It's all a matter of luck and timing
 

The rain finally went away, the day was gorgeous, and my Sunday morning was spent on the usual ride between Ashland and the western Richmond suburbs with Poguemahone and another non-forum friend. Once the ride was done, go home and start on the chores. First off, get the garbage out to the transfers station (fancy name for local dump) that's a couple of miles down my road.

Backed in to the compressor and started unloading cans. The guy next to me had a LOAD of trash, and for some reason I'm watching him out of the corner of my eye. Call it intuition. Yeah, I'm male. He finishes with the trash cans, reaches back into the bed of his pickup and pulls out a bicycle. Goes to toss it in the hopper of the crusher, thinks twice and starts looking at the recycle pavilion at the other end of the parking lot.

By this point, I've already got my hands on the bike, and offer to take it from him. He says, "Help yourself" and the bike's in my pickup bed before I even start on the cans. I've already noticed two other people starting to walk our way.

What I've got (based on going through some back searches on the forum): '85 or '86 Nishiki Riviera GT, 49cm frame, Tange Infinity double butted. It's completely stock from what I can tell. SunTour LePre derailleurs (with the triple idler wheels), Sugino VP triple chainwheel, 50-40-28 with the inner two being some kind of steel biopace-ish cogs. 14-28 five speed freewheel, DiaCompe cantilever brakes with suicide levers. Wheels are SanSin/Araya 27x1-14". SR stem with WIN randonneur style bars, Selle Royale saddle with Sugino seatpost.

Yes, of course I've got pictures. You think I haven't learned by now?

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...RivieraGT1.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...RivieraGT2.jpg

A real find

Continuing on: The real beauty is that the bike, close up, looks every bit as good as the pictures. Not a chip anywhere in the paint. Everything works - yeah a bit sticky and dirty from years of hanging in a garage, but everything works properly. Initial assessment has me needing two tubes, a pack of bar tape, a pair of straps, and the usual clean up and refurbishment.

OK, the purpose of this thread ain't just bragging, I'd like a few opinions from some of my fellow fix and flippers. Obviously this is a pretty nice touring bike - nice enough that if it was a 56 instead of a 49, the Bianchi Nyala would be up for sale, and the Magneet would start feeling threatened. So, it's definitely not going on Craigslist (like we need more fixie candidates). I'm probably going to save it for the Westminster swap in February, most likely asking $250.00. Possibly replace the seat with something that looks a little less worn (boy, I wish I had more of those Favorit leather saddles).

Since I'm already not looking at putting too much personal funds in the bike, I'm entertaining the thought of adding a rear rack, lower mounting points for panniers, and mudguards. Sell it as a turnkey tourer, probably asking $300.00.

Sound reasonable? Thoughts, opinions appreciated.

short frame with a triple and cantis...this will make somebody a very happy tourist...:thumb:

Major score. A tourer in a woman's size. Without much change at all, that's a very hard to find bike. Definitely worth the time to hold onto and wait for the right buyer, or person you know who really needs a tourer that size.

Dude.

to answer your update: Loaded up, easy $300 because there just aren't any $300 nicely equipped tourers for women. As is, yeah, $250. In fact, I may know someone. Her brother just picked up a 54cm Riviera for himself, and she's hot for a roadie, as she rides a hybrid (avg 17+mph on centuries).

Is that cotton bar tape? Kudos to the last owner for that.

Started disassembling: The tape is an artificial leather with thin foam underneath, and sticky tape underneath that :notamused:. OK, so I have a little bit of cleanup on the bars ahead of me. So far everything is coming apart like the bike's brand new.

Thinking it through a bit more. I have a 40 year hatred of suicide levers, so I'm going to reassemble the brakes without them, include the lever in a bag should the eventual buyer want them back on. The seat is in a bit better shape than the scuffing shows, but it's rather wide. I'll probably swap it for a narrower seat, but here again include the original with the sale so the customer can swap around.

Game plan is to have it built and roadworthy by the end of the month, mid-December at the latest.

Is the fork bent, or am I seeing things?

I think you're seeing things. Notice the handlebars.

Makes you wonder how many nice bikes are just thrown away...

I'd leave them on. Experience flipping a lot of little bikes has taught me that the folks that fit these bikes have small hands, and like the levers. They are actually a selling point in many cases.

PM sent, I want to buy!

Derh! :crash: Hiyo!

+1 I used to remove them always. Many buyers asked if I had any turkey levers (OK, they called them something else). Now I leave them on.

I would clean that bike up really good, and put it on your local Craigs List now. You might be able to get $300 for it this time of year. Riders looking for small framed bikes will travel quite a distance to buy it. I sold an 18 inch Trek last week, buyer drove three hours one way to get it. Quality small vintage bikes just aren't out there.

I would not put racks on it. Many of the buyers will use it as a road bike, not as a touring bike. They won't pay extra for it just because it has racks. I would put some minor $$ into cables, bar tape, and general cleanup.

BTW: That three jockey wheel RD can have some value to it.

Thanks. I'd have never thought of that.

congrats man, that's a beautiful looking bike.

I agree strongly. That bikes needs suicide levers more than most bikes. Don't pooh pooh them, especially for small women.

Update: Got the bike torn down by Monday evening, started shipping parts with me to work on Tuesday, knocking out small batches every day during dull times on the job. By Thursday night, I had it reassembled. As per advice given, I kept the suicide levers. Put on a slightly nicer saddle, blue tape, but otherwise it was just a matter of cleaning up the original parts. Oh yeah, other than removing the pedals from the cranks (done by use of a heavy vise, a work table bolted to the concrete floor, one 15mm wench, and a fork tube from a Honda CBR900RR for extra leverage), everything came apart easily.

Gotta get one of those fork tubes to add to the tool collection at the home shop.

Now that it's together, there's the matter of final adjustments. Which won't happen this weekend, as Patti and I leave for Johnstown (my old home town) for the Outlaws M/C Thanksgiving party tomorrow night. Hopefully will have it done by the middle of next week, will have updated pictures posted by the end of next weekend.

Thanks to everybody for the advice. You brought up a lot of stuff I'd have never thought of. Being bigger than East Hill occasionally has it's disadvantages.

What?Not stopping in to see a Cheifs game at Veterans Arena?

They're calling it Veterans Arena now? I always knew the place as the Johnstown War Memorial. Afraid I won't have the time. I'll get down to the clubhouse about 1400 and will probably stagger out of there about 0200 Sunday. Have to be back at work on Monday.

opps,yes,War Memorial Arena

That bike is so nice.

I agree with other posters' price assessments. You could get $400 from that bike in Portland, easy. But even in Corvallis - a hot town if you're a seller - it wouldn't budge until the $250 mark. I also concur with the sentiment that most people won't see this bike as a tourer, for good or ill.

Also I predict that it won't leave the reach of the Bikeforums network. Call me crazy on that...

We'll want to see it once you've done your polishing.

PS - what was the reasoning/thought/concept behind that RD?

Outlaws party? Man, you ARE the real deal. Ever read/see The Bikeriders, (photography book by Danny Lyon)? If not, you really need to (especially if you have any appreciation for photography). He was a Univ. of Chicago student who hung out with the Outlaws in the late 60s/early 70s. Fantastic photos.

+10 on the advice to keep the turkey wings for a bike that size. The right buyer will really, really want that bike.

You dun good!

Just got back from a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and drinking myself half to death. You know it's Thanksgiving when the table is piled high with turkey and stuffing, the Jack Daniels is flowing at the bar, and the sound of AK-47's being run like they're full auto (they're actually US legal semi - there's a trick to firing from the hip that uses the weapon's recoil) is ringing at the range in the back yard. Sheer happiness. I actually didn't miss doing any roadwork for two days.

As to the Outlaw connection: Johnstown's always been Outlaws territory (I lived five miles from the mountain ridge that was the border with the Pagans in Pittsburgh), so if you've got a brain, a lack of a big mouth, and understand the concept of respect (both giving and receiving) you can find out that 1%ers aren't necessarily the marauding barbarians all those movies, bad news reports, police statements, etc. insist on making them out to be. Or not. The Johnstown chapter formed out of a club I helped form years ago, the Phoenix Riders M/C so they are, and always will be, family to me. (It's kind of fun, after a few drinks, to be able to say to one of them, "I can remember when you had half the tattoos, rode and old Gold Wing, and I called you Prospect." And everyone there finds it hilarious.) I'd moved to VA when the rest of the guys patched over, so I was the only member who didn't go.

Been out of colors for about a year and a half now - whole 'nother matter peripherally including (but having nothing to do with) the Outlaws. It sucks. Roadwork makes up for some of it, but not all. Did some serious talking over the weekend . . . . . . .

That book has been in my library for years.