Picked this up for free this morning after my ride.

IMG_6934 by 2cam16, on Flickr

Thanks Law. So am I. I love 80's and 90's colors, as you may have noticed with my bikes. lol "Unfortunately" it's my size so most likely a keeper.
It was his daughter's bike for San Francisco back in the day. He's in a pretty good city ( where I usually ride) so I had a feeling it was going to be a decent bike when he offered it to me.

My mutant creepy dumpster bike, can you guess what it is ? (Was) this is my first attempt to post a pic......

520?

nope

Panasonic?

nyet

Univega Specialissima?

we have a winner, a 1984, your prize is a copy of Linda rondstadt's greatest hits

Long time lurker, first time poster.

The wrenches would have come new with an old three speed Raleigh. Never seen that seatbag before though.

Picked up a small Trek Elance 400 for a cousin who needs a bike. It's a little grungy but perfectly serviceable. 87?





Built-in chain hanger on the inside of the dropout lug? This and some of the other nice details on the frame is really endearing me to old Treks. I particularly love the dropout lugs (is there a different term for those that I'm unaware of?) -- it looks like the bike is wearing old-school Danner boots or heavy wool socks.

Also, neither C nor V, really, but I scored a 2000 Cannondale XS800 frame w/most of the drivetrain for a song. It's going to be fun to build up.

Last night I took a short walk to grab a take out dinner from a neighborhood restaurant. Along the way I spotted most of a bicycle leaning against a trash can, curbside for the next morning’s garbage pick up.

I picked up the Thai dinner, and returned to the bike for closer inspection. Tange. SunTour. Sugino. Dia Compe. Nitto. Hideous paint! It looked interesting enough to adopt so I did what any C&V addict would do. I threw it over my shoulder and carried it home, wheel in one hand, and dinner in the other.

And today here’s what appears to be 1987 Nishiki Ariel, and the lonely wheel it was tossed out with.

The matching cat toy was not free by the way!

Those pedals are coveted, looks like the thumbies are integrated with brake lever, cool? That paint looks bad, but I bet it was rockin when it was new.

^^^^^^ +1; this one deserves touch-up / finish repair rather than a respray. Esp. since so much of the branding is there.

So those are those Suntour pedals with the rounded ends, right? Yes, I've heard they're sought-after.

Love those thumbies! I have a at least one spare front 26" wheel floating around if you decide to build it up and are ever in Seattle...although sadly a part out would probably be the most efficient use of time - some nice bits on that frame

Part-out??!? I'd build up that bike in a New York minute. Might even be tempted to leave the finish as is, except to touch up to prevent rust. Halfway decent old MTB front wheel would be, what, $10 at the local bike kitchen, right?

What number Tange is it? Or is it just "MTB" with the pinkish panel?

That must have been a beauty in the mid-80's. It has similar parts to my Muddy Fox. Sugino cranks, pedals, integrated shifters,etc. Good stuff. I'd be refurbishing that and riding it since it looks my size.

Unfortunatley the bear traps are missing their dust caps. There is a Oregon ebayer who is selling repops. Aside from condition, the paint is definitely 1980's rad!

SunTour XC-II pedals. Or "bear traps" as they're often called. I understand that BMXers will sell their soul for a pair, but that MKS copies are just as well made. As for the paint, if I were to keep the bike and build it with personal use in mind, there is no way I could live with the two tone color scheme. It'd get repainted for sure, though I can certainly understand where you're coming from. Preserving particularly uncommon vintage bikes has a certain measure of merit in its practice. Sort of a reverent nod to the past.

The thumbies are part of the XC-7000 Sport group the bike is originally fitted with, and still retains. Other OEM parts still on the bike are: NGC982 front cantilevers, Dia-Compe 990 rear calipers, Sugino AC110, as well as all the rest of the components and fittings. Rear wheel is not however, nor is the 6 speed freewheel. I appreciate the offer for a 26" front but I can't see when I'd ever be up in Seattle, as much as I'd like to... I'm really tempted to turn this neglected Nishiki into a very personalised multi purpose machine. Its exactly my target size for a MTB frame. It'd certainly be a fun build, and probably an easy everyday rider. But I already have two projects underway as it is which have also been huge financial investments. It's going to be hard to justify squeezing this one in when priorities point to other directions. I've yet to the reclaim living space I need from all the other bike crap still in purge process. And a part out in this case can yield some need cash. Tough decision, but time will tell.

Do it! lol

Only if we can talk you OUT of the respray.....

N+1 for the win. (but not respray, just touch up).