Just acquired a 1987 Nishiki Tri-A Equipe, SN WG01987. Aqua blue/white color scheme. Appears to have all components as described in the 1987 catalog.

Just staying on the thread...
 

Everytime I read from this, I get a little more stoked to actually get the old International out and start working on it.
Any work will be more than the bike is worth, but I'm almost 61 and quit smoking, so it won't hurt ( much :lol: ) to have some fun hot-rodding the old '75-6 NISHIKI.

A lot of great pix and ideas here.
I'll be sure to get some pix on here in the next couple of months.

Thanks for having this info available~! :thumb:

It is a 1986 model year based on the decals. Frame was made in 1985.

1984 Nishiki Riviera
 

1984 Nishiki Riviera. 47cm ST, 52cm TT. KD03623.

Suntour components dated AH, AK denoting late 1984 component dates.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/goodgn...57677091037861

Hello Coyote99,

your Nishiki Rally is a Canadian market Nishiki.

At this time Nishiki was being distributed by Norco in Canada. Norco had been getting some of its frames from Dodsun Bicycle and Machine of Taiwan for several years.

Some Nishiki models in Canada had frames from suppliers that Norco used for its own brand name of bicycles.

I noticed in your photos that the drive side dropout was bent down. The axle gap is too big. You may want to have that bent back to a better position.

The frame manufacture date was identified as 1984. The decals are for the 1985 model year.

Hello bob1331,

nice looking Nishiki. I think the model is actually a Custom 12 from 1979. The "2" is no longer visible on the frame.

In 1979 there was alao a Custom Sport model. That model year, the Custom Sport frames were manufactured by Giant of Taiwan.

Your frame serial number is not a Giant serial number. I have seen your format of serial number on another Custom 12 model from 1979.

The serial number on two lines is a matter of practicality.

When shifter cables were routed above the BB shell there was no problem stamping a serial number on the bottom. Around 1985 it became almost standard for shifter cables to be routed under the BB shell.

Some frame manufactures continued to stamp serial numbers on the BB shell the same as always.

Kawamura designed their serial number stamping to avoid cable routing. Sometimes their serial numbers are two line stamped on a side of the BB shell instead of the center to avoid the plactic cable guides.

I don't think that the "08" identifies a month. Some of the "WE" serial number digits start with 14, 16, and 22, so I don't think these indicate a month.

I don't think it's a month indicator either, As I said in the last clause of my original post, "but I've come across too many exceptions, unless it was a short lived practice".

Hello daveystruthers,

welcome to the forums.

There was one previous posting for a track bike by @waylander:

http://www.bikeforums.net/14452219-post836.html

The serial number is very close to your bicycle's serial number. Waylander's bicycle components date from late 1975.

The other track has some decals similar to Order Nishiki Professional (ONP) frames. ONP frames date from 1976.

If you could post some pictures, it would be nice to see.

EDIT:

Waylander's bike and another are on velospace:

http://velospace.org/node/44781
http://velospace.org/node/19293

Hi Jmpierce,

I have seen one other Cervino serial number, same format as your Cervino. The first 2 digits were 62 and it was a larger frame, so I think your assumption about the first 2 digits is correct.

I assume that the serial number is the same format used by the frame manufacturer for its own brand name. I don't the format of many Italian frame manufacturers, too many to keep track of. I don't know if it is Olmo, but it could well be.

Hello rollover,

how is Beethoven doing? Chuck Berry was asking.

I have seen one other Triahlete, same colours and chrome, also distributed by ROSE. This Nishiki was in Germany.

It is a Kawamura format serial number. The "E" is European model, not distributed in North America. From the look of the Triathlete that I saw and the "A" in the serial number, the frame was manufactured in 1991.

Do you have any pictures to post?

Hello alucksupreme,

I took a look at your pictures, thanks for posting them. An interesting frame and serial number.

My first question is where in the world is this bicycle from? Geographic location may be a key to understanding this bicycle frame.

The serial number stamping and format do not appear to be Kawamura. This then casts doubt on the Nishiki label being authentic.

There are some Australian market Nishikis that have serial numbers that started with "AC", but the format and stamping were different.

3Rensho of Japan had some serial numbers that were similar to the one on your frame, with a "-". But the frame does not look like the 3Renshos that I have seen.

Hello Cyclegraph,

I have seen this format of serial number on two USA market Nishiki models and on several other brand names.

I decipher the serial number differently. The first digit after the "S" is "1" and this indicates the year 1981. The third and fourth characters, " 2", indicates the month February.

In this format of serial number I have only seen the third character as "blank" or "1", this is why I suspect that the third and fourth characters are for the month.

The 1981 USA Nishiki Catalog shows the Custom Sport with chromed fork ends. I don't know for sure, but I think the 1982 model does not have chromed fork ends.

It's a really nice frame and I like that the cables are all routed through the frame (except the front brake). It's really light and fast. The longest ride I've ridden it on was around 40 miles. Might go for a longer ride this year.

wow that Nishiki is CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!! Me want it hahaha

1986 Nishiki Prestige, Kawamura, Japan,

S/N:
WFU
156

Logic says the U musty be a 0 but given the depth of the rest of the serial number, one would conclude that the digit is indeed a U. Can you shed any light on this?

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...be/nishtri.jpg
This is the sellers photo. I did not buy the wheels, just the frame and fork.

It looks like WF05 to me. The die blank for the zero may just have me more worn than the others, giving a shallower impression. Or maybe the zero die blank wasn't properly seated in the holder.

Yes. That is a nice looking frame and fork. Have fun with it.

Hello.

I have a Nishiki Citi Sport that I hauled out of the garbage 2 years ago. It was the first adult bike I ever owned. The gears, shifters, chain, and brakes were all in working condition, but I suspect the reason it was discarded was that the rear tire would not inflate. I bought two new tubes off Amazon and installed one, and it was right as rain. I keep the second tube in a repair kit in case I get a flat when riding it.

Since then, I've ridden it perhaps 100 miles or so. My girlfriend and I did a triathlon last summer and we would like to do more. Unfortunately, this bike is a 50 cm frame and I am 5'10". It is also very heavy. So I'm looking to get rid of this one and purchase a newer, lighter, more racing-appropriate road bike for training and racing.

http://i64.tinypic.com/28s107l.jpg

I plan on listing this on craigslist, facebook marketplace, listcycle, and anywhere else I can think of. My asking price will probably be $50 or so, because the components are pretty cheap, it is quite old, and there is some superficial rust. But I would like to be able to know the year to include it in the description.

The serial number is in a single line, and appears to me to have three backwards c's, much like this: "Ↄ"

Perhaps they are a mis-stamped "0?"

If so, the serial is 70 01 04627.

Does anyone have a thought as to when it was made? Think my asking price is too high? Should it be reconsigned to the scrap pile?

Thank you.

Hello.

I hauled this Nishiki Citi Sport out of the garbage two years ago. It was my first adult bike! The gears, shifters, chain, and brakes were all in working condition. The reason I suspect it was discarded was that the rear tire would not inflate. I went onto Amazon and bought two tubes, installed one in the back, and it was right as rain. I kept the second tube in a repair kit in case it got a flat when I was riding.

I rode it about 100 miles or so since then, and had quite a bit of fun with it. My girlfriend and I did a full triathlon last summer and we would like to do more. This bike is a 50cm and I'm 5'10. It is also very heavy. So I would like to sell this and buy a bigger, lighter, more racing-appropriate road bike to train and race with.

http://i64.tinypic.com/28s107l.jpg

I will list this on craigslist, facebook marketplace, listcycle, and anywhere else I can think of with an asking price of $50. The components are cheap, the bike is old, and there is some superficial rust. But I would like to be able to include the year into the description.

The serial number is all one line, and appears to have three backward C's, much like this: "Ↄ"

Perhaps they are mis-stamped zeros?

If so, the serial number is 70 01 04627.

Does anyone have a thought as to the year? Is my asking price too high? Should it simply be reconsigned to the scrap pile?

Thank you.

Hello all, I picked up this Nishiki Sport from a guy who bought it new in ‘89 and only rode it once then stored it away in his garage. He wanted to get rid of it because he was moving cross country and didn’t want the hassle of packing it. I did a complete overhaul because all grease packs had gotten gummed up to the point that some wouldn’t spin but all the races were cherry. I found this thread looking for some info on the year it was manufactured and thought I should add it to your database. I haven’t seen any other Nishiki frame painted like this.

S/N GM737299 on BB (I think that makes it an ’87)
Other code on BB = 8J11
Crank is Sugino MP 110
Brakes are Dia Comp N500 w/quick release and safety levers
Front and rear derailleurs are Shimano SIS with gooseneck shift levers
12-speed
Rims are Araya 27 x 1-1/4
Hubs are Joytech K87 low flange
I changed the seat and post and installed the gators.

This bike is solid and fun to ride. Any more info on it would be greatly appreciated.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8891/1...bf808a07_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/282/18...1a61579a_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/607/21...6f33723c_b.jpg

Welocome to the forums. Thxs for posting. While it was manufactured in 1987, it would appear to be a 1988 model. That colour scheme does not appear in the 1987 USA catalogue and the the down tube logo does not incorporate the series designation bar used in 1987.

Good for you, I am 73 this year and once the snow and ice is clear, I will be back on my bike.