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.

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.

A bit of free time

Well, work has finally settled down and I now have some time to ramble on endlessly about bikes and junk pickin'. As I scrolled down my most recent posts dating back as far as April 2012 I realize that all of the projects I  had lined out remain incomplete projects. I've also managed to aquire several new projects. Several of these new projects will be general overhauls, which I tend to enjoy doing and therefore a couple of these have ended up at the front of the line.

The first such project........a 1985 Schwinn Mirada. Prior to taking the initial pics I did do a frame wipedown.

As you can see from the pics it boasts a 4130 chrome-moly main frame and forged dropouts with a derailleur hanger. Some of the earlier Miradas' where fairly unimpressive. This later model has a decent quality frame and components and was extremely clean when I found it. It is what I refer to as a "garage queen".......ie; a bicycle that appears to have been purchased new and hung up or put away in the garage, basement or attic for many years. In this case, 27 years. When a new bike gets ridden it tends to start releasing grease through the hubs, bottom bracket and headset. This Mirada has very little of that and when I put the wheels on the truing stand they needed very little adjustment. The rear wheel was a little off center but I'm finding that to be fairly common.

Last night I removed the crankset, BB, chain, wheels and freewheel for cleaning, regreasing and installation.

I should have mentioned this earlier but I am preparing for another swap meet December 2nd in Milwaukee. I would like to have the Mirada completed within the next week or so, as I only have about 3 weeks to prepare about 4 or 5 complete bikes, 6 or 7 framesets and a slough of parts and accessories.

Fast forward a few days........................and the Mirada is back together. I have replaced the seatpost and saddle with something a bit more modern. Wheels have been trued and hubs rebuilt. Headset has been rebuilt and new tires and tubes installed as well as some different pedals.  I decided not to replace the cables and housings at this point but I do need to do a few more minor adjustments, such as new grips and buttoning up a frayed cable end.

Bianchi ID

A few pics in hopes of finding a model and frame tubing material.

The professionals have graciously informed me that this is probably an '82 or '83 Bianchi Special.

Double butted main tubes with Mangalloy stays and fork.

Link to inquiry......... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/858308-Bianchi-ID?p=14972716#post14972716

Just Checking In (again)

4th of July weekend was hot and I was badly in need of some R&R. I did'nt get much done on my basement projects. I did manage to do an initial clean-up on the DB Silver Streak but I did not take anything apart on it. I was also supposed to get a mountain bike ready for someone at Lydia's workplace........FAIL. I did do an initial clean-up on it. It being an old mid 80's Specialized Hardrock. I rebuilt the bottom bracket as well. The headset and hubs feel pretty stiff also and will need attention before I can let this one out the door.

I bought another shop quality workstand this week. It is well used but still in good condition. I intend to use it for projects that have stuck stems and/or seatposts. I have several of these projects waiting in the wings. They are slam your head against the wall time consuming and they tie up the workstand. I would like to set this up in an isolated area so that I can resume as my patience recovers.

I will likely return to the basement this night for frosty beverages. I may or may not become consumed in a project such as the Specialized.

Just Checking In

Work has been going well, despite a 75 mile, one way commute to NW Indiana 6 days a week. Today kicks off a much anticipated 5 day weekend with no plans whatsoever.......chill time. With the long hours at work and extended commute, I've still managed to do some garage saleing and picking.

It my memory serves me correctly, I was town wide garage saleing out in Shabbona, Illinois a couple of weeks ago. With little free time in my midst, I found myself on my way out of Shabbona mid morning, with a full van load of trinkets, headed toward a soft pillow and a dark room. When what to my wandering eye did I see? A garage sale sign down a lonely country road. What the hell, one more won't hurt. I headed down the narrow blacktop til I came upon another garage sale sign that took me down a long meandering drive with weeds growing between my tire tracks.

A couple of weeks ago I came across this little clean-up project that I'm pretty excited about. An early 80's Diamondback II Silver Streak BMX.

I'm thinking this little gem will clean up pretty nicely. It appears to have been sitting in a barn for several years but does not seem to have much in the way of moisture damage. It's mostly grime. The hand grips and cable housing is in remarkable shape. As always though, it does have a few issues. The top of the seat tube is flared out and a battered seatpost sits a couple of inches within.

I intend to try and keep the SS as original as possible. I'd like to rebuilt the bottom bracket, headset, crankset and hubs. A few of the spokes need straightening and the wheels do need some truing.  My initial inspection indicates that these tasks should be fairly routine but until one gets his hands dirty, one never knows for sure.

It should also be noted in the interest of  budgeting and originality, I presently have a single GW invested and at this point I'm thinking a seatpost and a saddle may be my only additional expenses.

Time to Make the Donuts

Just over 2 weeks ago I returned to the working world. The money is good but the hours are long and the work is hard. I'm commuting about an hour and 20 minutes each way. It fells like I work, drive, eat sleep............repeat repeatedly. Aside from being under Uncle Sam's thumb, the taxation on my body has me wanting to drink myself in to a stupor at this moment.

We're getting into prime bike season. Riding and flipping. All this "real" work has put a damper on all of that for now. Okay, enough whining. I did manage to list and sell another mixte frame on ebay last week. The rear deralleur for the Gunnar Rockhound arrived from Japan and has been installed along with a new Sram 9 speed chain. In replacing these parts I believe I discovered the real issue with the ghost shifting. The cable was corroded in the housing at the RD. Live and learn. Now I have a back-up RD. I am still considering a new suspension fork but I have not looked. Replacing the headset would be a smart thing to do as well. In the last month and a half I've listed and sold 5 frames on ebay. A couple of them did exceptionally well. Another that went to San Fran whacked me pretty hard on the shipping charges.

I would really like to ride SWK today but my legs and back hurt from climbing around on scaffolding all week. I think I'll just build a campfire and indulge in craft beer this evening. Cheers!