# Nishiki International Info????



## surlydave

Hey folks. I've recently found a project bike in someones pile of garbage out at the road for pick up. Mixed in with a few kids bikes of different sizes and a rusted out weber grill was a grey colored road bike about my size. 

The wheels and cables were rusted pretty bad and I wouldn't have bothered to stop to pick it up had I not noticed the semi-horizontal drop outs on the back of the frame. After cleaning it up I've found that the headset and cranks are in good working condition and the frame has just a few spots of rust on it. This is a pretty neat looking lugged frame with rack mounts and chrome on the end of the fork legs. I was able to make out "Nishiki International" and "Chrome Molybdenum Butted" in faded letters.

I'm going to make a single speed out of it as soon as I can find some wheels for it,but would love to know a little history on this thing. Can someone tell me about how old it is and was this a pretty nice bike in its time? 

It was a 10 speed with Sugino Super Maxy cranks with alloy rings, and shifters clamped to the stem. It has Diacomp brakes and Suntour Cyclone derailleurs. It also has a flutted seatpost thats stuck in the seat tube-anyone have a tip for freeing it?

Sorry for the newbie type post but I figured you guys would the best place to get an idea about this thing. THANKS DAVE


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## handsomerob

Dude, I got somewhat limited experience but here are two things I am pretty sure of.....

1.) Bikes that came with stem shifters are most often on the low end of the spectrum

2.) The cost of building up from what you have will be *FAR* more than getting a decent running rig and buying a conversion kit.


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## handsomerob

Here is an example how getting great deals doesn't always mean a cheap bike.

I got a free frameset with BB and headset and still spent over $150 getting really great deals. 

mixed wheelset $30
3T handlebars $5
kalloy stem $4
105 crankset FD RD brake levers pedals $35 (have 105 shifters and a BB left over from this deal)
600 shifters and seat post $15
105 brake calipers $20
7 spd cassette $15
Selle San Marco saddle $10
Profile Design bar wrap $10
chain $7
crank bolts $1

I already had tires, tubes, cableing, and the tools needed to put it together, but these could add up as well.

In comparison I got the black bike locally with all Shimano 600 except cranket for $100. (pedals weren't included)

Check out this thread of cheap finds.... 
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=49687


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## Chef Tony

I rode a Nishiki International back in the late 70's early 80's. As well as I remember it was outfitted pretty much as you have described, but had downtube shifters (which I replaced with bar-cons later). I think it was all suntour stuff, with 27x 1 1/8 Araya alloy rims. 

The three main tubes are butted, but not the stays or fork; chromed fork end and stays. It's more of a touring frame, with a long top tube, plenty of brazed-on eyelets, and lots of room in the rear triangle for fenders. It was a nice bike, upper-middle range quality, and I rode thousands of miles on it.


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## fbagatelleblack

surlydave said:


> I was able to make out "Nishiki International" and "Chrome Molybdenum Butted" in faded letters.


Are the letters on the decals stylized to look like bamboo? If so, that would indicate this was an earlier model.

- FBB


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## fbagatelleblack

handsomerob said:


> Dude, I got somewhat limited experience but here are two things I am pretty sure of.....
> 
> 1.) Bikes that came with stem shifters are most often on the low end of the spectrum
> 
> 2.) The cost of building up from what you have will be *FAR* more than getting a decent running rig and buying a conversion kit.


OP, you should take handsomerob's suggestions seriously, but I'd like to add a couple comments:

1. While it is true that many bikes with stem shifters were lower-end, there were some decent bikes with stemmies as well. This is one of them. Not a race bike, by any stretch of the imagination, but a nice, lugged frame that got very good reviews in the bike rags of its day.

2. I agree that the poster should not sink much money into the fix, but I don't think he/she needs to. Let the International hang for a while while you look for a cheap-but-sturdy set of wheels on craigslist, eBay, or at the local Goodwill. You might have to buy the rest of the bike with the wheels, but you can keep the parts you don't use as spares for your next build, and sell the frame for $10 (and yes, I have a garage full of spare parts and frames, but I'm not as bad as toomanybikes  ). You'll probably need new tires, too, but you can get those cheap at www.nashbar.com. Stick with 27" wheels/tires because the wheels are cheap on the used market and you can still find tires at places like Walmart and Nashbar. You will also need a track cog or BMX freewheel, but once again, these are cheap.

In the end, I bet the OP could make a sweet-riding fixie/single out of the bike for less than $100, maybe less than $50.

Respectfully,

FBB


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## surlydave

No Bamboo lettering. Thanks for the info- thanks the kind of response I was looking for.

This frame has really cleaned up nice and I have the chrome on fork legs and crown almost spot free!

I got the seatpost unseized tonight and pulled the BB out and repacked it. My buddy had some 600 cranks in a 175 length that I think I'll like better then the orginal 170's. 

There are a couple of sets of wheels around here that I can get for a song but they are 700's not the orginal 27 inchers that the brake mounts are set up for. As I understand it this can be dealt with by running "long arm calipers" to reach the smaller wheels brake track.


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## fbagatelleblack

surlydave said:


> No Bamboo lettering. Thanks for the info- thanks the kind of response I was looking for.
> 
> This frame has really cleaned up nice and I have the chrome on fork legs and crown almost spot free!
> 
> I got the seatpost unseized tonight and pulled the BB out and repacked it. My buddy had some 600 cranks in a 175 length that I think I'll like better then the orginal 170's.
> 
> There are a couple of sets of wheels around here that I can get for a song but they are 700's not the orginal 27 inchers that the brake mounts are set up for. As I understand it this can be dealt with by running "long arm calipers" to reach the smaller wheels brake track.


Cool beans. Sounds like a fun project. Nashbar (www.nashbar.com) has some very inexpensive (>$30/pair) long reach side pulls that work very well. If you have 57mm or less drop from the center of the bolt hole to the center of the rim, these brakes will reach. They sell like hotcakes, and it appears that Nashbar is out of them at the moment, but they generally get new stock in very quickly. If you need more than 57mm reach, you can contact the gang at Kogswell cycles, http://www.kogswell.com/, the owner just discovered some massively long reach brakes from Tektro that he loves. BUT, those are generally used for 700C to 650B conversions, so they may well be too long for your needs.

Alternatively, you could go with used centerpulls. I put old Shimano Tourney centerpulls on almost all my restomods. They have long enough reach for your purposes, and they stop every bit as well as modern dual pivot brakes, especially if you put modern brake pads on them. Weinmann and Diacomp also built nice centerpulls will long reach. Do you have a buddy with a bucket of old brake parts? He/she is likely to have something which will give you what you need. Galli made some great long reach sidepulls back in the 70s and early 80s, but they tend to be hard to find.

Did the bike come with sidepulls or centerpulls. I sounds like a later model, so I'm guessing it had sidepulls, but I could be wrong. If it does have sidepulls, you will need front and rear cable hangers if you go to centerpulls.

Good luck!

- FBB


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## LX302

I just picked this one up from my boss.
200 total miles on it. Rides nice for what I paid for it.
I put on a new stem, handlebars, tape, hoods and clipless pedals.(which isn't shown in the pic).
A nice retro ride, but not nearly as refined as a new bike.


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## 40cal

surlydave said:


> This is a pretty neat looking lugged frame with rack mounts and chrome on the end of the fork legs.


Dave , about how many inches of chrome on the front forks? I have a 1981 International that has the chrome on about the first three inches of the fork. My older brother had an International from the year before and the chrome was about 6 inches. As I recall the chrome dissapeared entirely the following year. I paid $400 new for mine in ' 81. Still have the receipt and the bike.


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## RDB-5O

*Not an International but......*

I just picked this one up for $25 plus another $35 for tubes and tires.......










1976 (I believe) Nishiki Competition-Model racing bike (10 spd). It has Suntour shifters and derailleurs, Dia Compe brakes, Sunshine hubs, Araya wheels and Sugino competition cranks.



















Gordi


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## fbagatelleblack

Same graphics as the International I bought and sold a few months ago. May that orange color is where Grant Peterson got the idea for the Rambouillet paint. Love the chrome stays!

- FBB


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## surlydave

*Thanks for all the responses folks*

Sorry I haven't checked back on this thread in a while but I'm a MTB first and a bit of a roadie second and spend most of my time over at MTBreview.com. 

I've had my Nishiki up and running SS for about a month now. Started out running 48x18 on a 40 miler for its first outing and it was a hoot! I've since switched to 53x19 and this is just about the right gear for me. I ended up dremeling out the brake pad slots on the orginal calipers to make them reach the smaller 700c wheels I traded for and they work OK. Calling them "slow downs" would be more acurate them calling them brakes though. I need 57mm of reach and am looking for some cheap dual pivot types to help things out in the brake department.

40cal- Thanks for the info on the fork chrome. My chrome is about 3 and half inches long from the axle so sounds like it maybe an '81? I'll try to get some pics up soon. DAVE


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## undies

fbagatelleblack said:


> 1. While it is true that many bikes with stem shifters were lower-end, there were some decent bikes with stemmies as well.


I was perusing a pile of rusting bikes behind a friend's barn this weekend. He owns a lot of rental properties and the junk behind the barn is mostly stuff that was left by old tenants. Most of the bikes were pretty sad looking; a few huffys and dept. store MTBs, and maybe 5-6 bike-boom era road bikes with stem shifters, Diacompe center pulls, etc. One of them caught my eye however because it had some distinctive lugs. The frame didn't have any lettering but it wore a Nishiki badge on the steering head. 

Further inspection revealed an odd combination of components; it had Suntour stem shifters but Shimano 600 derailleurs. I wonder if it came from the factory like this, or if someone upgraded the derailleurs at some point.


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## bushpig

A metallic blue Nishiki International was my first racing bike. It was way to big for me, but I loved that bike. The lugwork was gold lining, which looked fantastic. It had a Suntour group, with the retrofriction down tube levers. It was a delightful introduction to the world of bicycles. I replaced it with a Colnago Sport.


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## cratz2

I used to have one that looked exactly like the one posted by LX302 except it had a white saddle and white tape.

Here's one I recently picked up... I'm struggling with the pink, but I think I can overcome my issues with that. It is a really sweet-riding bike. I got it on craigslist, but had some issues. It was originally a 7 speed I am guessing, but it had a replacement wheelset that had was 9 speed. It still had a 7 speed chain and chainrings so it literally slipped with each pedal turn. Well, we got an 8 speed on and all is well with the world. Pretty nice wheelset considering what I paid for the bike. XP12 with 105 hubs but had some hardcore little 700x20 tires which I quickly replaced with 700x25s which are much more comfortable for my type of riding.

Not sure of vintage, but the steel frame looks quite a bit like a Raleigh Technium I used to have so I assume it was from the end of the 'good' Nishiki run.


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## dekindy

A Nishiki International was my first nice bike. Prior to that I rode a Murray 10-speed that I bought in high school. I purchased mine in 1983 for $310 and it had Suntour components on the down tube. I rode that bike a lot and compared it to bikes that cost 3 times that much in 1989 when I thought about trading up and decided against it (the exchange rate had changed unfavorably so that was a significant factor in cost). It was not until I rode a Schwinn Paramount that I decided to pluck down $1,200 and replace it. It was slightly too small for me or I probably would have kept it. I believe they came in 22.5 and 25 inch frames and my buddy advised me on the smaller frame to save weight. Great bike for the money and a good all-around recreational bike in it's time IMHO.


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## Jimmy Z.

My second ten-speed was a Nishiki International. Someone also had a Murray for their first. I got mine in 1967. The Nishiki was about $200 in 1973 with an Ideale leather saddle. The maxi rings went in favor to a Sugino mighty and later a Suntour VGT replaced the original rear derailleur. Tires got better and so did the chains. I kept it until 1983 when I bought my first Raleigh. A great tourer was the Nishiki and comfortable due to the fork and angles. It was reasonably stiff and never had chain rub even when mashing. I'd say it carried me 7000 miles plus without a problem. I even remember drilling the stem for a capscrew to improve the looks and also had downtube shifters from the start. The original shifters were too much Schwinn for me... Sold it to a friend.


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## tarwheel2

My first half-decent road bike was a Nishiki, and I think it was an International. It was a touring or sport touring frame. It was very nicely equipped with Suntour components and a couple hundred bucks less expensive than a comparable Fuji model at that time. I bought the bike when I graduated from college in 1978 and ended up selling the bike about 10 years later to my brother. He sweats a lot and evidently didn't wash the frame enough, and it rusted so much that it cracked in half!

Anyway, I think the Nishiki could make a nice fixie. Do a search at www.fixedgeargallery.com and you will find lots of fixed Nishikis.


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## Ajax

Total noob here, but Googling Nishiki brought me to this thread and I just have to put in my two cents.

I got my Nishiki International in 1975 and I still ride it regularly. It's still firm, quiet and agile as ever. I'm no hardcore rider (except for the first few years of ownership) so I never did any mods to the bike. Just cleaned and lubed it, and replaced the wear items. All the hardware is original. Mine's white, with centerpulls, stem shifter, toe clips, gold bamboo-style lettering. I paid about $250 for it. I can't begin to imagine how many miles I've put on it.


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## tonylumps

*nishiki altron 7000*

Does anyone have any info on this frame It is a Nishiki Altron 7000 Triathalon Alum. frame Cromo fork Lettering on Chainstay Handcrafted by Kawamura The Numbers under frame are KFC938 Thanks Tony


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## Sixty Fiver

Nishikis are great bikes and the Internationals I see here (Canada) are all fitted with 700 wheelsets rather than the 27's I see on most 80's era bikes.

Nishikis are very popular here among the couriers, singlespeeders, and fixed gear folks as the bikes and frames are abundant, are very well made, and tend to sell for very little.

My first decent road bike was a Nishiki so I wil probably always have an affection for them as mine carried me many 1000's of miles at unholy speeds.


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## techie470

*Mid 70's Nashiki International*

How's this for free? A mid 70's Nashiki International, it sat in a friend's garage for 20+ years. One day I stopped by as they where cleaning out and they saw me looking at it. She asked if I wanted another bike....PLEASE?? Turns out the bike been riden less then 100 miles. It's my size so off we went. Over the years I've swapped out the Chicken levers/Suicide brakes with side pull and new brake levers, swapped out the stem shifter with bar-ends, and put on a rack I had sitting around. All the new parts where from clearance sales and stuff I had, but I probably spent more then the bike cost new. It's now used for trips to the local stores and rides around town. Its not going to replace my road bike, but I do enjoy riding it, had it out this morning 

Is this the bamboo style of decal? I remember this bike was purchased new between 75 and 77. Ever see a bike with an olive color?


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## fbagatelleblack

techie470 said:


> Is this the bamboo style of decal?
> 
> Yup!
> 
> 
> 
> techie470 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ever see a bike with an olive color?
> 
> 
> 
> Nope. I've only seen the blue ones.
> 
> Nice, nice score. And a beautiful build!
> 
> - FBB
Click to expand...


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## Kuma601

This reminded me of my first road bike, a Nishiki Prestige. Heavy sucker but it was a nice ride and I paid ~$400 back around '86-87 or so. 27" wheels but mine was fitted with Suntour friction components. I wonder if that bike is still out there?


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## ckilner

This page has some URLs to images of a 1983 Nishiki Catalog:
http://bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-179477.html

My friend road a 1984 Nishiki Olympic (that I helped upgrade to 8 speed indexing and a 105/OpenPro wheelset) on RAGBRAI this summer and loved it! He originally bought it to ride across France after graduating from College in '84.


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## twain

*1986 Nishiki International*

I bought the '86 Nishiki International while in college. It was -- and still is an amazing bike. It has an incredibly smooth ride and very stable steering. I used it for triathlons, put on flat bars and banged off road, later put on a cross fork, then back to roadie use with a wound up, repainted it british racing green, and now it is a rock solid commuter bike.
Here are scans from the original article in from Bicycle Guide magazine


















































And here is an ad









Lastly, at Wildflower long course in 1990








The bike is probably over 26 pounds there with Scott DH bars and plastic covered disc wheel. Yet my bike split there was my fastest ever. The second fastest time was on a Scott Plasma with hed wheels. The Scott weighs TEN POUNDS less and cost probably ten times as much as well!

Great freakin' bike.


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