wait what? You got them on ebay? Then why was it just listed on my local CL...must be a scam..


https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/978183787.html

Or duh, maybe that's you trying to flip them.

Bluemels Lightweight mudguards class up any machine!

-Kurt

That would be me trying to flip the older of the two...I've had some recent luck, we'll see what happens...

I went and picked up the Nishiki I found on CL today. Unfortunately, the seller had "forgotten" to mention one important piece of information....there's a huge dent in the top tube. Apparently, I was the 10th person to look at the bike. No one else bought it due to the dent. Me, I'm stupid. I bought it anyway. I didn't pay his asking price, though. And I demanded another frame. Ok, maybe not demanded. I asked what else he had (he has over 100 bikes). He brought out a Fuji Berkeley frame. So I took it too.

After getting it home, I decided it would be a good bike for my stepson, who destroyed a 2007 Raleigh Mojave MTB in less than a year. He's been wanting a road bike so he could ride with me (he's done a couple of 20+ mile rides with me on his MTB), so I'm going to change a few things on the bike and give it to him. I've already done some of it.... replaced the bars and brake levers. It had steel bars on it that weighed a ton. Brake levers were kinda scary (and had "safety levers"). So he has an ergo Nashbar bar (used - $5) and (don't beat me for this...) NOS SunTour Superbe brake levers.

Anyhoo, pics of the Nishiki and the Fuji are below.

thats a heck of a dent to "forget" so easily.

It is.

I felt kinda sorry for the guy though. He's disabled and can't ride a bike himself. He has a trailer full of wheels, a shed, a garage, and a workshop full of bikes and frames and boxes and boxes of parts. He pieces together bikes to sell as a hobby and as a supplement to his disability income. He "forgot" the dent part because I think he just really needed to sell it. His daughter - who used to work at the bike shop right next door to them - showed me the bike when I got there, and the first thing she did was point out the dent. So at least they did that.

Anyway, he had a new wheel on the bike (rear), new bar tape, and his time for cleaning, polishing, new cables, etc. So I figured what I paid was a fair price for his labour and such. Plus I got the Fuji frame. And, he's coming to the shop on Wednesday to bring me everything he finds in his boxes of stuff that says "Nitto" on it.

So, while I didn't like the "surprise", I can sorta understand it.

Sounds more forgivable than the fellow here who had a rigid Cannondale MTB with an even larger dent in the seat tube, who told me it still rode fine and wanted $60.00 for it. I offered him $30.00 for it (for parts) but he turned me down.

I think there are times when offers on deals like that are almost as much charity as "business"

That dent on the top tube shouldn't really effect anything more than appearances. You might cover it up with something like a triangular frame bag, or frame pump for example.

What are you basing this assertion on? I wouldn't buy one in that condition if I intended to use the frame. In the OP's case, the point is moot, since he got another frame instead.

Actually, I agree that it's merely a cosmetic issue. On a lower-end Cro-Mo frame like the Nishiki, it's doubtful that it will ever fail there. That's why I'm giving the bike (dent and all) to my step-son, who weighs maybe 95 pounds. He can ride it and abuse it and I won't really care.

I'm going to build the Fuji frame as a townie single-speed bike (NOT a fixie) with northroad bars and other dorky stuff. The Fuji frame has a lot of rust on the top tube (which you can't see in my pic) around the cable housing guides. I'm just going to ride it like that as my townie bike.

If, however, I were going to use the Nishiki as I had originally intended - as a cheap randonneuring bike - I would have had serious reservations about the dent.

Went back to the bike shop out in the country and got a rusted out Raleigh Wyoming. It was so bad the down tube split 4 inches from the BB. It still had the pretty slick looking Takagi triple on it, so it will find it's way onto something. It also had a pretty wide set of Randonneur bars on it that will come in handy on something. Not a bad deal for $10. I got to searching in a bin. I found a set of slightly rough Cyclone M-II's (FD/RD) and a Suntour Mountech FD. I laid them out, and let him know I only had ten bucks left in my pocket. All of them had strong springs and no apparent problems. He agrees to the ten bucks, so I left with a smile on my face and empty pockets. I also found a "Conquest" bicycle products shifter cable still in the bag. Unlined housing, so it will probably get used for RD friction pieces. Not so critical as brake or indexed applications. I mostly bought it because it was clear
housing. Not a bad day really...,,,,BD

Isn't it nice when a $20 purchase makes you as happy as a $2000 purchase, if not more so?

understandable, sounds like you made up for it in the long run. i'm a big fan of the valite fuji's!

Yes it is.,,,,BD

Almost vintage.....much lusted for (by me, at least)


1995 (US-made) GT Zaskar LE

I was this || close to buying one of those.... in 1995. Wish I had done it, now.

I couldn't have swung it in '95, but sure glad I found a nice one 14 years later.

One of the best XC hardtails ever made...that's for sure.

That was why I didn't buy it. I was too poor. lol

Found two loaded touring rigs for the price of one yesterday. Well, the Nishiki isn't exactly tour ready just yet.

Fuji Saratoga



Nishiki Cresta

man, great finds! I've been looking for tall touring bikes FOREVER but nothing ever comes my way.

How tall do you need? I've had them falling out of the sky and hitting me in the head lately, after two years of searching. If I find one your size, you'll be the first to know.

I really should have held onto that Wheeler 3k I found. It looked like a mountain bike, but had more braze ons than some touring bikes, and 700 rims. I just didn't have the components and wheels to do it justice at the time, and the color was fugly. It had three water bottle mounts, pannier mounts, rack mounts, fender mounts, pump peg, etc. I can't remember now, but it may have had strap mounts too?,,,,BD

The color? It looked like some kind of an algae green with blue pearl.

That sounds Great! Please do let me know if you come across anything 63cm-ish.

thanks

That's about the size I've been finding lately, check the vintage touring bike thread.. page 12 I believe? I want to keep the ones I have so far, but if I run into something I'll let you know.,,,,BD