eric044

Just picked this bike up today. Has Shimano 600 components, downtube shifters. Could be excellent condition. What do you think? Any idea on year?

madpogue 

Nowhere near enough detail in the photo or the text.

Kuromori

Late 80's possibly early 90's

eric044

Was reading about Shimano 600 and this model. Maybe around 1986.

madpogue 

^^^^ Yeah, SIS was all that and a bag of chips around '86-'87, so I can imagine them incorporating it into their branding around then.

eric044

eric044

Lubed the chain and gears and went on my first ride. Looks like some White Lightning settled between gears. Probably want to use a little degreaser and a toothbrush before my next ride. Shifted well on steep terrain. Bar tape and cap loosened but i resecured both when I got home. Rode well for a few miles, while I learned just how difficult it could be to ride on at least moderately significant gradient. After maybe a few miles, as I approached one of the toughest gradients, very close to where I sleep, my back tire emptied - and when I got in I learned that I have either tubeless tires or tubular tires, not sure. Didn't notice glue. No tube and I will need to refresh on the other two types.

Bianchigirll 

I think '86 sounds right, considering it has traditional routed cables but the SIS shifters.

I thought that rear tire looked like a tubular, is it even glued on? Despite it's 'new' appearance that bike very likely needs a overhaul to get fresh grease into the bearings.

Lemond1985

Is that a "Tange 2" label I see on the seat tube? Great condition, nice components. I really like Shimano 600 with the anodized chainrings.

I bet that seat could be worth something. I wonder who built it for Nashbar? Panasonic? Miyata?

eric044

I suppose since it didn't appear to be sewn on it is a tubular. I could look into gluing it or paying a mechanic to do so. Interesting thought on the grease. Since it was undisturbed it would be interesting to know how long undisturbed grease holds up. Seemed to spin well today. May have heard something though.

eric044

Tange 2 it is. Seat felt great. Made in Japan but don't know by whom.

canklecat

So far whenever I've overhauled hubs and bottom brackets the original grease was fine, even 20-30 years later. But I'd do it anyway.

It wasn't a complete waste of time with hubs. Too often hubs seem to be poorly adjusted, with the cones set so tightly they feel like they're grinding and the pressure damages the cones with pitting (although not the cups so far). It's a fiddly process, adjusting cones just right and I usually need to redo it a few times, often taking 15-30 minutes to suit myself. I suppose in a factory production setting they don't have that luxury of time so they tended to crank the cone pressure way too tightly.

But so far when I've overhauled bottom brackets they needed nothing. The original grease, bearings, etc., were all fine. But I felt better after checking to be sure.

Headsets probably deserve more attention since they're more likely to be splattered from wet roads. But it depends on the area and whether the bike was ridden there.

Sweet bike, BTW. With different paint and graphics it could pass for a Centurion Ironman. Same basic midrange race bike, outstanding values then and even better now.

T-Mar

SIS was trickled down to New 600EX for the 1986 model year, then New 600EX was replaced by 600 Ultegra for the 1988 model year. Consequently, the bicycle is 1986-1987. During this period, most Nashbar bicycles were sourced from Maruishi and, if so, we can determine the exact frame manufacture date from the serial number. Having said that, most of the Maruishi sourced frames from this period utilized Ishiwata tubesets, so the Tange used on this model it may indicate an alternate source. Regardless, we have a good understanding of dozens of Japanese serial number formats from the era and there is a very good probability we can determine the manufacturer and frame date.

Yes, that is a tubular wheelset and it is OEM. The rims are Arya 16B Red, a mid-weight racing model. The pictured tyre is the OEM Panaracer Tour Guard. The tyre has crept on the rim due to lack of glue, resulting in the valve stem being angled. Consider yourself fortunate that it didn't roll off when you were banked into a turn. The bicycle appears to have been used very little and I'm wondering if this is the result of the original owner not realizing that he had purchased a model with tubular tyres? Most cyclists would bypass tubulars in favour of the more durable, less expensive and easier to maintain high performance wired-on wheelsets, unless they were a looking for the ultimate in performance.

Regarding the grease, it is always wise to replace the grease on any used bicycle, unless there is a proven maintenance record of overhauls. Like most products, grease comes in a wide variety of grades and, depending on that used, much of the oil could have separated from the carrier.

This model was aimed at the serious, novice, amateur competitor (bicycle racers and triathletes), hence the model name, steep angles, short wheelbase, narrow range gearing and tubular wheelset. Unlike a lot of models offered by the marketing brands, this model did not cede to cost concessions. The frame is a complete Tange #2 set and it wears the complete New 600EX group. It even has a Turbo saddle, Nitto bars and stems and stainless steel spokes. The tubulars contributed to a light weight (claimed 22.7 lbs for 23" frame).MSRP was $479.00 US in 1986. Undoubtedly, it was an attractive value for novice racers lured into the sport by recent American successes in pro cycling, notably Lemond's 2nd place in the 1985 Tour de France and his victory in the 1986 edition, both of which received high profile US television coverage.

tiredhands 

Would love to see a nice drive-side photo of the whole bike - this bike ticks a lot of boxes for me. Japanese frame, dark anodized components, low profile tubular rims, and that fantastic retro-futuristic Nashbar downtube logo. Great stuff!

Lemond1985

Needs a repaint, as a much rarer, much more exotic bike from that era.

nomadmax 

Like a Masi.........?

jlaw

Nice bike - very good condition - with higher-end components and frame....not something I normally associate with a Nashbar-labeled bike. Good find.

I hear you re: the existing gearing not being suitable for hill-climbing. The good news is that there are various ways to improve upon this - some more affordable than others - and this bike is worth upgrading if it is a comfortable ride.

One other suggestion - remove the front fork and examine the welds and base metal where the steerer tube connects to the crown and where the forks connect to the crown - an integrity check is a good idea before you go ripping down a hill.

Good luck.

T-Mar

Almost the whole bicycle. I'm sure you can extrapolate the missing 10%. Forgot to mention that the wheels are the slightly more aerodynamic and lighter 32 hole version. As a pure competition bicycle, this is arguably better than an Ironman of the same vintage, due to the tubular wheelset.

nomadmax 

Arnie was doing it right back then.

madpogue 

^^^^^ Bet he didn't personally sign every chainstay..... But seriously, a yummy bike, elegant, understated, an icon of the time, the dawn of SIS. I built a Trek from a New 600 EX gruppo including SIS right around that time. I'm surprised this one doesn't have aero brake levers; must've been right on the heels of their introduction.

T-Mar

There was an areo lever option for New 600EX in 1986. Remember, Shimano had them as far back as 1981, with the AX groupos. Why they weren't spec'd is arguable but my recollection is that there was some kickback against aero in the mid-1980s. Aero levers really didn't achieve widespread popularity until the slightly later BRS and SLR versions addressed the increased friction and decreased modulation of the aero cable routing. Prior to that, road racers put more store in the better braking control of conventional levers than the reduced drag and sleeker appearance of aero levers.

crank_addict

Like the other recent thread on the SR w/Superbe, these are sleeper cool fine Japan bikes. Today it seems odd to say of how rare they are!

Thanks for sharing~

T-Mar

Then, like to-day, there was a lot of social status associated with the brand you rode. You could join the popular group by purchasing something like a Centurion Ironman or Bianchi Campione d'Italia. Or you could be ostracized for buying something like this Nashbar or the SR Triathlon. I remember licensed racers who bought low status bicycles to save some money and purposely stripped the decals and head badge, in an attempt to disguise the origin.

madpogue 

^^^^^ There's a Performance "house brand" bike on the eBay/CL finds thread right now, that exactly fits this definition. They're especially attractive today, because often their owners/sellers have no idea what "sleeper" bikes they have.

T-Mar

Still no serial number,