I have only been the caretaker of this bike a handful of years, but it has become an old pal. Not much different than that favorite pair of walking shoes that no longer look pristine , but are so comfy you hope they don’t wear out. Unlike shoes , bikes can outlast us if proper care is given, even if at some point of their history they are neglected.
I got this poor , neglected bike and just knew with a bit (quite a bit) of effort it could be a fairly decent bike. I actually was going to harvest parts from it and let the frame go cheap to some other enthusiast to deal with. It was during “the harvest” that I became fascinated with the quality of it under layers of rust. Some of you may have seen my posts about the resurrection. It was truly a labor of love but every time I take it out I am glad I did it. At 63cm it is a perfect fit and I can ride for hours with no discomfort. Smooth and predictable, “Rusty” just behaves like a thoroughbred even in tight corners.
The serial number states that this bike was made September 1972, I was almost eighteen years old at that time and someone with a larger budget than me bought this bike in Fresno California according to the bike shop sticker still on the bottom of the seat tube. I don’t know how many hands it has passed through or how it ended up in a field in Moro Bay California , but I am really happy to be part of the 50th anniversary of its build. I hope to have it for a long time as we both age together.
So, Happy Birthday, Rusty and thank you for the happy miles we have traveled. Looking forward to many more……. Joe
joesvintageroadbikes 
Hey Joe! I was just given a Gran Rally model of Italvega that was in comparable condition as yours was. The original owner who gifted me the bike said he bought it new from a shop up in Los Angeles in 1980. It has a serial # of 8064. I believe it is an early 1970s bike like yours. Would you share your serial # with me? That way I can confirm it is as old as I think it is. I don’t believe Italvegas were even produced later than 1978. I feel he bought this bike in 1980 (which he is sure of the year) but the bike had been sitting for many years in that shop. Thanks in advance, Joe.
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Hey Tom, congratulations on your recent acquisition. My serial number is 209747 flanked by stars. I am told by someone who knows these bikes that means it was built in the 9th month of 1972. I think the Gran Rally is fairly rare , I have only seen a couple and they were the same color as mine , a rose gold silver. I don’t think they were made for more than a year or so before coming out with the Super Record model which shares a lot of the same features as the Gran Rally. It is not the top of the line but close , the Super Light was tops , I believe. Sometime in the late seventies , the brand was changed to Univega and instead of a Torpado build(Italy) , they were made in Japan. I would love to see pics of your bike.
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I am on FaceBook as Tom Campus. My Italvega Gran Rally was just posted there as are many of my 400 vintage bikes
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Any bike made with Columbus Tres tubing was not close to the top of the Italvega line. The Gran Rally with its triangle shaped Columbus tubing decal signifying “Tres Tubing” was at the bottom of the line.. It was still head and shoulders above other brands that were comparably equipped price-wise. My Gran Record serial # is 8064 and a FaceBook friend living in northern California has one he bought new in 1972 and is flawless with a serial # of 8171. I will send another email outlining what my Gran Rally originally came with.
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