This is the ultimate city bike – light, comfortable, inconspicuous commuter, with plenty of gears, built to last, and mechanically perfect. While restoring this bike, I deliberately ignored its cosmetic imperfections to keep the cost low. This scruffy appearance hides a completely restored and professionally tuned machine with top quality components.

Best for 5’5″-5’11” riders. It is a vintage hybrid bike, a gravel bike by modern standards.

The Via De Oro was Univega’s high end hybrid bike, produced from 1992 to 1995, MSRP $625. This 1993 Via De Oro model uses Univega’s Bi-Axial Power Oval frame made of super light CroMoly steel tubes interestingly shaped: the top tube transforms from a vertically squished oval at the head tube to the horizontally squished oval at the seat tube. The downtube goes from a vertical oval at the head tube to the horizontal oval at the bottom bracket. 

This bike has 21-speed Shimano CX drivetrain, designed specifically for hybrids and beefed up 700c wheels with gravel/touring tires that are fast enough on paved roads and tough enough off-road.

This is Mark’s bike now.