MikeWMass

I was one of the original naysayers. I was not and am not a hater. I ride an old bike, and even my "new" bike would be considered old by many on this forum. I am glad you like your bike. However, I still stand by my original statements that if you are going to put time and money into restoring an old bike, you might as well start with an appropriate one. You have a long stem and a long seatpost and the geometry works for you. When that bike was new, more than "a handful" of seatpost showing was considered excessive, and stems much more than 110 mm were long. You can make the bike fit, I am glad you like and enjoy it. I am (TRULY!) not criticizing you. I am just saying that, in 1980, that bike is not what you should have bought.

Duane Behrens

:-) Okay. I sure do respect your opinion. But here's the thing. For me, today, this bike feels tight, compact, and ready to burn. It just feels RIGHT, you know?

It might be the lower, longer frame. Or it might be the 38 cm bars. Maybe it's the replacement Cane Creek hoods that JCavilla suggested. (These really made the bike easier and more fun to ride.) Maybe it's all three. Whatever. Put them together with the supple steel frame and 1.25" tires and you've got a bike that is more concierge than machine.

What I know is this: My 56 cm carbon bike with its 42 cm bars and Ultegra gruppo was fit professionally for me, and I thought it was perfect for four years . . . until I finished the build on this one. If I'm not riding it, I'm looking at it.

EDIT: Mike, you also wrote: " . . . stems much more than 110 mm were long." Actually, the stem extension on the Nishiki is the original 70mm . Again, because of the long (56 cm) top tube length and by simply raising the bars a bit, it was a perfect fit; elbows slightly bent when on the top curve of the bars, near to or fully extended when riding on the hoods. The 100mm aftermarket stem I ordered for it is still in the box. I may put it on the 54 cm Schwinn, which has a shorter, 54 cm top tube. These old bikes are weird. :-)

Donnie Johnson

I say build the bike however you wish. I feel that the value of any bike is not what it is made of or how much it costs, rather how it rides and what you use it for. If this bike is still going after 34 years chances are you get many more years of great value from it after a bit of effort and care. Without a doubt I would replace all the components with wear and tear. Spare parts are so cheap on wiggle and chain reaction that upgrading an older bike with quality components is a viable option. As an example I upgraded my old steel touring bike (at a fair guess 15 yrs old) with brand new 10 speed XT group set, Mavic A319 touring wheels, butterfly/trekking handle bars and just about everything else. The only original components on the bike was the frame, forks and seat post. Everything else was replaced brand new. The total cost of the upgrade came to about $750. I consider this to be extremely cheap when compared to purchasing a brand new touring bike to a similar spec. I wouldn't expect to get much change form $2000 for something in the same category and range as my old steel bike. I imagine my old steel bike in its current condition will outlast just about every high spec carbon bike being purchased today. Since the build I have ridden across Russia on the bike and use it as a day to day commuter. I have put about 3000 km on it since the build about a year ago and the bike never misses a beat. For me it is money well spent.

As for the paint job, I would look for a local powder coating company and ask them to sand blast the frame then powder coat the frame. This would not be the cheapest method however you will get a far better end product. Then reassemble yourself, if you run into trouble take it to your LBS.
Once it is pulled apart it; inspect the frame, particularly around the bottom bracket, carefully for any cracks. If there are any cracks then the frame is probably at the end of its life.

Good luck with the build.

Donnie

Kopsis

In some parts of the country, that's easier said than done. Here in the Tampa Bay area, high-end vintage bikes in "restorable" condition are extremely rare. When one does surface (especially in large or small sizes), its usually priced so high (even after haggling) that it would be significantly cheaper to buy one already restored. For someone who just wants to have a "fun" project (and isn't looking for financial ROI), the low-end models from quality vintage brands can be a good starting point that limits your overall investment and still results in a fun recreational bike.

Krull06

That yellow paint is gorgeous. I love the ride feel of old steel 10 speeds with 27 x 1 1/4 tires.

Duane Behrens

Me too. Cane Creek hoods are on. They really improve the way the bike feels, especially while climbing. (The red bar tape is temporary - I'll replace it when I replace the seat.) I think all that's left is to move the shifters to the downtube, after which I'll just ride it. Thanks.

HillRider

This thread is so long I've forgotten if you located suitable clamp-on dt shifters or an adapter to use braze-on dt shift levers. Anyway, Loose Screws is running a closeout on these:

Shimano 105 Clamp-on Friction Downtube Shifters Shifter Road Shifters Complete Friction

At $50 they aren't cheap but they certainly are elegant.

Duane Behrens

Thanks, Donnie; would love to see pics of your rebuild.

I'm not sure which of my posts you were responding to. The Nishiki rebuild is fairly well completed now. New powder-coat paint, all new cables and housing, all new bearings, new front derailleur. The only original parts left are the rear derailleur and the chain rings.

"Hillrider," thanks for the tip on the Shimano Clamp-ons. They certainly are attractive. In this case, I'd already ordered some Suntour Power Shifters. They're sitting in the garage, waiting to be mounted.

In a way, these projects never quite end until you sell them.

Donnie Johnson

Good Morning Duane,

Just after I posted my reply the other day I scrolled to the top of the page only to find there were 8 pages of posts that I had not read. Pretty silly mistake but such is life. The yellow bike looks tops and I think the red bar tape is pretty cool too. Id change them to orange if it were mine.

Even to my surprise, I don't have any good clear photos of the bike so I have attached two. There not the best photos, but they show the old bike just before I loaded it onto the front of a dingy to cross the River Volga in Russia. The Russian ferry service was awesome.

Ride your yellow bike somewhere wild and crazy!

Donnie

Duane Behrens

Have been reviewing and enjoying some of these old posts and came across yours. Encouragement from you, JJ and others here kept me believing. And in the end, it has become my favorite daily rider. Compact. Comfortable. New brake hoods and downtube shifters have made it perfect for me. And I very much look forward to a ride with you and your P8. Best. DB

CustomSteel

Looking sharp! I'm certainly glad that I've had a positive influence here. I really enjoy seeing people take on and finish projects like this. I've been slowly working on the P8. I had some trouble with removing the fixed cup for the bottom bracket, a very odd situation that did not involve rust. I also bought a period correct crankset for it, as the original one is not rebuildable and used some questionable construction techniques. I also found a small crack on one of the stays which looks like it is from the assembly process, and may simply be in the paint. Whatever the situation, I'm going to try to get it back on the road in a couple of weeks.

Duane Behrens

Good luck and enjoy - post pics if you can. DB

Duane Behrens

Here is the bike with its latest upgrades: (a) Suntour DT Power Shifters to replace the original stem mounts; (b) Cane Creek brake levers and hoods to replace the original cantilever ("turkey leg") levers; (c) a new B17 Brooks saddle, and (d) matching bar tape. I like the overall look of the bike much better now, and am looking forward to finding out if the Brooks saddles are worth the hype.

Duane Behrens

New:
paint
decals
front derailleur
brake hoods
bar tape
downtube shifters
steering head bearings
bottom bracket bearings
wheel bearings
sprocket cluster
Brooks saddle
chain
wheels, tubes and tires
brake cables and housing
shifter cables and housing



All for less than $500, including the paint and the new saddle. My expensive carbon bike now sits in the garage most weekdays; this is simply a more attractive, enjoyable, and comfortable daily rider / commuter.

Kimmo 

Didn't think much of it until you changed the tape and put the Brooks on it; now it looks pretty tight.

You just need a nice pair of pedals.

And stop taking pics from the wrong side!

MRT2

Wow! As a former owner of a 1980 Nishiki Sport (purchased new at a lbs with some birthday and paper route money, lent to my younger brother when I left for college, sold by my Dad at a garage sale while I was studying in Europe without my permission ) I am impressed. That has to be the classiest Nishiki Sport in the country.

Duane Behrens

Thanks. What sort of pedals would you suggest? I'd prefer to stay away from clip-ins. I have them on my carbon bike, but prefer the option of hopping onto this one for a quick grocery run without changing shoes.

The velocal decal on the right side is just slightly off center. Most people don't notice it, but I do. Makes me shy of posting the right side. . . . but here it is:

Duane Behrens

Thank you! It's been a fun project, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that, because of its long top tube, I was able to make a 50 cm frame fit me. Like a glove, actually. An 80's Bianchi rider approached me at the coffee shop this morning and noted the same thing adding, "These old Nishikis with their top tubes can be fit to 6' riders pretty easy. . . . the short head tube and extended stem and seat tubes just make them look compact . . . . tough, if you know what I mean. . . . "

I did know what he meant and am the first to admit that I got very lucky with this one. I hope you'll find another Nishiki one day . . . maybe even your old bike. :-) DB

MRT2

How about Shimano M324. Platform on one side, SPD on the other.

HillRider

Shimano makes some double sided pedals with an SPD clip on one side and flat on the other so you can use them with or without cleated shoes. The PD-A530 are the best model as they are not dreadfully heavy (claimed 383 gm/pair) and quite versatile. Amazon has them for $60 with free shipping so they aren't budget busters either.

Amazon.com: Shimano PD-A530 SPD Dual Platform Bike Pedal: Sports & Outdoors

MRT2

You never know, though I went through my C & V phase a few years back when I bought a 1984 Schwinn LeTour Luxe. Columbus Tenax frame. Nice riding bike, though I never got dialed in on it fit wise or saddle wise. Rode it for a few years before sending it to its next home. No regrets.

Kopsis

It's nice to have a bike you can ride in anything from boots to flip-flops The hybrid platform/clipless pedals work well for that but they all use SPD cleats. So unless you already have MTB shoes, you'd need new shoes to take advantage of them.

If you're comfortable riding platforms, I say just keep 'em. My vintage-MTB-turned-commuter has platforms and they're great for the kind of riding I do on it. If you really want to do faster rides (without simply swapping pedals with your CF bike), perhaps a set of toe clips and straps to keep the vintage look?

Flash

Interesting how these things go. I'll never second-guess someone for wanting to spruce up an old bike, put his own stamp on it. I put some money and untold amounts of time into a Panasonic DX-3000 a few years back, first to get it close to original condition, then a single speed, then a fixed gear. Learned a lot along the way and have fond memories. Now, as my kids are older and I have less time for bike transformations, I grabbed a Univega mountain bike that was lying curbside "free bikes", cleaned it up a bit and my son has a great, free bike. I just bought the Univega Supra Sport below and planned to ride it stock on family cruises but the rear tube blew and when I removed the rear tire it pretty much disintegrated. My quick fix? Grab the old Panasonic rear wheel, convert to QR in the rear and off I go! 700c OK on this 27" bike, adjust the brake pads a bit. Rear hub probably needs a bit of spacing work, but it rides fine and that's all I need for now. Good luck with your project!

Wilfred Laurier

quick question for duane

did you change the stem to one with a longer quill
or did the stock one have enough length to be adjusted that high without going above the maximum insertion line?

Duane Behrens

Hey, Wilfred. I have a newer-and-longer stem ready, sitting in the garage. It's a 110mm. The current, 70mm, original stem is at its max extension. But the reach to the bars now seems perfect for me, so I'm reluctant to switch them out. Thanks.