R
Rex Kerr
Guest
The bike in question: (a slightly out of date description of the bike
in question)
http://www.twowheels.us/bicycles/nishiki.html
The bike is a mid 70's Nishiki Olympic 12.
I've been having problems lately with alignment issues, spoke tension,
and bending axles, and I'm now out of spare parts and cannot ride the
bike. I've scoured the bike shops and thrift stores to find a bike to
part out, or just a 126 mm alloy wheel, without luck, so now I'm
considering buying a new wheelset from Sheldon Brown.
Harris Cyclery has a 27" 126mm wheelset with cartridge bearings (side
question, how much harder are they to maintain -- will I need special
tools?) or the same hub with a 700C rim (which I know the brakes will
reach, I've done it before in a pinch). Either way it's still a
freewheel, so I still risk bending axles. Another option is to just
fight it and put a 130mm wheel in with a 9 speed cassette (which I've
also done before, so I know that it can be done -- though 9 speed
spacing is a bit close to accurately shift with the existing Suntour
friction barend shifters and 7 speed tourney megarange derailer) , but
I'm starting to lose clearance for the bolt heads from my fender and
rack mounts (the holes are not threaded, so the heads are inside of the
dropouts).
So, what do I do?
Pro for fixing it:
* I ride this bike far more than any of my others, it's by far my
favorite (though my new fixie is getting a lot of love lately),
it's the most comfortable, etc.
* A new bike wouldn't have the same ride quality and geometry
as the old steel road bikes that I like so much
* Total cost is cheaper
* I still get to pretend to be a retro-grouch with my friction
shifters,
cotton tape, etc -- wouldn't look quite right on a modern frame.
Cons:
* It's gonna cost me about $300 (including the new freewheel
I need, tires, which I probably need anyway, if I go the 700C
route, etc) by the time I get all of the parts I need to get it back
into good riding shape.
* It's still an old bike that still won't have or accept modern
components
* What else is about worn out? Will probably want a new BB soon,
how long is the crankset gonna last? Recabling is probably not too
far in the future, how long will the old diacomp center pull brakes
last? Is the straddle cable on the verge of snapping? Those are
hard to find!
If you suggest fixing it:
* Should I go 27" or 700C? I'm inclined to say 700C to allow for
more tire options, but that'll make it harder to replace the brakes
(if needed) in the future since they'll need to have even more
reach than they already need.
* Would you stick with 126mm and freewheel, or go 130 and
cassette? The local framebuilder didn't respond to my query
about spreading it to avoid difficult roadside tire repairs. 7
speeds
is plenty for me, but how much longer will I be able to buy these
things?
If you suggest replacing the whole bike:
* What model would be similar to what I've got? I've lusted over the
Trek 520 in the past, but $1200+ is a bit much. Even more so the
Rivendell and the like (though Grant may disagree that there are
any that qualify as 'and the like'), but they're even MORE
expensive.
* How much should I expect to spend? Anything decent for < $1000
that has good clearance and braze-ons for big tires, fenders, racks,
etc?
Thanks!
-Rex
in question)
http://www.twowheels.us/bicycles/nishiki.html
The bike is a mid 70's Nishiki Olympic 12.
I've been having problems lately with alignment issues, spoke tension,
and bending axles, and I'm now out of spare parts and cannot ride the
bike. I've scoured the bike shops and thrift stores to find a bike to
part out, or just a 126 mm alloy wheel, without luck, so now I'm
considering buying a new wheelset from Sheldon Brown.
Harris Cyclery has a 27" 126mm wheelset with cartridge bearings (side
question, how much harder are they to maintain -- will I need special
tools?) or the same hub with a 700C rim (which I know the brakes will
reach, I've done it before in a pinch). Either way it's still a
freewheel, so I still risk bending axles. Another option is to just
fight it and put a 130mm wheel in with a 9 speed cassette (which I've
also done before, so I know that it can be done -- though 9 speed
spacing is a bit close to accurately shift with the existing Suntour
friction barend shifters and 7 speed tourney megarange derailer) , but
I'm starting to lose clearance for the bolt heads from my fender and
rack mounts (the holes are not threaded, so the heads are inside of the
dropouts).
So, what do I do?
Pro for fixing it:
* I ride this bike far more than any of my others, it's by far my
favorite (though my new fixie is getting a lot of love lately),
it's the most comfortable, etc.
* A new bike wouldn't have the same ride quality and geometry
as the old steel road bikes that I like so much
* Total cost is cheaper
* I still get to pretend to be a retro-grouch with my friction
shifters,
cotton tape, etc -- wouldn't look quite right on a modern frame.
Cons:
* It's gonna cost me about $300 (including the new freewheel
I need, tires, which I probably need anyway, if I go the 700C
route, etc) by the time I get all of the parts I need to get it back
into good riding shape.
* It's still an old bike that still won't have or accept modern
components
* What else is about worn out? Will probably want a new BB soon,
how long is the crankset gonna last? Recabling is probably not too
far in the future, how long will the old diacomp center pull brakes
last? Is the straddle cable on the verge of snapping? Those are
hard to find!
If you suggest fixing it:
* Should I go 27" or 700C? I'm inclined to say 700C to allow for
more tire options, but that'll make it harder to replace the brakes
(if needed) in the future since they'll need to have even more
reach than they already need.
* Would you stick with 126mm and freewheel, or go 130 and
cassette? The local framebuilder didn't respond to my query
about spreading it to avoid difficult roadside tire repairs. 7
speeds
is plenty for me, but how much longer will I be able to buy these
things?
If you suggest replacing the whole bike:
* What model would be similar to what I've got? I've lusted over the
Trek 520 in the past, but $1200+ is a bit much. Even more so the
Rivendell and the like (though Grant may disagree that there are
any that qualify as 'and the like'), but they're even MORE
expensive.
* How much should I expect to spend? Anything decent for < $1000
that has good clearance and braze-ons for big tires, fenders, racks,
etc?
Thanks!
-Rex