Originally Posted by jhota
i love that Nishiki!
does anybody make elevated-stay bikes anymore? i always thought it was a good idea from the anti-chainsuck point-of-view.
It's been said before but it's worth repeating. Threre's a good reason there are no E-stay bikes on the market anymore. The design requires several more pieces of tubing and up to a dozen more welds. The end result is a heavier frame, more costly process and a flexy bottom bracket. A worn or dirty drive train will still produce chainsuck it's just that you wouldnt be sawing on the stays, which is only an issue if your frame is made of alu. or carbon. Most of those Nishikis (Cascade, Ariel and many of the Aliens) had steel stays anyway, so all you had to lose from a case of chainsuck was a bit of paint.
That said, there's currently a 89 or 90 Ariel project hanging in my basement in all it's blue & purple on black splatter glory. It came to me really cheap and in excellent condition. I still love the freekbikes.