Classic & Vintage - Nishiki Professional

I've been looking up and down for information on Nishiki's and I have been having a lot of trouble finding anything. So far what I know is they made some real quality bikes back in the 80s and then since then they only sell in Europe?

I picked this bike up in a garage sale for $5 and I was wondering what you can tell me about it as im fixing it up. I assume its from around the 1980's as I heard someone drop the name Nishiki Professional and circa 1980 in the same sentence.

Here are the specs:

Frame: Nishiki Professional (green) Double Butted Chrome Moly
Serial: KH20066
Front derailleur: Sun Tour SL on back "MAEDA INDUSTRIES, LTD"
Rear derailleur: Sun Tour CycloneGt
Breaks: Weinmann type 500
Gear Shifts: Sun Tour Power
Hubs: Shimano quick releases and hubs (not sure of any more info on hubs as I didnt see anything else listed)
Tire Frame: Araya (if that means anything)
Break Handles: Shimano Durance
Handles: Nitto Universiade 105 (also on it in a circle the initials SR)
Saddle Post: TAIHEL Compe
Saddle: Fujita Seamless SuperDeluxe Y.F.C
Crank: Sugino <50> also says "Mighty Competition"
Peddles: Kyokuto Pro Ace
Freewheel: Shimano SR

Its a pretty light setup all together. If you can tell me anything about the parts and bike I'd really appreciate it.

If you do a search on all forums on nishiki pro, you'll find more info. A user name pucci has posted good photos of his nishiki pro in the thread "Show off your classic rides".

If it is a Nishiki pro, it is a top of the line production built Japanese racing bike. The Sugino Mity Competition crankset is a very good crankset; an almost exact copy of the Campagnolo Nouvo Record crankset. The other parts are consistently high quality as you describe them although it sounds as though someone may have replaced the brakes and brake levers. It would be very unusual for a Japanese bike to have Weinman brakes and Shimano Durace brake levers.

Great deal for 5 bucks no matter what condition it is in.

In 1971, the American Eagle Semi-Pro (double-butted CrMo main triangle) was the top of the Nishiki line. The company renamed this the Competition in 1972 and added the Road Compe (full CrMo frame/fork/stays) in 1973. Your Professional was the next step in this evolution and is probably a 1976 +/- a year or so. The Araya rims are decent and the SunTour gears are world-class, but the Sugino cranks can break suddenly from metal fatigue. (Been there; done that; ouch!)

Hi Kayman,

Does your Nishiki Professional have a "K" cutout in the bottom of the bottom bracket hanger? I'm trying to identify a frameset that I have, so I can paint it and get it back on the road.

Thanks,

Steve Dahlquist
Velochrome Frameset Painting
V 559-592-6367
F 559-592-2585
C 559-967-3318
steve@velochrome.com
22582 Carson Avenue
Exeter, California 93221
www.Velochrome.com

Nice bike. I, too, have snapped Sugino cranks in half while pedaling. At first I thought it was because I was manly, but now I realize it was a manufacturing defect :mad: Bah.

Seriously, you have a really nice find there. Many of the components are worth more than you paid for the bike-- far more. I'd enjoy it.

We seem to have a sudden flood of nice thrift store and yard sale finds lately. Everyone else must be dumping their old bikes. I think I'll go out today and see if I can't corner the market :) .

yeah. i found a beautiful old nishiki professional with a complete campy NR grupo at a salvation army in connecticut about a year ago for 15 bucks. it was a little hard to keep a poker face when they told me how much they wanted for it. funny cause they had a fairly nice trek 400? with midgrade old shimano stuff on it which i also bought at the same time, and the furniture guy who told me the price is like, "that one (the trek) is pretty nice. thats gonna be $30", then he points at the nishiki and says, "and that thing, you can have that for 15."
maybe this is salvation army's little ploy to get me to believe in god...

The Professional debuted in the Nishiki line-up in 1973, but the presence of a Cyclone derailleur indicates it is 1975 or later. I haven't seen any cases of '80s Professionals. All the Professionals I've seen had SunTour/Sugino/Dia-Compe components. The presence of the Shimano components seem out of place and they are probably replacements, as are the Weinmann brakes.You don't mention if the tires are tubular or clincher. The Professional was intended for racing and came equipped with tubulars.

I have a 1981 (I think) Nishiki Professional, equipped with a complete Campagnolo NR group, 3ttt bars and stem. My date guess is based on the rear derailleur date of '81, and I have a 1981 Nishiki catalog that shows the identical-looking bike. It was re-painted in the late '80s (according to the previous owner), without decals, but gorgeous paint - silever to brown metallic fade, highlighted lugs. The Campy logos on all of the components have been filled with yellow paint. Does anyone know of a source for the correct decals?

Another recent find is, I suspect, a mid- to late-70s Pro. The frame is completely chromed, exposed at the head lugs, seat stay caps, fork ends and rear (short Suntour) droputs. The rear dropouts are spaced at 120mm, it has a five-speed freewheel on Shimano hubs, Suntour deraillerus and a Sugino crankset with 50x48 rings. Features I've not seen before on a Nishiki are the large, pointed lugs with triangular window cutouts, and a twin-plate (biplane) fork crown, also chromed. The fork blades are 22mm round, as on a track bike. Front and rear dropouts have eyelets. Wheelbase is just under 100cm. The bike has a vivid translucent green paint job over the chrome (what the Brits call "flam," I think), with a contracting black head tube and a black panel and bands on the seat tube. The metal head badge is the "M" shaped eagle. The style of this bike could not be more distinct from my '81, so I'm wondering if it's much earlier or a completely different model. It seems to have too many nice details to be a middle-of-the-road bike, and the 120mm rear spacing suggests an older model. I will post some photos in my online gallery at:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/Dave-Ross-collection
Any feedback or opinions are very welcome.