Touring - Repairing an old friend.

I did a lot of touring in the late 80s and into the 90s on a Nishiki international (bought circa 1986-1987). Most trips were either weekend camping jaunts or longer camping trips up to two weeks. I used this bike for general riding & commuting for a few years as well. I really enjoyed riding the bike.

I haven't been riding for several years. The bike is in a sorry state: worn out suntour freewheel, beat up paint, some rust pitting on the stem, rusted bolts for bottle cages, suntour RD beat up, bottom bracket & headseat probably need to be replaced... etc etc.

I would like to restore and update this bike as a project, and I'd like to do the work by myself. I think I can do a serviceable paint job, I can install cables & new RD, I can probably put a new freewheel on, but some of the other mechanical stuff is a bit more concerning. I'm also a little bewildered at all the new parts that are around.

For instance: The headset and bottom bracket have a little sticker that says "Nishiki sealed mech". Also, the sansin wheel hubs also say they are sealed. Does this mean that I can't service the parts & should replace them?

As I said, this is going to be a project for me, so I have time to learn & experiment. In the mean time, I've got the hankering to do some commuter riding so I'm looking into some of the hybrid bicycles.

I did a lot of touring in the late 80s and into the 90s on a Nishiki international (bought circa 1986-1987). Most trips were either weekend camping jaunts or longer camping trips up to two weeks. I used this bike for general riding & commuting for a few years as well. I really enjoyed riding the bike.

As I said, this is going to be a project for me, so I have time to learn & experiment. In the mean time, I've got the hankering to do some commuter riding so I'm looking into some of the hybrid bicycles.

First, I hope you are sucessful in your rebuild of an old
friend. That said you might visit the your library to see if
they have any books on bike maitance to get you started. I,
too, want to do some rebuilding but find the huge variety of
parts available really daunting.

Best of luck on the re-build.

www.sheldonbrown.com, www.park.com, Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, and the Barnett Manuals available online on this site are all great sources of do-it-yourself info.

BTW, Harris Cyclery (www.harriscyclery.com) has a selection of new old stock Suntour freewheels that you might find useful.

Good luck with your project.

I have a 1983 Nishiki Olympic Royale that I replaced the SunTour derailleur with a Shimano 105 derailleur. It worked fine. Like you I rode mine everywhere, then I loaned it to a nephew who was going to college.

Good luck with your project. Those 80s model Japanese bikes were well made.

Thanks for the good wishes, links and book suggestions. I've spent several hours looking at the www.sheldonbrown.com site, and I probably have more questions than before ;) However, I'm a firm believer in learning by doing.

I have a repair book at home, the same vintage as the bike itself from Bicycling Magazine that should help with most of the big stuff.

I'm a bit surprised there isn't much on the net about this particular bike, as I saw loads of other tourists on these "back in the day".

Cheers,

Andrew

Andrew,
What happened with fixing up your old friend? I am contemplating doing the same with my old friend, a 1982 Nishiki International (10 speed). I love my bike! Question: Is it worth it? How much $$ am I looking at to put this baby back on the road? I would like to be able to use it for commuting and also for some mild touring. Condition sounds about the same as yours, although paint is okay (not perfect). Mine still has Suntour comps. Although I have replaced cables, brakes shoes, pedals, saddle and chain in the past, everything else is original. And now it looks like I'll need new wheels. What do you suggest?
Thanks.


I did a lot of touring in the late 80s and into the 90s on a Nishiki international (bought circa 1986-1987). Most trips were either weekend camping jaunts or longer camping trips up to two weeks. I used this bike for general riding & commuting for a few years as well. I really enjoyed riding the bike.

I haven't been riding for several years. The bike is in a sorry state: worn out suntour freewheel, beat up paint, some rust pitting on the stem, rusted bolts for bottle cages, suntour RD beat up, bottom bracket & headseat probably need to be replaced... etc etc.

I would like to restore and update this bike as a project, and I'd like to do the work by myself. I think I can do a serviceable paint job, I can install cables & new RD, I can probably put a new freewheel on, but some of the other mechanical stuff is a bit more concerning. I'm also a little bewildered at all the new parts that are around.

For instance: The headset and bottom bracket have a little sticker that says "Nishiki sealed mech". Also, the sansin wheel hubs also say they are sealed. Does this mean that I can't service the parts & should replace them?

As I said, this is going to be a project for me, so I have time to learn & experiment. In the mean time, I've got the hankering to do some commuter riding so I'm looking into some of the hybrid bicycles.

I ended up buying a hybrid that has a touring capable frame (Devinci Stockholm) but I haven't toured. I use the bike for commuting etc.

I stripped down the Nishiki frame but I haven't made any more headway. Bottom bracket is shot, as the cups are pitted. Cranks are worn. I still haven't decided if it is worthwhile getting some extra braze-ons done (seat tube water bottle mount) or having the frame respaced. If I went that far, I would want a repaint, and with that one has essentially paid for a brand new frame like the Surly LHT. Mind you, you don't get the lugs with the Surly.

Sooo... is it worth it? If you love the frame and it's decent quality I don't see why not.

To be honest, I'm contemplaing a custom bike at the moment.