Getting back into road cycling and bringing my vintage Nishiki Tri-A back to life. Don’t plan on keeping up with the 20 something’s but want to be as fast as my age and condition will carry me.
Opinions welcome please. Recommendations?

Thank You

Is this the one with 650c wheels?

edit: no that was a different person w/ Nishiki.
To go lightweight on a vintage, just go tubular. Vintage tubular wheelsets are extremely affordable. With tubular tape no gluing required.

Sweet bike!
Weigh the current wheelset(minus skewers and cassette). Figure out a budget. Then look for handbuilt wheels with butted spokes within the budget that are lighter than what you have. Handbuilt wheels will be properly tensioned and true. This is compared to machine built wheels that can be true, but sometimes at the expense of tension, which doesnt make for a reliable wheelset. Nothing bad could happen, or spokes could break and the wheel comes out of true. Its a crapshoot.

If nothing is available within your budget that are handbuilt, consider Velomine. The clearly show which wheels are handbuilt vs machine built and the wheels use quality components at good prices($200 and up for Shimano hub wheelsets). A machine built wheel can be properly tensioned and true, it just needs to go thru enough 'cycles' of tensioning and truing. This adds cost to the wheelset.
Velomine wheels are relatively inexpensive enough that you can chance it and if they need to be adjusted, taken to a shop(if you cant do it) and worked on there for a nominal price. You will still come out ahead.


There are dozens of great prebuilt wheel websites and everyone here could list their favorites, but its pointless for them to suggest sites where wheels start at $600 and go up from there if you want to spend $250.
List a price range and your weight- you will get good options that way.


Or just look at prowheelbuilder.com and velomine.com
https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/cw/ - some HplusSon Archetype rims, bitex hubs, and double butted sapim spokes will cost about $450 and weigh 1600-1700g, depending on spoke count. Itll be a really reliable and solid all around wheelset.
At Velomine, there are these that are low spoke count-H Plus Son Archetype Black Road Bike Wheelset 8-11s 24h & 20h [740163] - $219.00 Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike, these that arent light but use quality components H Plus Son Archetype Wheelset Shimano 7000 Hubs 32h [741954] - $229.00 Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike, and you could look at Velocity wheelsets too. HplusSon and Velocity have silver options too- if you dont want black.

It's really hard to go wrong with Open Pro rims, DT Swiss 2.0 spokes, and Ultegra hubs... Assuming the common 110/130 F/R spacing.

I purchased a set of Mavic Open Pro laced to Ultegra hubs from a BF member, Brian3069. I do not know what the spokes are. I mounted them on early '90s steel road bike that I recently rebuilt. They look and spin like new, and roll true.
Cleaned and shined!

Also, they are nice looking. They are lighter and better quality than the Rigida wheels, both rims and hubs, and operate almost silently. With shipping they were $203. A bit more than I was planning on spending but now am glad I made the purchase.

Nice Bike! - delbiker1

I was in "aw" (interj. Used to express sympathy, tenderness, disapproval, or disbelief.)... The last time I was at a real bike shop pricing out a set of wheels. WOW!

I don't know what your skill set is but you might just try out machine built wheels. I have always through the years tuned my own wheels and if you haven't just watch a few Youtube's and your half way there. By tuning your own wheels another door opens. The much cheaper machine made wheels will become available to you. For about 200$ you can get a good set with stainless spokes put together and shipped.

After you get them loosen the spokes, re-dish if needed and tighten down for use. And yes, you can do this with a card board dish device and your play by ear spoke tension device.

Its nice to have two sets of wheels with your cheaper set dressed for touring and a slick set for speed.

I would start with a touring set but I'm a geezer. 20 somethings still fear me... going down hill.

Ultegra hubs are sweet, but any half-decent Shimano hubs are superior to everything else in the budget range.

And I'd go far enough to say they're better than virtually everything else for durability, particularly if you include the ratio of durability to cost.

Thanks for the comments. I already have a back-up wheelset, the Rigidas that were on a used bike that I purchased. They need to be redished and tuned, possibly new spokes. I want to start learning how to maintain wheels. I personally would not spend more than $350 for a wheelset. I do like to keep a fairly quick pace but have never been involved in racing, other than my own goals. I have 4 bikes and the most expensive one is carbon fiber Orbea Avant MD 40, $1399 and $120 for shipping. It is a 2014 model that I purchased new in 2016. MSRP was about $2600. It is a nice bike but I would choose my steel or ti bike over it any day.

Here's what I'd do if the Nishiki can friction shift.

I'd shop carefully at the UK sites for the best deal on a set of Campagnolo Zonda's or Fulcrum Racing 3 wheels. Coldset the rear to 130mm and then throw on a 8 speed cassette. Most likely your DT shifters and RD will cover the 8 speed just fine.

By coincidence, a quick check just landed me a set of Campy ready C15 Zonda's for under $300. Score!

Save $$$ and just get some good tires for the current wheels?

The friction shifting caught my eye. I cold set the bike pictured above to 130 mm rear. It was all 105 6 speed with DT shifters. I installed a 9 speed cassette and chain and also put on new chain rings. I set the right shifter to friction and it shifts and operates with no issues. Before I cold set the frame I tried to run this set up but I really did not like the way the wheels sat in the drop outs. I had to tighten down the QR really hard or the wheel would shift in the drop outs. I still want square up the drop outs. Cold setting was an easy adjustment. I watched a video by Rick by the bike guy, made the tool like he showed and did the cold setting the same way he did. The used Mavic/Ultegra wheels were a huge improvement over the old Mavic MR 2 rims and 105 hub

Yeah, I do this quite often on my steel rides. I've even got an old mid 80's Orbea Cabestany that the original Mavic DT shifter work great on shifting over a 10 speed cassette.

A good set of modern wheels can really wake up an old bike.

Tire suggestions please?

Continental Grand Prix 4000sII in 25mm width. Pump to 90PSI.

I really like Hutchinson Fusion all weather clinchers. I have 28 mm tires on a road bike, Airborne Zeppelin, and they just clear the rear calipers and bridge. Plenty of room in the front. I have another steel frame bike that does not have room for the 28's. I would buy 25 mm fusions but I have no need for more 25's as I already have a few different ones.

I would spec double-butted spokes if you're going to go to the trouble. DT Revs on the rear NDS, DT Competitions on the rear DS, DT Competition Race up front. Consider also using 4 spokes fewer in front, so 28/32 if you're lighter or 32/36 if you're a little bigger.

You didn't specify the rear hub spacing, whether freewheel or freehub, or budget.

I'd agree with the first response. Build a tubular wheelset around a high quality vintage sealed bearing hub. The ride will be superior to every other option. You can likely purchase a used tubular wheelset from your local Craigslist for less than the other options that folks have given.