see how to load up without the handling. My Marin for example is fine with front and rear panniers unless it's towing a trailer, in which case the front panniers have to come off.

 

[Nabeaquam]

I use mine all the time. Road riding 100+ miles and gravel 80 miles. Mine is a straight gauge Univega chrome moly touring frame with triple heavy cheap chainrings that I added, 7 speed so no spread of the chain stays, canti brakes, 29er double walled hoops laced to a vintage front French hub and thread on rear hub. A modern cockpit with brake shifters and cross top brakes. it has 38 mm gravel kings that required chain stay dimpling. I really load this bike down for wilderness gravel riding and camping in the bush as straight gauge tubing can take a lot. I used rivet nuts to mount the bottle racks. It wasn’t finished in this photo. It now has the bottle mounts and a front rack. Its made from my parts stash so it’s got some vintage stuff on it but I have no problem keeping up or slowing down with the high dollar carbon gravel bikes. If it’s Univega it should be good.

 

[widowmaker]

I use mine all the time. Road riding 100+ miles and gravel 80 miles. Mine is a straight gauge Univega chrome moly touring frame with triple heavy cheap chainrings that I added, 7 speed so no spread of the chain stays, canti brakes, 29er double walled hoops laced to a vintage front French hub and thread on rear hub. A modern cockpit with brake shifters and cross top brakes. it has 38 mm gravel kings that required chain stay dimpling. I really load this bike down for wilderness gravel riding and camping in the bush as straight gauge tubing can take a lot. I used rivet nuts to mount the bottle racks. It wasn’t finished in this photo. It now has the bottle mounts and a front rack. Its made from my parts stash so it’s got some vintage stuff on it but I have no problem keeping up or slowing down with the high dollar carbon gravel bikes. If it’s Univega it should be good.View attachment 547934

I like that very much, my Univega is plain 4130, and am hoping one day to build it up. I did have an Alpine model which was nice but gave it away

 

[hamster]

Any steel MTB frame is a good start as a tourer - short of a very thin tubeset like Prestige or 753 it will be strong enough. Typically the lower-end framesets make happier conversions IME - the heavier tubing stops the bike being squirmy under load.

 

[widowmaker]

Just got myself a 95 Marin Palisades frame/forks to build as a tourer which fits the bill nicely.

Sadly the Univega frame will be passed on, I'll probably end up giving it away as Karma.

 

[hamster]

I've toured for 25 years on a Palisades over 4 continents. They convert really successfully. Good choice!

 

[widowmaker]

It wasn't my choice, it was a recommendation of yours ages ago after reading in the Retrobike Touring thread

Now just need to decide what colour to Powdercoat it.

Quite fancy Grey with Black forks.

 

[Nabeaquam]

I like that very much, my Univega is plain 4130, and am hoping one day to build it up. I did have an Alpine model which was nice but gave it away

Let us see it as you work on it and for sure the finished bike.