since6

Ok, knock me over with a feather, spotted a Nishiki at a bike swap, and as I got closer I noticed the following:

1.It fit my size 58cm
2.It is a "Professional"
3.It is a six speed with 52/42 front chain rings

But then I really noticed:

Campagnolo brake levers
Campagnolo head set
Campagnolo brakes
Campagnolo down tube friction shift levers
Campagnolo front and rear hubs & skewers (the round ended Record ones)
Campagnolo front derailleur and rear derailleur "Nuovo Record"
Campagnolo crank arms and chain rings (I bet also bottom bracket)
Cinelli handlbar (no marking on stem that I can find, but haven't pulled stem out to check bottom)

An all Campagnolo gruppo, Nuovo Record.

How much? $125.00 Would you take $100.00? Yes.

Haven't weighed the bike yet, but in my hands it feels light. Just beginning the journey on the web to find out more, and have found sites about the Nishiki Professional, but all Professionals I have found have Suntour, haven't found any reference to a Nishiki Professional with an all Campagnolo Nuovo Record gruppo, oh and here's the kicker.

The lugged chrome moly frame is made with a rear Campagnolo drop out, haven't checked the front drop out (will have to let the front skewer soak over night with penetrating oil as rust/oxidation has seized the skewer bolt to the skewer threads). My conclusion with Campagnolo drop outs built into the frame the Campagnolo gruppo came with the bike?

Stunned, yes a few small dents to the side of the top tube on the left, but nothing else so far.

Stunned and very very happy. Can anyone shed any light on this bike? or direct me to sites, groups who can tell me more about it? The serial number on the bottom bracket is KA14511 with a stylized "M" stamped into the bottom bracket.

Pictures will have to wait until tomorrow, as I am helping my wife as we baby sit grandson, so please be patient...and thank you for any help you can provide.

since6

Sorry on subject heading that should be "Nuovo" and not "Nuvo", a little excited here, now back to grandson.

Hummer

Hi since6,

I think you have an Order Nishiki Professional (ONP). The frame was ordered from Nishiki and the groupo of your choice was added to the frame after delivery.

The serial number of your frame indicates that it was made in 1981.

Edit: The stylized "M" is a "W" for West Coast Cycles.

Edit 2: Oops, my mistake it is not an ONP serial number, a regular Professional.

Here are links to two more:

Help IDing an 80's nishiki...

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/390318-nishiki-serial-number-database-22.html#post11716198

Lascauxcaveman 

First two digits on the serial number indicate a US market model, year 1981.

We'll be looking forward to the pix. Take lots of closeups in good outdoor daylight

Kactus

It sounds like a newer one. The later models came with Campy. Even if the frame is toast, you could triple your money on the NR group easy. Nice find and I look forward to the photos.

since6

From what I found below at the Wiki cite for Nishiki the serial number would seem to tell us that this was made for the US market in 1981 and this was the 14,511th frame made that year:


Serial Numbers for Nishiki bikes were decoded by Tom Marshall, Canadian engineer, racer and runner, using a trial and error database methodology.
Kawamura manufactured frames (1972–1987): These frames used a serial number XYZZZZZ format where:

• X is the market (C = Canada (pre-1985) K = USA (pre 1985) W = USA (1985–1987)).
• Y is the last digit of the manufacturing calendar year (A =1, B = 2, C = 3… J = 0. Exception is letter S, used on all frames prior to 1975).
• ZZZZZ is a five or six digit number, possibly representing a sequential frame manufacturing number for the year (or era in the case of pre 1975 frames).

Example 1: KA24587 is the 24,587th frame produced in 1981 for the US marketExample 2: CG23117 is the 23,117th frame produced in 1977 for the Canadian marketExample 3: WE54612 is the 54,612th frame produced in 1985 for the US market Giant manufactured frames (1980-1986*): With a date code generally stamped on the dropout on the drive side of the bike, these frames used a two part serial number in a G MM YY format, where:

• G = Giant.
• MM = month (01 = Jan, 02 = Feb, etc.).
• YY = year (80 = 1980, 81 = 1981, etc.).

Example: G0384 is a Giant-manufactured frame from March 1984

I also found a listing on eBay for a frame identical to this one (larger 62cm vs. 58cm) and the seller also identifies this as an early 80s frame which was the top of the line Nishiki although not an exclusive custom order like the 1970s ONP, Order Nishiki Professional bicycle. The lugs and lug work on this frame are very nice. I will hope for sunshine tomorrow and see how the pictures turn out. Got a lot of cleaning and polishing between then and now.

eschlwc

this would never happen where i live.

since6

Well thanks to penetrating oil I got the front Record skewer to unscrew without damaging the skewer nut surface or the spring hoop attached to the skewer nut. A sigh of relief and the rewards of patience. I was right the front fork legs drop outs are also Campagnolo drop outs, just as the drop outs for the rear wheel.

I also got to see the inside of the fork tube lugs, they extend down the inside of the fork tube with lightening circles cut in the metal as the triangle shape of the lug tapers to a point. I know pictures, it's late but tomorrow I will take some after cleaning. Thanks for your support and encouragement.

Frankly eschlwc, as I said when I started the post you could have knocked me over with a feather when he said $125.00 which was after I had discovered an intact Nuovo Record gruppo on this bicycle. I was anticipating at a minimum $500.00. Sometimes you just get breaks. For me it means I have my vintage bike to go with my custom dream bike and our custom tandem, life is good.

eschlwc

post pics when you get a chance. don't think i've ever seen one.

41roadmaster

Dude, you are so fortunate your old buddy dragged you to that swap meet (and spotted you the c-note).

Have fun in your garage!

since6

Yes, 41 roadmaster and bike riding friend of four decades you are a great friend! I too have reflected this morning as I have cleaned and discovered, what a series of events had to align. Yep, after two hours of searching through stuff at the swap meet and with sore feet, you wanted to see the last and what turned out to be the biggest building at the swap meet. Then we actually went through the entire building to find at the back wall and two hours after the swap meet had been running this bike. It stuck out like a sore thumb as the person who had it was running a big flea market of household goods/furniture along the back wall of the swap meet. I wandered over, saw it was a Nishiki (I have a very nice Olympic 12 Mixte Nishsiki-see my prior posts on The Winter Bike) and started looking at it when the first winged wheel Campagnolo symbol appeared and then the "Holy ****" moments began When the owner wandered over and I asked the price (expecting to hear $500.00+) and he said "$125.00" the Outer Limits music began to play. But I had a big big problem, I had never been to a swap meet before, all cashed up with Visa/Debit and check book, but not a dime of actual cash to learn its the land of all cash sales, even had to bum ticket money from my friend to get in. But you did have the cash, "Do you think he'd take $100.00", he did, you had it on you, and I will have this memory every time I ride this bike. My thanks my friend.

since6

Ok, pictures will be coming soon, if I can figure out how to post them, but in the mean time, this is a light bike.

Using the bathroom scales the frame with everything on it except for the wheels and the chain weighs in at 14.2 lbs. The Araya wheels with flat tires/tubes, skewers, cassette weigh in at 7.4 lbs. Total bike weight of 21.6 lbs. I think, even though I have to add the weight of a chain that with the right rims we might approach 20 lbs.?

T-Mar

A handful of these form this this era have cropped up previously. Campagnolo NR is OEM for 1981. We've also seen the same bicycle with the same year code and the Ultimate model name. As for the method used to decrypt the serial numbers, it was anything but the trial and error method stated on the Wikipedia article.

since6

So here we begin, some of the head tube decal is missing. Oh and the seat tube being up in the air is because no one had greased the seat tube with anti-seize and it was a ten minute job of work to get it out about a 1/8th of an inch every twist, so it's not going back until lubricated. Nice moment was no rust visible inside the seat tube.

since6

Lovely flower cut outs on the top seat tube and head tube lugs.

since6

A small amount of pitting on one side of the chromed fork lug, and after 36 years a little cleaning and look at the way the polished Campagnolo headset shines.

A small rant, road bikes are Ferrari's not Land Rovers, the current blacked out Darth Vader look in component gruppos leaves me cold. I am not riding a mountain bike on the road, I am riding a road bike it should be shiny, beautiful, something you want to look at. Time to clean it after a ride is a small price for admission.

since6

Someone in the early 80s was a craftsman/artist in building this frame, it's the little things. Like the diamond brazeons at the water bottle lugs.

since6

Or the beautiful inner lugs for the forks with circles in them tapering down to a spear point.

francophile 

Awesome find. This would never happen to me, for sure. And it's my size too

since6

Or the brake bridge lugs with a small diamond on top with a small circle cut out in it, and a long spear lug on the bottom with two circle cut outs of decreasing diameter.

since6

This is all I know about the frame material used. Does anyone know what tubset was used?

since6

The Campagnolo drop outs are in very good condition, with only a little wear on the inner surface of the rear drop-outs. Once the grease was cleared away, all shiny chrome.

since6

A little work and the hubs cleaned up quite nice.

since6

Chrome on the rear chain stay as a guard and a spiral metal cable guide to the rear derailleur.

since6

Finally, the lovely machining, polishing and casting that went in the Campagnolo Nuovo Record gruppo.

This will not be a garage queen. I plan to return it to daily riding condition, but only sunny days as rust is an issue. Have to figure out how to address the frame where touch ups are needed. Prior owner did not get exact match paint so some spots. Also I will consider having a new rear wheel built as the current range of gears in the cassette and size of the chain rings would have worked for me 40 years ago in my 20s and 150 lb iteration, but the current 63 year old needs 30-34T rear cassettes and lower front rings too. My thoughts would be to restore and keep the vintage cassette and chain rings to put back on for show, but have the new wheel and chain rings for daily use. Any thoughts or suggestions in that regard would be welcome.

Once again, knock me over with a feather