Hello, to all,
I wanted to post some images of a Tri-A I bought a few months ago. The bike seems to have hardly ever been ridden, there are no dents and absolutely no paint loss or brake wear on the rims...the seat does show some scuffing but overall the bike is nearly in "mint" condition, even the toe straps show no dirt or wear. Tange 1 frame and Shimano all around etc.
I did put new tires and tubes on the wheels as the originals were shot.
Where does this fit in the Nishiki line-up....it seems close to the Ironman series and there has been a lot of discussion on that bike....I did a search and found a little on the Tri-A but not as much....Rides as nice as some of my other bikes very responsive and I would like a little more information from members. Regards, Ben

I'm not sure where in the line-up the Tri-A would be, but I would guess near the top. With Tange 1 tubes and Shimano 600 group it should be comparable to an Iron Man Master.

Kactus, Thanks for the response, is there a difference in the Iron-man and the Tri-A other than the name and more simple paint scheme?
regards, Ben

I'm not sure... I'm not that familiar with either one. Others who are will be chiming in soon.

other thoughts/info? thanks, Ben

I found a Tri-A frame for a friend in Chicago. It was a beautiful blue and white. From what I can tell in the 1987 catalogue, the Tri-A was the top production Nishiki bicycle that was made out of steel. Nishiki also had a lugged carbon frame which was supposed to be a step above the Tri-A (but we all know that's ridiculous). The Tri-A however, is not the highest end Nishiki ever made. Given that it is Tange 1 however, you can assume that it's pretty darn good. Having never owned an Ironman, I can only speculate on geometry but I think they are about the same, since Nishiki and Centurion seemed like they were sister companies.

You did great.

UTW, thanks for the response...any chance that you have link to the blue and white tri-a , I thought they only came in black and yellow. What was the top nishiki based on your understanding? This is for info only as this bike is a keeper to me because of the ride quality and the fact it looks like new. thanks again, Ben

noglider, Yes I am very happy with it and just trying to gain some more information on the bike.....getting more difficult to find clean stuff not needing a lot of work, but its still out there. It is fun to hunt for those hidden gems/diamonds in the ruff, you never know what you will find.
Last month I bought a Women's Mondia with full Campy (brakes exclude) with blue fade and nervex chrome lugs "sew-ups" at a garage sale! I also wonder about that one.
P.S. Nice handlebar!
Regards, Ben

Here's my Blue/White Tri-A, taken recently...

You mean besides being two different brands with different importers? I forget who imported Nishiki but I am pretty sure a company called WSI imported the Centurian branded road bikes along with their Diamond Back mountain bikes.

I do agree that Tri A was a top of the line bike aimed at the blossoming tri athlete market.

Nice looking bike.

Wow this is the first on that I have seen..great color combination!
Regards, Ben

Not the greatest picture, sorry! The top of the line Nishiki steel bikes were the Maxima and Cervino, which were built by some Italian maker with SL/SP tubing. Other Nishiki frames of note that I know about are the Japanese-made Nishiki Team, which had Tange Prestige tubing, and Nishiki Ultimate (not sure what this was made out of)

Bianchigirl, So not just a Bianchi expert!......I am still learning.
Regards, Ben

UTW, I will do a search and check out those Nishikis you mentioned, maybe some reading this post could hijack and post pics of Maxima or Cervino's your bike has prestige tubing correct...?
Regards, Ben

The Maxima, Corvine and Ultimate were un-cataloged AFAIK and I'm not sure if they were produced at the same time as the Tri-A. From what I've read, those three were made in the late 70's and early 80's while the Tri-A was made mid 80's and up.

I don't know what year the Tri-A was introduced and what years other models ended but the Tri-A is roughly equivalent to the old competition, comps and Comp-IIs. The superbe was definitely a step above but again I do not know what year that model disappeared. As others have mentioned there were uncatalogued models above the tri-A. It is a very nice Upper-Mid range bike perfect fit for the burgeoning triathlon market of the late 1980s. I have never seen the black and yellow version but I am sure they came in more colours than those posted even in this thread. It's a great bike, enjoy it.

Classic Nishiki

https://www.stevevance.net/nishiki/im...le_catalog.pdf

You should see me at the firearms dealer.

thanks for the link!

We sold quite a few of the Tri A's. The bikes were nicely done, as typical of Nishiki's nicer models, but had to compete in a tough market. Nishiki was distributed by West Coast Cycles, I think. Maybe it was Western States Imports. You have done well.

The 1986 Tri-A has a geometry decal: Stage Racing/Triathlon.

The 1986 International had the same geometry decal and was also Tange 1. The International had Suntour components.

The 1986 COMP III had a Criterium geometry decal and was also Tange 1.

They also came with full Sante and a funky paint job.

Oddjob2, thanks for the pic...I think this paint job is reminiscent of the Centurions of the era. Regards, Ben

1987 model.