Just bought some JP Steel off of Ebay!
 

I almost pulled the trigger on 80's Colnago, it was mint but it was $1200. It may have been a good investment, but seeing how road bikes are so cheap nowadays, I just couldn't justify spending that much.

So I started looking for Japanese steel at a good price. My favorite roadie ever was my long gone Specialized Sirrus Sport from around 1990. I believe that those were built by Miyata, smooth steel ride (Direct Drive DB) with 105 components. I also had a Miyata 712 (Triple butted!) that I wish I hadn't sold!

Which brings me to to now. I have been looking for a nice steel racer for blasting around to the health club, bank etc... My criteria was a Tange 1 or 2, or Tange Prestige/ Champion. With quality components.

I've been scanning ebay and CL for a suitable bike. Finally I found the Nishiki International on ebay. I picked it up for $200 shipping included. It turned out to be in quite nice condition- definitely low miles. It has Tange 1 OS tubing, which may not be as desirable as a lugged brazed Tange 1 frame. However it is in very nice condition and quite light. It has Suntour Cyclone components, which are kind of cool. Suntour vintage!

I have a few questions about this rig, I hope you can help!

It appears to be mostly unmolested and in clean condition. It came with a saddle [moderator edit: “I didn’t like”] As I unpacked it, I replaced it with a spare that I had.

It appears to be Suntour Cyclone equipped- the brakes and crankset. The FD and RD say Suntour Sprint- is that the same a the Cyclone- are they likely original?
The RD was delivered partially disassembled- but seems to be fine. One of the pulleys got munched, any idea of how that might have happened? What are suitable replacement pulleys?
It has a 6-speed cluster. The chain is missing a pin, should I replace it? What is a suitable replacement chain- can I go nickle plated?
Not sure if the tires are safe, they seem a little crispy on the sides. Are they safe?
Should I replace the brake pads?
Any idea of what year this is?https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8e6f3dd98a.jpg


Where is a good source for parts- tires, chains etc?

I'm going to put a blue anodized bottle cage, replace that lame handle bar tape and ride the heck out of it.

Thanks for looking and your comments!

-John





https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4a6c0c0ef7.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a9a371f05.jpg

Tange 1
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...59685aa4a6.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f7c772b379.jpg

Cyclone/ Sprint
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...86f11a78a7.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae6adaf12c.jpg

Safe or not?
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...36ac306a1c.jpg

Note munched pulley.

Thanks for looking!

-John

Very nice snag!

Anymore, most of my consumables come from one of two local co ops. One sells new stuff at cost. Can't beat their chain price on line or anywhere else. The other sells used consumables cheap, like lightly used tires and tested used tubes. I've got enough left over supplies from my flip days to do everything else.

The Sprint was a step above Cyclone in late-80s Suntour world. I have two Sprint RDs in my parts bin and both have sealed bearing pulleys so those pulleys yours came with may not be original.

For chains, the KMC Z72 is seven dollars and change including shipping on ebay.

Nice find. The main tubes look to be bonded instead of welded to the lugs?

Definitely replace the tires. Continental Grand Prix Classics in a 25mm should work. Replace all consumables if possible. Brake pads, chain, tires, cables/housing.

International was a great bike. They even had a touring variant with the same race geometry as the racing version. When I fixed it up it rode extremely well, but I sold it since I didn't have confidence in the frame due to a lot of internal rust.

Have fun with yours! I'm sure it will be a blast.

These frames were much-touted by Nishiki in full-page ads in 1986.
They used oversized, Tange #1 double-butted 8-6-8 LD (large diameter) tubing brazed onto internal lugs, with reinforcing rings added.

"Stage racing/Triathlon" geometry for the 58cm (C-to-C) model was aggressive, having a 74-degree seattube angle with 58cm toptube. Headtube angle was 73-degrees.

Sprint derailers were shifted via Sprint fine-tooth ratchet levers.

I've got one in 56cm (c-c) that's been re-painted a nice metallic green and still carries an Ultegra 6603 gruppo and the Rivendell-esque cockpit fitments of the previous owner. It begs for a refresh in a more-sporting guise, and I think that the 6603 levers will play nice with a double.

What is "JP steel"?

What, exactly, is a "fat girl saddle"?

It looks like a super nice bike to me. The paint is spectacular!

Expect it to be stolen if left outside, locked or not.

Why?

OP described the sidewalls as "crispy". They look to be at least 20-30 years old and are probably dried out and separating.

Always liked this model from Nishiki, but for some reason they just didn't sell well for us. I do believe it was a name recognition thing here in the Midwest. Fuji and Miyata were our other staple brands and people preferred a brand that they were familiar with. They missed out on a really nice bike.

FYI, it's a 1986 model manufactured in late 1985 by Kawamura of Japan. Officially designated the International LD (i.e. Large Diameter), the original MSRP was $499.95 US and claimed weight was 23 lbs. for a 58cm frame. SunTour Spint derailleurs with Cyclone brakes, crankset and pedals is OEM spec. Sprint was new for 1986 and one step above Cyclone. The designers at West Coast Cycle were looking to keep the bicycle under the magic $500 figure. They couldn't do that with a full Sprint group but they also knew that consumers focused on the derailleurs. To that end, they spec'd Sprint derailleurs, with Cyclone and Sanshin hubs being the cost concessions that allowed them to achieve the price target.

TiHabanero, in my experience market segment with preference for brands like Fuji, Miyata and Panasonic was only indirectly related to brand recognition. Marketing brands like Lotus, Nishiki and Sekai were well established and widely known. However, few knew who actually built the bicycles. With brands like Fuji, Miayata and Panasonic, the name on the bicycle was also the manufacturer. This reassured a lot of consumers, as they felt they were dealing directly with a known entity. Consequently, they were willing to pay a small premium for the price.

A good example is Univega and Miyata. By the 1980s, Univega was well know, widely distributed, typically under priced the comparable Miyata model and in most cases were even manufactured by Miyata. While not many consumers knew that Miyata was the contract manufacturer, even among those that did, many still bought Miyata simply because they felt that they were dealing directly with the manufacturer, as opposed to arm's through a marketing/distribution company. I guess you could argue that this is a form of brand recognition, but I think it's an important distinction.

Q: When is a $205 bargain actually $319? A: When you buy an 80's roadie and update it!

Call it a resto mod! I wanted to update this beauty, function over form. Making it 100% original would be an exercise in futility.

To save money I replaced the wide saddle with a saddle that I had in stock.

Cost:

Nishiki International ebay $205 delivered.

Tires (Conti Ultra Sport) and tubes $46
Chain, handlebar tape (SRAM Supercork) $25
Derailleur pulleys $21
105 pedals $21
WB cage $1
Saddle $0
Elbow grease $0
Total $319



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f734e5eee0.jpg

Done! Except for pedals... A thing of beauty!

Nice!

Great job on the color scheme!!

Thank you all for your support.

"Looks like any other 10-speed bike..." -my wife

its electric! love the color. and I did not know of this bike, so fun to learn something.

Test her theory, get another bike and see what she says...

Will do!