Thursday, December 20, 2012

Nishiki BackRoads

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on a 1989 Nishiki BackRoads MTB. I was delighted when I found this Nishiki MTB at a Goodwill store a few months ago. All the components moved freely, the overall condition of the frame, paint and components was very good, the wheels were reasonably true.

Sometimes the reality of a good find slaps you in the face when you begin a rebuild. I usually start by confirming that I have a good usable wheelset before I get to engrossed in servicing the rest of a bike. In the case of this Nishiki I ran into some issues with the rear wheel. I was not able to get the lateral trueness to an acceptable level so I shelved the project.

That was a couple of months ago. About a week ago I decided to jump back in head first. I picked up a donor bike hoping I could just swap out the wheelset but that idea did not pan out. Fortunately the donor had a suitable set of replacement rims. I was able to successfully replace the rim on the rear wheel and so the overhauling commenced.

All of the major components have been serviced. Headset, BB and wheel hubs have all been rebuilt. I have also replaced the rear brake cable yoke and of course everything has been thoroughly cleaned.

As I said earlier, I still have a few finishing touches remaining. The rear derailer cable is frayed and needs replacing. I would like to replace the seatpost as well. I am pleased with the results at this point and will likely be taking the Nishiki to the Chicago Bike Winter Swap at the UIC in March.

The biggest issue on my mind at this point and time is which project to start next.





Monday, December 3, 2012

Milwaukee Bike Swap

I attended the Milwaukee Bike Swap this past weekend at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive. I have to admit I was pretty lackadaisical about preparing for this one. As it turns out, this was'nt a huge issue as I witnessed several good deals remain unclaimed at the end of the day. For example, a Kabuki road bike made of a reasonable grade of chromoly tubing, in very good refurbished condition, did not sell with a $75 price tag. I saw chrome Bianchi Pista track frame priced at $225 and another track frame with a new Surly fork priced at $75. I also passed on a new set of deep V's with tires and tubes for $100 and a Schwinn Tempo with a full 105 group for $115. All of these items went back home with their original owners. A few other items of note that I somewhat regret not pulling the trigger on...........a vintage cycling jersey and a junior roadbike wheelset......a wheelset somewhere between 20" and 24", tubular with Normandy hubs and 1" rims. Ya, I kinda wish I had bought those for $15 just for the novelty and the opportunity to research them.

On the brighter side of the swap, I did some walking around before the doors opened up to the public and picked up a 1984 Gitane Interclub, sans wheels, for $25, 2 nice sets of SR pedals, a new set of 27" gumwalls and something else I'm forgeting at the moment.

I think I sold one of everything, and I do mean only one. One complete bike, one frameset, one pair of shoes, one leather saddle, as well as several other odds and ends.

This past Spring I picked up an old Panasonic Tourist 3, a 3 speed with a coaster brake. Probably a keeper...............BUT........ I presently have way to many bikes.........ridiculus numbers, I assure you. At any rate I'm pleased to have found a good appreciative home for it.



Now that the dust has cleared on the Milwaukee swap it's time to get ready for the Madison swap on January 19th. I currently have 5 bikes and 4 framesets that are ready to roll. I'm stilling kicking around some ideas as to what I want to take to Madison and what I need to get cleaned up. Perhaps I will overhaul something thats my size, if you get my drift.