lanlinc

Hello everyone, and thanks for any response. I have a Nishiki Road bike that we've had since the 80's, but for the life of me I don't know the model, but what I do have is the serial number off the crank housing (GE 04239). We had it rebuild (back in the 80's) so my wife could use it in a tri-athalon, but unfortunately we had left it out since we've been here and it's gotten pretty bad. I'll have to replace the bearings, and the rims/wheels (you can't even see the writing on the tires and they're practically rotting off the rims). So my question is can anyone point me to where I can check on the size rims/tires that I'll need? Also I want to replace the handle bars to the bull horn style or anything something easier on the body for long distance rides? We really used this bike alot before we got here and I really would like for us to enjoy it again.

Thanks so much for your time and energy into looking at this. I would take it to a bike shop, but I'm thinking I can do this a little cheaper and enjoy seeing it come back to life.

PS I've worked on motorcycles for a long time and so I'm somewhat mechanically inept.

Thanks from new member, Larry T.

anixi

If you have a bike co-op or non-profit in town you should be able to figure out the size of the wheels by comparison to other wheels they probably will have. You could also probably find some pretty good condition used tires there as well as any other parts (expect them to be used and/or dirty) you may need, like handlebars. I really appreciate our local non-profit bike shop for the great prices on parts.

wrk101

Serial numbers are usually pretty worthless. Nishiki never build a single bike, they had a variety of companies build bikes for them. At most, it will tell you the year the bike was built, this will not tell you the model, wheel size, or anything useful.

Personally I would head to a bike shop, they can set you straight. I would not waste time on used tires either.

I would not consider bull horn bars to be more comfortable for long distance. Look at bikes that people are riding across the USA on, you will not see many of those bars, but you will see a lot of drop bars. Its all in how the bike is set up. A drop bar should be very comfortable for you if properly set up, and the bike is the right size, etc.

Now if you want bull horns, by all means, go get some.

The money you save on working on bikes is often via the internet. And you really need to know exactly what you need first. In this case, the savings is not that substantial on a couple of tires.

The co-op is the best way to save if you have one in your area. They have the time/tools/aptitude, and a pile of used parts, to help you along the way.

Even then, buying just two tires off the internet might not save you much due to the cost of shipping.

lanlinc

Thanks, I'll look into a coop, or at least bring it by the shop and see what they say.

oddjob2

The rims are likely to be Araya or Ukai. They usually are engraved with the size on the surface of the rim or if a decal is still on it.

jettore

If you want to work on it yourself, here's some reading to get you going. Also, drop bars should be very comfortable for long distance, you just may need to tweak your setup. My neighbor wanted me to help him change his old bike to a flat bar for more comfort but I talked him into staying with a drop bar setup. We ended up changing to a much wider ergo drop bar with shallow drops and he swapped to a stem with more rise. He loves the new setup and is now doing 35+ mile rides.

https://sheldonbrown.com/articles.html
https://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...TE_Welcome.htm
https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

Post some pics of the bike too.

Stockton350

You could flop and chop the current bars if you wanted bull horns. But I agree with the previous post that drop bars can be comfortable on long rides. For me, I've found adding brake hoods, a shorter stem, and tweaking the angle of the bars make a huge difference.

lanlinc

Unfortunately the rims are so rusty that there's nothing left to identify them as well as the tires ;(

jon c. 

agree with those who said that drop bars are more comfortable for longer rides - they offer vastly more hand positions

wrk101

I would be hunting a nice set of used wheels instead. I would not waste my time putting new tires on very rusty rims.

Look aggressively, and you can find a used set of 27 inch wheels for $25 to $35, used 700c for $40 to $50.

lanlinc

Thanks so I can probably look for just 27 inch or 700c wheels and not have an issue? I'm not sure how tall the bike is, but it is pretty big and heavy bike. I've got a local bike shop I'm thinking about just having them look at the rims and give me an idea on the size.

Thanks again.