Originally Posted by xeney
I think this is exactly what happened. The connections between the two top tubes are lugged on my '84 Nishiki, but not lugged on the '86, and the tubes are indeed closer together on the '86. Why somebody thought this was a good idea, even though it necessitated that hideous bulge/bend to avoid rubbing the chain, is beyond me.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that the mixte sort of died out around that point?
The mixte didn't die out at this point, at least not as far a Nishiki was concerned. My literature shows mixte versions on their entry level road bicycles, as late as 1990.