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1985 Nishiki Riviera GT build

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1985 Nishiki Riviera GT build

Old 06-16-19, 07:11 AM
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PumpedUpKicks
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1985 Nishiki Riviera GT build

I'd been eye-balling this rolling frameset for about 7 months on Facebook Marketplace. The seller had it priced pretty high as the bike market is booming in Northwest Arkansas. I ended up taking this home for $80 bucks which I was happy with. The frame started life as a 1985 Nishiki Riviera GT and it's in excellent condition. No dings/cracks or even so much as a kickstand on this ride (original rear spacing also). It was previously build as a 9 speed flatbar 700c bike and the owner had other very nice steel road bikes. I'd like to build this up for my winter gravel/touring bike.

It obviously needs some parts and I've been doing some reading.

Plans include:

Lug lining while its stripped down. - Red, White, or Gold???

I'd like to put a brown saddle and bar tape on so I'm not sure what paint color would look this best with this combo.

Brake/shift cables to match lug lining?

New 9 speed wheelset / 700x38 gumwall tires

1x drivetrain with one bar end shifter and 9 speed 11-40t cassette

Keep the polished/chrome component theme (cantilever brakes/stem/bars)





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Old 07-23-19, 07:21 AM
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Short update... I've been trying to source used parts to build this to save on cost so I can splurge on a couple things I don't want to compromise on. So far, I've got bars, stem, brake levers, cantilever brakes, an XT 9 speed derailleur, and some vintage suntour friction shift bar end shifters. I might go with an indexed 9 speed bar end shifter instead of friction shift. The cantilever brakes are the rear are rubbing the tire (but the tires tested and pictured are 700x40c Schwalbe smart sams). There is some play in the headset so but it is also pretty new as well. So far, these are the only two issues I've ran into. I think a smaller tire will help the the rear brake.

big flare adventure bars!


rear brake pad touching tire
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Old 07-23-19, 07:37 AM
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Some handlebar advice: those dirt drops were designed to be high up so that the drops are near or above the saddle. They were also designed to be angled down from the position you have them in, so that the drops are parallel or close to parallel to the ground. With them high up and angled as such, the primary position is in the hooks behind the brake levers and in the drops, where they offer the most steering leverage for off road.

They were not designed so that you could be on the hoods primarily, as you have them set up. The hood position on these dirt drops is generally pretty narrow, and angled up like you have them, the drops are canted at a very uncomfortable angle and are very far away from the saddle, negating the handling benefits that are the main purpose of the flared out drops.

If you want to ride on the hoods as many people do, I would get a flared bar with drops that are closer to parallel with the tops, like the Soma Condor, Ritchey VentureMax, or a randonneur bend bar.
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Old 07-23-19, 07:39 AM
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Here's a good example of what I mean:

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Old 07-23-19, 08:09 AM
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Fantastic frame! Love the color and the chrome fork.

The rear brake rubbing has more to do with the spacing of the cantilever posts than the tire. They're a little narrower than modern canti spacing. The front works because the fork is aftermarket. I can't quite tell if you've tried this from the pictures, but try removing all of the inner spacers from the brake pads to get a little more space in there. Otherwise you'll have to use a different kind of cantilever brake design, those CR720s have great up/down flexibility but don't work well with older touring frames. Anything with a post-mount brake pad should work, as should some modern Shimano cantis like the CX50.
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Old 07-25-19, 02:28 PM
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@TenGrainBread Thanks for the info. I got these bars for pretty cheap. I had about decided that they were too wide for what I plan to do for this bike.
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Old 09-19-19, 09:57 AM
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Build update

I have very slowly been working on the project and I've bought a sold some other parts in the process but I'm finally getting it pieced together. I went with some Nitto randonneur 42cm handlebars and I love the feel and ergonomics of these bars. I also got the clearance issue figured out with the Canti brakes. A wider rim will help with this also when the budget allows.
I've also thought about converting this to a single speed for the Fall/Winter before I go geared. Pictures are with 700x33c tires
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Old 10-04-19, 08:26 AM
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I sourced as many used parts as I could find and got some parts ordered last week. I had a coupon for the cassette (9 speed 10-42) and chain and got the bar end shifter on sale also!
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Old 10-04-19, 08:30 AM
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So the wheelset on is bike is obviously older and came with an 8 speed cassette. I was disappointed to find out my 9 speed cassette wouldn't fit. No spacer on the free hub. I had another wheel with a 8/9/10 hub body but I couldn't take the old hub body off. I might be able to find a used rear wheel.
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Old 10-04-19, 08:35 AM
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Coming together

I got as many parts put on and connected as I could. The cantilever brakes hook up great and I'm anxious to get this bike on the road! The bar tape didn't turn out as well as I'd wanted it too. It's a lighter shade than I thought it would be. It might look better after a few dusty gravel rides but I might switch it to black. Opinions welcome.


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Old 10-04-19, 09:15 AM
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Cool project OP love the blue of that frame and it appears to be pristine. It could just be the angle of the photo but it appears the rear brake pad is at the top of the wheel rim and hitting the tire sidewall. In some cases with with 80s touring bikes they don't like the conversion of 27 wheels to 700c because the brake pads can't adjust to the (small) difference in height. I am not suggesting this but I know some folks have ground away the bottom of the brake pad slot on their canti brake arms to get the pads low enough. YMMV. Looks like it will be a fun gravel bike when you are done. I have a 1x9 bike that is my workhorse and really like that configuration with a wide range cassette.
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Old 10-04-19, 11:28 AM
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Originally Posted by ryansu
I am not suggesting this but I know some folks have ground away the bottom of the brake pad slot on their canti brake arms to get the pads low enough. YMMV.
Thanks for checking it out! I thought about this. when I fits got the brakes on they rubbed the tires bad. I was able to adjust it some and it's a lot better now but still rubs slightly on one side when engaging the rear brake. I did find a much wider 700c wheelset for it so I hope this helps some. If not, the dremel might come out.
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Old 10-04-19, 05:51 PM
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Yeah too many shades of brown going on. I'd go with black too for now.
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Old 10-22-19, 01:25 PM
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New wheels!

So after my cassette wouldn't fit my rear wheel and I couldn't change the hub body, I started looking for a wheelset. Because I'm trying to keep the cost down, I planned on buying used but I found this wheelset on Merlin for $95 to my door. Mach 240 rims (19inner/24outer) and Deore hubs. They were true out of the box. As the picture shows, they are quite a but wider than the other wheels.



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Old 10-22-19, 01:32 PM
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Brake woes

So the wider wheels made the cantilever brakes worse than they were before. Unfortunately I had to make some adjustments.
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Old 10-22-19, 01:41 PM
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Drivetrain setup

Getting the drivetrain set up and adjusted was a bit tricky for me. I'm not a mechanic and not the best a derailleur adjustment. Plus these parts weren't really meant to go together. I had to use the derailleur hanger adapter to reach the 40t cog. Finally the bike is shifter good and hitting all the gears.
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Old 10-22-19, 01:50 PM
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Done!

After months of sourcing used parts and searching for the best deals on new, I've finally finished the build! The bike rides great I'm excited to start putting miles on it! I'm very happy with how it turned out. When I purchased this bike, the previous owner had put in a new headset and bottom bracket so now this bike is brand new. Thanks to those who commented and looked at the build!


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Old 10-22-19, 01:53 PM
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Here are a couple of photos the previous owner sent me
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Old 10-22-19, 01:55 PM
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Now that’s what I call sticking with it! Can’t wait to read about the ride on it.
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Old 10-22-19, 02:39 PM
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Bringing that to Land Run?
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Old 10-22-19, 05:52 PM
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Happy new bike day!
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Old 10-22-19, 06:11 PM
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Great looking build. I agree withRyansu I think the 700c wheels are the problem with the brakes.
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Old 10-22-19, 06:17 PM
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Really nice build and great job. Did you get the cantilever situation sorted out?

NW AR has some fine bike riding. I'm thinking of doing a ride with Adventure Cyclist in that area next fall.
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Old 10-23-19, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Bianchigirll
Great looking build. I agree withRyansu I think the 700c wheels are the problem with the brakes.
Originally Posted by bikemig
Really nice build and great job. Did you get the cantilever situation sorted out?

The 700c wheels that came on it worked with V brakes. I thought the wider rims would work better with the canti brakes but it actually made the problem worse. Thats why I took the grinder to the brakes where the pads mount up. Its definitely a short term solution but for right now the brake pads are touching the rim only and not the tire. I'm going to look for pads with a smaller profile. Until I figure out the long term solution, I'm going to ride the crap out of this bike and give my Stigmata a break!

Originally Posted by bikemig
NW AR has some fine bike riding. I'm thinking of doing a ride with Adventure Cyclist in that area next fall.

Very cool!! I love living in NWA and feel very fortunate to have the system of trails and areas to ride. Gravel and cyclocross have really blown up here also but I hope you enjoy your trip!
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Old 10-23-19, 04:15 PM
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Originally Posted by PumpedUpKicks
The 700c wheels that came on it worked with V brakes. I thought the wider rims would work better with the canti brakes but it actually made the problem worse. Thats why I took the grinder to the brakes where the pads mount up. Its definitely a short term solution but for right now the brake pads are touching the rim only and not the tire. I'm going to look for pads with a smaller profile. Until I figure out the long term solution, I'm going to ride the crap out of this bike and give my Stigmata a break!




Very cool!! I love living in NWA and feel very fortunate to have the system of trails and areas to ride. Gravel and cyclocross have really blown up here also but I hope you enjoy your trip!
So cantilevers on old bikes can be a headache. The posts are narrower. If you are going from a bike built for 27 inch wheels and going to 700c that too can be a problem. You may be better off with a set of cantilevers like the Deore BR M70

VeloBase.com - Component: Shimano BR-MC70, Deore XT M700
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