41 year old dude, looking to get serious about biking.
 

Very excited to start riding a vintage Nishiki with Campagnolo Nuovo Record group. Not a vintage buff per se, just cash poor. Looking to learn more about maintenance and training.

Hi Adryan,

The Nishiki is a good way to start.
I started road riding on $15 23 y/o one.
Rode it 1500 miles.

Great Photos.

Thanks for the encouragement, sorry about your Rangers.

Never sell that bicycle.

Wow, what can I say to that except swear on my honor that I will not?

I started riding back in '88 when a friend gave me his Nishiki. Great bike! I rode the heck out of it, and often blew into work drenched in sweat, until someone ran a stop sign on me in '94. That's when I picked up my first MTB. Cause and effect...

Anyway, nice bike! Stay safe out there. :)

Thanks Southpaws, I have taken my share of hits riding the streets of San Fran intermittently for 17 years. I sold my car this summer and am getting around on a 20 year old rockhopper with slicks and thumb shifters. My end game here is to start doing group rides in the bay area, and also meet up with my riding friend in LA to do one of his San Gabriel rides with him possibly as early as this winter. I am still trying to fit to this bike, (short legs, long torso), received a 125 mm cinelli stem today that should help.

I have to respect anyone who rides in SF, especially into the Financial District. The streets really suck all over the city, MUNI drivers are all insane, and people generally aren't very careful about cyclists & bikers (like everywhere else, really) but it is an awesome town. Wish I was still in there, riding through the Presidio, across the Bridge and into Marin. :)

It is a great place to ride, and it's possible things have improved from what you remember, the bicycle culture here has blossomed in a big way in the past decade (as have the much maligned "fixie pixies") I've ridden all over the US and it's hard to think of a more bike friendly place. I should say i have my routes that i stick to to avoid traffic and the accompanying potential for accidents/confrontations.

A little background on the bike relayed to me by the former owner: The bike was built in Chico CA in the early 80's for a woman who had been a sponsored rider for an Italian frame manufacturer. She had originally acquired the Campagnolo group for the sponsor's frame a couple of years before but when she lost the sponsorship she had to return the frame so she then had it put onto this Nishiki pro frame. She continued to race for years in the 80's on this bike and rode it until a couple of years ago when she sold it to the guy i bought it from. Almost everything is original to that except for some chain rings and brake hoods. I have a beater men's saddle on it right now and have acquired a longer stem to fit my torso. It is a fantastic bike can't wait to get the new stem on it this weekend so I will stop killing my back.