Jerry Moos wrote:
>The UO-8 was, in my opinion, a good entry level recreational bike
>and really not
>bad for long distance touring,
Yes, this was the primo under $100 bike in the early '70s. There
were lots of very similar bikes from other makers, Jeunet, Mercier,
Raleigh (Grand Prix) etc. The thing that set the UO-8 above the
others as a touring bike was the 36 tooth chainring, where everybody
else used a 40 or 42.
>though a bit too heavy for any competitive
>riding. The UO-8 was my first "10 speed" in 1972 and once I
>replaced the junky
>Simplex Prestige derailleurs
The Simplex Prestige was hot stuff and a great value in, say, 1961.
It was hopelessly antiquated by the time of the '70s bike boom, but
with a sellers' market, there was no incentive for Simplex to improve
on it until it was too late.
> with Shimano Titlist, the bike was quite
>enjoyable. That said, it is not collectable, and one could probably
>never sell
>one for more than $100, with $50 probably more typical. If he rechromed the
>crank, he has probably already spent more than he'll ever recover. The only
>reason to fully restore one would be sentimental attachment to a
>bike from one's
>youth.
Right, but that can be a very good reason.
See also Carapace C. Umber's UO-8 tirade:
http://sheldonbrown.com/
Sheldon "My Evil Twin" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
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