guibara

Hi guys,

Newbie here and a bit out of my depth at the moment. So I could use your help.

I'm looking for a low cost vintage/retro road bike that I can use as a commuter in the city as well as some way long rides on the weekends. Nothing too expensive for now, just to see if I really get into it before I spend some serious money on something newer and just keep the vintage bike as a weekly commuter.

I've been looking at old Peugeots, Bianchi... and found a Nishiki International for $380.

From the ad:
Nishiki International 14 Speed Road Bike, built in Japan. Size 58/57 cm. Upgraded with a Dura Ace drivetrain, Dura Ace Brakes, Shift Levers, and a Dura Ace hub to Mavic MA40 hoop wheelset and a Lightweight Vitus Aluminum fork. New set of Continental Ultra Sport tires and tubes. The cockpit has been upgraded with a Cinelli Oyster Stem and Cinelli bars as well.

I'd post some pics, but I need to have 10 posts on the forums before I'm allowed to do so.

It looks pretty good to my (inexpert) eyes... very clean, red and black, paint job looks pretty good, just a few little scratches here and there... Do you think is well priced? Is it a decent frame/good ride? Looking forward to your advice. Thanks!!

bikemig 

Good looking bike at a good price if it fits you. My one concern is the replacement fork. It might not mean anything or it might mean a crashed bike with a replacement fork.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/ws...220303844.html

guibara

Cool, thanks for the input. I'll reach out and try and find year and see what he says about the fork and why it was replaced.

tpadul 

That is a gorgeous bike!! I love it! I would pay $380 for it!!

bikemig 

That bike does not look crashed and it is easily worth the asking price if it is not. You can tell once you see the bike in person. Just run your hand over the two tubes that meet up with the headtube (that holds the fork). If you don't see any dimple in the paint or don't feel any bump, you should be good to go.

guibara

Awesome thank you so much guys!

zukahn1 

It's a very nice bike and looks very well setup and ready to ride it is worth the asking price. The 7 speed DA stuff is a nice upgrade basically correct for the bike very good quality not the typical over kill modern cheap brifter's you typically see on restomods.

ptempel

Can you see the bike in person? If so, then that's a plus to be able to take a test ride. Is it the right size for you? For reference, I'm 6'1" with 31" inseam (going by pant length not floor to chamois). So 57 to 58cm might be the upper limit of the size I'd want depending on the top tube length. If your inseam is shorter than mine, then I would recommend a smaller size bike. I recently used this bike fit calculator:

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/S...ulatorBike.jsp

and thought it was ok. You might want someone to help measure your inseam and arms. I selected an "Eddy Fit". The three options at the end are: French Fit (prefer a larger bike with none or a little bar to saddle drop), Eddy Fit (little smaller with more bar drop) and Competitive Fit (smaller frame still with more stem to saddle drop for racing). I used to have more bar to saddle drop, but I got older and less flexible. So my lower back would complain nowadays if I went more than a 3 inch saddle to bar drop.

Edit: Two thumbs up on the bike:



Dura Ace 7400 7spd was top of the line mid 1990's, if I recall.

guibara

Just got it.. looks gorgeous and it's. good fit. Thanks everybody for your advice!

ptempel

Congrats and enjoy the bike! Make me wish I never got rid of a Cannondale with Dura Ace 7400 a long time ago. Your bike should ride better than the Cannondale 3.0 that I had. It was perhaps the stiffest bike I ever owned. But it didn't have the great "ride" or "compliance" of traditional steel frames.