h2oxtc

Now that outdoor riding is limited, yes I'm a fair weather rider, it's time to begin thinking about this years winter project.

First a recap of last year's project. A 1981 Apollo Imperial. The original drive train was too far gone and too expensive to replace so I purchased a donor bike with a Shimano 600 groupset that was mostly moved to the Apollo.




Below are the before photos of the Nishiki as I pulled it off the hook in the garage today. It's been hanging there for 12 years since it was last ridden. My son was 10 years old at the time and he trained for and raced the Kids of Steel triathlon that summer. It was my wife's bike back in the day and close enough in size to work for my son. I cleaned it up, put new tires and handlebar tape on it and otherwise it was good to go. The last time it was ridden prior to that summer was probably about 1989 when my wife and I did some short touring trips to Gulf Islands in British Columbia and a few of the San Juan Islands off the Washington coast.

In recent years my wife has accumulated a collection of road bikes thanks to my own addiction and conscience telling me that I can't get another bike unless she gets one too. Consequently she's told me just to sell the Nishiki, she has no interest in ever riding it again. I can't bring myself to selling it, likely a symptom of my addiction, none the less it's a classic bike that would be hard to replace in terms of any new bikes on the market. When I challenged my wife as to why she doesn't want to ride it her first response was because it doesn't have brifters and that she feels in control not having to remove a hand from the handlebars to shift. My mind says, "okay, I can work with that". So here's the plan:

First off, my apologies to those who feel that authentic restoration is the only option. That's not going to happen in this case, but nothing will prevent the bike from returning to it's original glory. Hopefully that will be an acceptable compromise.

The plan is to "borrow" the 8 spd XTR derailleur from her mountain bike, which incidentally she hasn't ridden in 12 years. I've ordered a new 8 spd Deore triple crankset and derailleur that will bring the gear ratios even lower than they presently are. A good friend donated a set of Sora 8 spd brifters, and the wheel set will get replaced with a spare mismatched Shimano / Mavic set that I have. Other than that, the bike will get completely stripped down and cleaned. In my mind I will have succeeded if after riding the bike my wife rediscovers the joy of riding a nice steel frame. If I've failed, I've not lost anything more than a little time, and have gained a few more spare parts for future projects.

In case anyone was wondering what will happen to the mountain bike ... I've got plans for it too. But that's another thread.

Pompiere

I hope it works out for you. Sometimes, what we think is the ideal setup isn't what someone else likes. It took me a while to figure out that one reason my wife didn't like to ride was wrist pain from a previous injury. I finally set up her bike like she wanted, instead of the generally accepted norm.

mstateglfr 

I love period correct restorations as much as anyone, but changing a bike to suit a person is infinitely better than that same bike sitting in a garage unused for another decade. Most bikes have the ability to be blank canvases- create what you want!

John E

I like that half step and granny chainset. If it were mine, I would keep that.

The Golden Boy 

Not that it matters a whole lot, but how sure are you about that being a 1983?

The SP-KC seatpost and the 3 pulley Suntour derailleur point to around 1985.

That looks like a nicely put together bicycle with the parts on it now. Best of luck on the build and hang on to those parts!

jcb3

Tough for me to say if it is 83 or not.

A shot of the head tube would be helpful - 83 and 84 seemed to have the rounded "wreath" around the "N" and 85 and after had a square N

Plus - International is script on the 83
Minus - inlaid "N" on the seat stays

I redid the International below for my daughter this winter (test ride on saturday), and it had the the Suntour Symmetric shifter braze on mount. And I've seen pictures of presumed 84 Internationals having the Symmetric shifters and Cyclone II drive train, with "International" in block letters . My International also had the Champion 2 tubing label (didn't Tange labels come after Champion?). All this exactly the same as a 1984 Centurion Elite RS I had (other than the Nervex-style lugs). - So I've guessed my International is an 84.

This one was a beach bike that I picked up as a frame and a bucket of parts. Found that Testors Red Metal Flake is an exact match, and got it reasonable looking.

The dating of your Nishiki interests me because I just picked up a Prestige frame (Tange 2 with square logo on the head tube with the inlaid "N" on the seat stays, but in the blue, not the two tone) and have been trying to date it. I'll build up that one for one of my sons over the next year. I'm thinking the inlaid N and Tange 2 dates it closer to 85 or 86, but not 87. Maybe I should head over to the Nishiki Serial Number Database thread....

Love the look of your build. My daughter is thrilled with hers.

Joe

milbournosphere

I'm also rebuilding my Nishiki. '88 Prestige frame with a beat-up old SunTour group and a rattle-canned paint job. An RSX group fell into my lap, so I decided to upgrade the frame to a 7 speed STI setup for commuting. Just got the frame back from the powder coaters. I really like my Nishiki and am looking forward to getting it built. I'm envious of that two-tone paint job; I'm sure it'll clean up beautifully. Good luck!

eschlwc

my '83 international had suntour symmetrics on that funky brazed mount atop the down tube.

jcb3

I looked up the serial ## for the maroon International (above) in the Nishiki Serial Database and see that it is a 1982 (KB110681) - So my bad thinking it was a 84.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...-database.html

("B" signifying year of mfg 2, so 1982, so a "C" would be 83, "E" would be 85, "A" would be 81, etc.)

h2oxtc

I've never understood the "half step" although have heard the term in other threads. In functional terms, how is it beneficial?


As to the year of the bike, I recall looking up the serial number a few years ago ... so I'll be first to admit that the '83 is based on my recollection, not necessarily fact. Here's a picture of the head tube. I should just go down to the garage and take a photo of the serial number - maybe after work today.

I do intend to keep the seat post and handlebars as I agree they add an aesthetic that can't be replaced with modern components. Besides, the other than resetting the saddle height, the geometry is a perfect fit for my wife.



One of the differences between this International and others posted is the canti brakes. As I understand this was a touring spec.



Nice build! Glad to hear that you your daughter likes the bike - hopefully that means it will see some miles and smiles.

Aubergine 

There were a couple reasons back in the early 80s. First, with the five and six speed bikes in use at the time, the gaps between the rear cogs were pretty wide. A half-step setup allowed the rider to find better intermediate gears. Second, at least with some setups, shifting worked better with the half-step in front.

My first custom bike came with a Spécialités TA Cyclotouriste crank. I set it up as a half-step plus granny, and it worked very well for the time. I had rather wonky knees so being able to use those intermediate gears was a big help. I later bought a Holdsworth Pro and put a Campagnolo group on it. I used a half-step on that too for the benefit of my knees, instead of the usual 42-52 chainrings.

I'm still using both the Spécialités TA and Campy cranks with those half-steps!

h2oxtc

@Aubergine, thanks for the explanation. If I understand correctly to use the half-step would require shifting back and forth between the 52 and 42 to utilize the half step between the large jumps in the rear cogs.



I took a photo of the serial number this evening and checked the database. My recollection is in fact wrong - no surprise. It's a 1984, serial number CD18300. Now if only there was a way to change the title of the thread.

Aubergine 

Not quite! The two large chainrings would be (say) 42 and 46. With a 28-13 five speed, the 46 gave the "half-step" as you went down or up the rear cogs.

The Golden Boy 

It really doesn't matter a whole lot, it just surprised me that those things were on a bike in 83.

It looks like a really, really cool bike.

Hummer

If I may be so bold, I would like to try and clear up some of the information on model years for some of the bicycles discussed in this thread.

I think that your International is a 1985 model year for Canada, based on the decals and colours. From the serial number your frame was manufactured in 1984.

In your original post, you said that the Apollo Imperial was from 1991. The last year for the Apollo brand name from Fred Deeley in Canada was 1985. From the serial number of the Imperial you may be able to determine the year of manufacture of the frame.

@jcb3 your Nishiki International is a USA market 1983 model year. The frame was manufactured in 1982.

The decal and headbadge layout of Nishikis for the USA market and the Canadian market is different.

EDIT: P.S. Thanks for posting the pictures, serial numbers and stories.

h2oxtc

My bad ... the intent was to type 1981, and this date is simply based on the original components on the bike. The only original components on the Apollo as you see it are the chainset, seatpost, stem & handlebar, brake levers and the shifters. Replaced components include the Shimano 600 7 spd derailleurs, 90's vintage Mavic wheelset , and new Fizik saddle.

Thanks for catching the date error. Perhaps I should simply call it an '80s vintage Apollo frame.

Do you have a catalog or something from which to confirm that the Nishiki is an '85? I've scoured the internet and haven't been able to find a catalog with this particular color scheme and canti brakes. My wife bought the bike in '86 from the original owner when we lived in Vancouver.

Hummer

No, I have not seen a 1985 Nishiki catalog. I know that the 1984 Canadian road bike models had the tube information on the side of the top tube. The 1985 models had tube decals on the seat tube. The 1985 road bike model steering tubes were a different colour on most models.

The 1985 models also had series information on the non-driveside chain stay. The International should say "Touring Series designed by Norco".

The Golden Boy 

@h2oxtc

I hope you realize no one is picking on you about the date stuff. In my case it's just being a bike dork. I'm sure in @Hummer's case it's that he's a very knowledgeable enthusiast.

Your bikes are really cool whether they're from 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86...

h2oxtc

@The Golden Boy It's all good - I appreciate the comments, and the corrections. BF is a great community with a collective wealth of knowlege. With a few opinions sprinkled in here and there for color.

browngw 

This past summer I converted a similar 80 something Nishiki International for a friend of my wife. The original owner, she no longer rode the bike and wanted it converted to a "hybrid" for around town and path riding. She now enjoys riding it and has used it a lot. I enjoyed working on it, nice bike.

h2oxtc

F I N A L L Y, got around to finishing the rebuild of this bike. Again, my apologies to the C&V purists, it's not a restoration - rather a conversion to something practical for my wife to ride. She's taken it out a couple of times and it's growing on her. The low gears are the primary attraction since you almost can't ride anywhere around here without riding hills.

BEFORE:



AFTER: