greaper007

Hi, I'm looking for a cheap/nice older steel road bike and came across this one on Craigslist https://spacecoast.craigslist.org/bi...664050402.html. I wrote to the seller and asked for a serial number and I think it's priced a little high, $50 seems like a decent deal considering the broken derailleur.

Otherwise, what do you folks think? Does this look like a mid 80s bike shop quality ride or is it straight up Montgomery Ward? I can't tell from the pics. And, if anyone lives near Satellite Beach FL and has an older steel ride they'd like to sell (56-58cm) let me know.

Needles

My road bike is an aero frame, called "Kamra." It is a Nishiki design. My understanding is that it was never actually sold in the US. I got it used from a bike shop in Washington, D.C. If the Nishiki numbers on the frame follow the same code as Nishiki, it is a 1987-88 frame. I absolute love it. It has been my road bike since I bought it in 1990. Mine has Suntour nearly everything. "Suntour" must mean "unbreakable." Nishiki made some top quality frames. I would not hesitate to get a used steel Nishiki frame, if it was sized right.

greaper007

Thanks Jim

T-Mar

The subject bicycle is a circa 1982-1984 Nishiki Olympic 12. It was an upper mid-range model from a well respected brand and these were considered good value in a general purpose, recreational bicycle. The main frame is Tange #5 ,which is plain gauge CrMo. The wheels have aluminum rims but are 27" as opposed to the more widely available 700C. The derailleurs are Sun Tour AR/ARx, with replacements being fairly common and inexpensive. All the components are basic but good performing. The saddle is a replacement . The bicycle should be fairly light, at ~26 lbs. It's dirty but the overall cosmetic condition appears good. It will likely requite a complete overall and new consumables. I'd consider $50 a fair deal, provided you can perform the overhaul yourself.

ramzilla

That's exactly the kind of bike I look for to convert to upright handle bars. I would try to get that for around $50. Put about $100 or $125 new parts on it & sell or trade it for around $300. The only snag is the down tube shifters would have to be moved up to the stem or you would have to put thumb shifters on the handlebars. Tange 5 frames are bulletproof. That would make an ideal city bike.

greaper007

Fantastic replies, way better than I expected. I bought the bike for $60 and I'll start the overhaul tomorrow. Quick question, the rear wheel spokes are very rusty. Should I just relace the wheel? Buy a new wheelset? Or just clean the spokes?

Aubergine 

Clean the spokes. :-)

jj1091

I've had good results with just cleaning the spokes, but it's a pain to do a good job with the wheels laced up, so lately I've delaced the wheels and cleaned the spokes separately. It allows me to also polish the hubs without all the spokes in the way. But, it depends on your wheelbuilding skills.

T-Mar

I'd just clean spokes. In the unlikely event that they start failing soon, it's not going to be a catastrophic event where they all fail at once. Only when you start getting fairly regular spoke failures, is it time to re-lace or replace the wheel.

BTW, I'd appreciate the serial number for my database. Some members are sensitive about posting them so, if you want, you can send it via the forum's private message system. TIA.

greaper007

T-Mar the serial number is GE 05307. Another question, the rear derailleur was broken by the previous owner. Apparently he overtorqued a screw. I have all the parts but I'm not sure how to put it back together. What other rear derailleur will work with this system? The front shifter is friction but the rear is indexed, I've looked for other Suntour ARx components online but they seem to be fairly expensive. Is there a modern derailleur that will work while I just ride it around and perhaps I could switch out something vintage when I sell it?

Thanks in advance.

T-Mar

The serial number indicates a 1985 model but the G prefix also indicates an unidentified foreign market. A USA market model would have had a W prefix and used a different logo style. Given your location, I assumed it was a USA model.


It has obviously been frankenbiked to an extent as this model would not have been indexed in 1985 and the Sun Tour ARx derailleurs weren't designed for indexing. Most of the early indexing shift levers had a friction setting, so just take the lever off index mode and you use can use just about any rear derailleur.


I'm surprised at your comment about the ARx being fairly expensive. I routinely see them in good, used condition at swap meets for around $10. Even excellent samples are rarely over $25. If you have a bicycle co-op in your area, they are typically a good source for inexpensive (used) parts and technical assistance. Here is the assembly diagram to help you with the current derailleur.