echo victor 

Wow. I'm re-inspired to get back to work on my Cresta (been distracted on a couple other projects...). That's a real beauty, Saguaro.

Hey, Cowbell, what bars are those? The way they flare so wide at the drops makes me think I might like them. And how come you want to get rid of the Resurrectio decals and go back to traditional Nishiki ones?

More Cowbell

They are Nitto Randonneurs. I like them but I have some Nitto Noodles on another bike that I like much better. As to the decals I go back and forth on whether to have it correctly labeled. It looks nice the way it is though.[h=1][/h]

John E

Nicely done. By that time, Kawamura's better frames, such as yours, were world class. If I could own just one bicycle, it would be a traditional road touring bike.

bikemig 

I couldn't agree more; this bike looks great. Nice job.

Saguaro

Thanks bikemig. Since this thread was bumped, I thought I would share a few recent photos of the bike. This shows the bike as the functional machine that it is with the bags and water bottle on the bike.



I added a front Mini Rando Bag and Tool Roll from Acorn Bags in April 2013. The Crane Brass Bell was added earlier this year. The Spanninga Pixeo fender mounted taillight was added last year.

cptsilver

Gorgeous bike!!

jcova58

What a great time I had reading about your restoration. The bike looks great, damn good job. I'm presently looking to buy a 1984 Centurion Pro Tour 15. The kick about this ride is that it was chromed by the factory. I could spruce that baby up some from its homely looks. I liked your idea about the drivetrain upgrade. Did you cold-set the frame in your work shop or did you have it done at an LBS? All in all, nice read, nice bike, and ride-on, man.
Jesse

ClemY

I have to confess when I restored my 40 yr. old Jack Taylor Marathon, I had the rear end opened to 135mm so I could use MTB width rear hubs. I think it makes for a slightly stronger wheel.

allysdad531

for a first attempt at rebuilding an older bike yet retaining look,feel and design premise you have done an absolutely stellar job !......congrats on such nice work and end result!..many happy miles and experiences for you n cresta!

John E

Concur. I like that under-seat bag. The only thing you need now is a rear rack which bolts onto your seat stay bosses and perhaps a lighting system.

I really like what you did with it and how well you were able to preserve the original finish.

Saguaro

Thanks Jesse, I'm glad you enjoyed the write-up. The 1984 Centurion Pro Tour 15 sounds like a great bike. And factory chrome?, sweet!

I did the cold-set myself and I have to say it was the most stressful part of the build. I had already invested a lot in parts and the SKS bottom bracket was already installed, so a busted frame was just not an option. I followed the Sheldon Brown directions here:
https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

I think if you are working with a frame that is structurally sound, and you are careful and don't rush, then most anyone can do this. But if you have any doubts, take it to someone who is experienced in cold-setting. Keep in mind, it may not be your LBS.

I cleared out my living room and did the deed on this really great dense, low pile carpet made by FLOR.



It took about three hours of careful bending and then measuring for alignment using the string method. I finally got it perfectly spaced to 130 mm and centered on the frame centerline axis. Good times!

fender1

About 3/4 of the way down, there is a good explanation on how to cold set with a bit more control and a bit less risk. I have done it many times with good results.

https://www.vintage-trek.com/refurbish.htm

Saguaro

And this it what I dropped into that new 130mm rear spacing:



Phil Wood Touring Hub, 40 hole, 130mm spacing, threaded for freewheel. NOS SunTour Winner Ultra 7-Speed freewheel.

jcova58

Hey there, I ended up buying a 1982 Cresta that was too good of a deal to pass up. I'm in the process of cleaning it up, piece by piece. I was noticing the gear ratio that you wrote about and opting for a much more favorable ratio, is the ticket, since I'm older, too. With regards to "cold setting," I don't want to take that chance and do it myself. I just got into wrenching on my own steeds, to a point, so I would rather have an LBS do the job. I'm considering updating my Cresta a bit, like bar end shifters, aero levers, for clean looking cable lines and non obstruction of a handle bar bag. I'd like a 700c free hub wheel set, with Mavic 719 rims, and possibly a Shimano drive train. Updating my bike is more for reliability while on a tour. Any thoughts? I'm always open for new ideas. By the way, Go Bears! as in Cal Bears. Lol
Jesse

Saguaro

You got a Cresta, cool! Post up some pic's so we can see what you have. Also, there is a Nishiki Serial Number Database here where you can add your serial number.

The updates you have planned sound good. The conversion from 27" wheels to 700c wheels has been discussed at length around here. Does your bike have cantilever brakes or calipers? It can make a difference in whether the conversion is feasible. My Cresta is one of those rare birds that came with caliper brakes so I just needed to use long reach brakes to make the switch.

I also originally intended to use Mavic A719's on my bike but I used the Velocity Dyads instead because they are cheaper, lighter and just as strong as the A719's. The Dyads also are available in Silver unlike the A719's (Black only).

I like your approach to build for reliability for touring. Let that be your guide as you plan your re-build and assemble components.

Good luck!

-Craig

p.s. As a native Californian, I like all the UC schools, but I love my Alma Mater more!

overt

Beautiful Cresta! I like what you've done with yours.

Attached is my 1985 example. It was a craigslist find last summer. I use it as a daily commuter. As far as I can tell, it was all original when I got it. I haven't replaced any stock items, besides the regular wear items including tires/tubes/chain/brake pads/saddle/bar tape, but I have added a Tubus rack and fenders. I've had the bottom bracket/hubs/headset all taken apart and greased at my university bike shop (cheaper than the LBS), luckily I haven't had to replace anything costly. When I graduate and get a real job, I'd like to overhaul it similar to yours--new hubs (probably cold set to 135 mm for mountain hubs) and 700c wheels. They really are nice bikes. I'm quite fond of mine and get many compliments on it, as I'm sure you get many compliments on yours, too.

Saguaro

Thanks for the link fender1. If I had known about that technique at the time of my cold set I probably would have done it that way.

allysdad531

how difficult was it to remove freewheel or cassette from phil hub since hub was not laced to a wheel?

Saguaro

These were all new parts, never assembled. The photo above shows the hub and freewheel mocked up prior to sending the hubs to the wheel builder. The freewheel was never torqued on the hub so it came off easy.

jcova58

Damn nice looking bike. Truly like the stealth brown/black color combo you chose. Bravo!

Saguaro

Thanks Jesse! The Acorn bags add so much to the bike. I held out for the Ranger Tan color. I missed the last batch so it took me 6 months to get the bags I wanted (Acorn Bags are produced in limited quantities by a husband and wife team in LA). The quality of construction and attention to detail is off the charts. They use a heavy waxed canvas material that adds a beautiful texture to the bike. I would love to have panniers made by them in this color.

I plan to get their Boxy Rando Bag and Medium Saddlebag eventually to round out my collection and give me lots of options for carrying gear.

Acorn Bags: https://www.acornbags.com/

p.s. Where are the pic's of your new/old '82 Cresta? Can't wait to see it

treal512

Great looking bicycle!

jcova58

Hey Saguaro, Nice touch on the Acorn bag, and thanks for sharing the link. I have my Cresta stripped down at this point so that I can clean this ride up nicely. I've been re-greasing the bearing, check this n that and thank goodness because this bike hadn't been serviced in a long time. Now that I've got it all stripped down, I have been contemplating powder coating it the same color, if possible. I'm still not sure yet. It's got scratches, flacked off paint, and plus I like my rides looking nice and classy, if you know what I mean. Lol. Anyway, thanks for responding to me, fellow Pac 12er. Here's some pics of my '82, and as soon as I put it back together, I'll post more. Talk soon, nice hearing from you.
Jesse

PS. I'll have to figure out how to post larger photos, like yours, for more detail.

Saguaro

Jesse, thanks for sharing the photos, our bikes are very similar! I've only seen one other Cresta in the dark midnight blue metallic color and the Dia Compe N-500 caliper brakes. In 1983, they changed the model by adding cantilever brakes and mid-fork braze-ons for a front rack (all improvements IMHO). The '82's still had the relaxed touring geometry and the second water bottle braze-ons so they still made good distance bikes. I had no problem touring with it fully loaded with front and rear Cannondale panniers back in the '80s.

Here are some pictures of my bike before the resto-mod:







I put a lot of elbow grease into cleaning the frameset. I mixed up a batch of Testors model paint to touch up my frame. I'd be happy to send you some if you'd like to try that route before a re-paint. Your paint doesn't look too bad. My frame was in much worse shape than yours.

It took me a while to figure out how to post large images. I upload my photos to Flickr, www.flickr.com, then, copy and paste the BB Code in to the post (I select the Large 768 x 1024 format). Good luck!

I look forward to seeing your Cresta built up. You should have no problem switching to 700c wheels. You may even be able to re-use your original brakes.

-Craig

cptsilver

Craig, would you mind sharing more on what you did and used to clean the frameset?