dirtyjerz

1998 Nishiki Century Hyrbid

(pics go here after I get past the 10 post min to post pics)

It's in pretty good condition, sat in a garage for all of it's life and wasn't ridden much. I replaced the tires a while ago and my wife used to use it as a town bike, but since she is pregnant she hasn't been recently. Now I'm considering building it into a cheap gravel type bike. Is this even a good idea?

I'd like to get some drop bars, stem, combo shifter/brake levers and a new post/seat. The cranks might be ok, but the bottom bracket is loose and definitely needs to be replaced...the crank arms aren't just loose.

For wheels, should I get a set of 700c wheels with a removable cassette? I'm really not sure what type of gearing to change to, and what shifters/derailleurs would work. Should I use something like a Shimano Alivio RD-M4000 9 speed rear derailleur? What about the front derailleur/sprockets? My mtb has a 1x10 and I really like it, so either a setup similar or a two speed in the front perhaps.

Basically I'm just looking for some guidance/pointers on what direction to take this simple build. Any input? What combos work well on older bikes like these?

Here are the full specs I found elsewhere online:
Frame & Fork
Frame Construction TIG-welded
Frame Material Chromoly/hi-tensile steel
Fork Nishiki
Fork Materal Hi-tensile steel, unicrown crown
Rear Shock Not applicable
Components
Component Group Hybrid Mix
Brakeset ProMax linear-pull brakes, ProMax LV-68 levers
Shift Levers Shimano Revo TY-40
Front Derailleur Shimano AceraX top-swing, bottom-pull/clamp-on 28.6mm
Rear Derailleur Shimano AceraX
Crankset Shimano AceraX, 24/34/42 teeth
Pedals Wellgo LU-983
Bottom Bracket Victor VPB-33, 117.5mm spindle
BB Shell Width 68mm English
Rear Cogs 7-speed, 11 - 28 teeth
Chain KMC Z-51, 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost Aluminum micro-adjust, 26.0mm diameter
Saddle Selle Stratos Hyper Expert Duo-Compound Lycra Comfort
Handlebar Extensions Not included
Handlebars Steel
Handlebar Stem Steel
Headset 1 1/8" Victor VP-H67
Wheels
Wheel Size 700c wheels
Hubs Joy Tech OS aluminum, Q/R
Rims Weinmann 519, 36-hole
Front Tire 700 x 38c Kenda K-830
Rear Tire Not Available
Spoke Brand Chung Nan stainless steel, 2.0mm straight gauge
Spoke Nipples Brass nipples

mstateglfr 

If you buy new wheels, then yes you should invest in some that use a cassette. There is no benefit to using a freewheel and the design of freewheel hubs is weaker than cassette hubs.

For bars- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ebars&_sacat=0
Something from Salsa(cowbell, cowchipper), Origin8 Gary, FSA Adventure, or many others will work. They are all slightly different in drop, reach, and bend shape though. Just FYI as you may dislike one but love another. Its common and the only way to know is to try. I would say the Salsa bars are pretty neutral in the spectrum of gravel bar offerings.

For wheels- look at velomine.com as well as merlin.com and other websites. There are simply too many in too wide a price range to make suggesting options be worthwhile without knowing what you want to spend on them.

For drivetrain- first, figure out if you want 2x or 1x. Next, know that all Shimano that is 7, 8, and 9 speed works together and it doesnt matter if its road or mountain categories. You just need to match the shifters up with the cassette. A 9sp rear derailleur will shift fine with 8 speed shifters and a front derailleur that is from the 7 speed era. The one important thing, besides matching shifters to cassette, is that a triple front derailleur be used if you use a triple crank and a double front derailleur be used if you use a double crank.

Microshift shifters are really good quality for the price. These are brutal to figure out online though.
2x7 is here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Shifte....c100005.m1851
2x9 is here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Shifte....c100005.m1851
2x8 is here(i think) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Shifte....c100005.m1851

a crankset cost is really varied- until you know if you want 2x or 1x and then list a price, there are just too many options to suggest something.

bluehills3149

Is this one?

bluehills3149

Personally, I'd very very cautious about this project. If you have most of the parts lying around it's one thing but once you start buying new wheels, a groupset, stem, bars, seat etc (not to mention bar-tape, cables and a dozen other gotchas) and you are going to have spent $500-700+ and still have a heavy non-ideal bike and one which is barely cheaper than a new bike and certainly more than something you can score on Craigslist or Ebay if you are patient.
If you really wanted to do this, the best option may be to buy an entire 90's road bike with 32 spoke cassette wheels, 8 or 9spd sti shifters and just use the Nishiki frame. Keep the cranks so you get the low gearing, probably cutting off the 24 tooth inner gear so you don't need worry about a triple gear shifter and long cage derailleur. If you get get a bike like this for $100-150, it may be worth it.
I have a vintage Nishiki based gravel bike (an 1983 27" wheel conversion to 700c) and it's heavy and non-ideal geometry- wise but I only spent $50 on it. I'm also on the lookout for an old hybrid bike to use as a donor to make a gravel bike but my criteria are cassette rear wheel, threadless stem, carbon forks and light weight al or dbl butted crmo frame.

CVB

All this. I recently picked up a 91 Schwinn hybrid and managed to rebuild it as a gravel bike mostly with free and cheap used parts (Deore derailleurs, drop bars, stems, saddle) acquired through curbside specials over a few years. I also just got lucky in finding a second-hand but quality freehub wheelset at the same time that I came across the donor bike. The tally was a lot less than $500, but I'm not telling anyone (especially my wife) how much it did cost. And I'm running it with the original 27 year old tires right now (shocking). And I'm not counting the hours I spent scrolling through craigslist and these forums... time is money, as they say.

As noted elsewhere, the top tube length on 90s hybrids tends to be really long, so you will likely need to change to a very short reach stem.

Ultimately I am digging the feel of the new ride, I enjoyed problem-solving required by the conversion, and I like having a one-of-a-kind ride. It also made my wife happy that (for now), I have stopped talking about purchasing a new $800-1500 bike. I know it doesn't measure up to what I could get for those prices, but as it's my first "gravel bike," I'm content to ride it until I find its limits (tire failure might be the first and fatal limit) and then be a better-informed purchaser of something purpose-designed and built with modern components.

fraba

+1
I converted an old Monterey SL into a gravel bike and my cost is around 625 Canadian $. Very happy with the result and this is what my son wanted. But I doubt I know I could not sell the bike for the cost. And the time to search for parts... the devil is in the details like the 30$ downtube shifter adapter... but if it’s for you and you like the frame, that’s a different story.

if your region is hilly, i would probably keep the 3x crank - low cost solution.

Happy project!!

PumpedUpKicks

The advice in this thread is solid. Personally, I think its fun to do this kind of conversion/update. There are 2 things you can do that will save you money: 1. Source as many used parts as you can. Places like eBay, FB Marketplace, Craigslist, or the marketplace forum here are good ways to come up with quality usable secondhand parts. If you can have a definite idea in your head of what you want (Like was mentioned 1x or 2x, drop bar/flatbar, # of speeds?) this will really help you in your search. 2. If you are able to do some of the work yourself, do it. Some things like bottom brackets/headsets I'd rather take it to the shop but if you can turn a wrench and run some cables it will save you money.

I built a '85 Nishiki touring frame into a gravel bike last year. It turned out great and I have an entirely new bike for $300. Check out the build!
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-gt-build.html

dirtyjerz

Wow thank you everyone for the well thought out replies!!

Yes the bike I have is the same as the nishiki hybrid pic posted in the third reply.

I'll admit that while I'm still interested, I'm also hesitant about this. I probably would want to spend more money than it is worth to convert this into something rideable, when I could just buy a second hand bike instead.

As far as what I truly want, I want drop bars, 2x front chainring, tubeless semi knobby tires. Basically a more road bike geometry version of my mountain bike I think.

I will probably keep an eye on craigslist to see if any useful parts pop up or any good opportunities present themselves. In the meantime, I'll probably just get a new bottom bracket for the bike since it definitely needs one and in the meantime it will still serve as a town bike.

Welshboy

Quite an inspirational thread this and a project I'd like to try myself in the not too distant future.