T-Mar

Thxs for posting. That front derailleur date code is into the area where your Landau could be a 1985 model manufactured in late 1984. This should be easy to determine from the rear derailleur. A 1984 model would have a Cyclone M-II, while a 1985 would have New Cyclone. Even if the markings are worn off, the former is easily identified by the large hole in the outer parallelogram arm that provides access to the cable bolt.

T-Mar

I haven't seen a Cervino in person but I have owned a Maxima. That was the other Italian Nishiki with Columbus tubing and Campagnolo dropouts. Mine was SL, as opposed to SP. Workmanship was good but there were production oriented cost concessions that stopped it from being a true high grade bicycle. I'd classify it as lower high end.

itf6 

No problem at all. Didn't see the hole and after a quick online image search to confirm it's definitely a New Cyclone rear derailleur, so looks like I have an '85. Thanks for the info, T-Mar! I can post some pics for confirmation in a post or two. Have to say it's a lot of fun to ride. Beginning to understand why Nishiki has some fans out there.

Writenride 

It's all right. Once I have more posts, I'll be able to show you some pictures. I appreciate the help.

Writenride 

This is the Nishiki Tri-A frameset I was referring to. That arrow on the left hand side was where the non-drive side seatstay was bent. It's been since, fixed.










I hope these pictures help a bit. Again, I appreciate whatever help you can give me, for I want to make sure I can get the right measurements for each decal. Thanks!

T-Mar

That is the 1986 paint scheme and those are the (italicized) 1986 decals. However, the presence of top tube cable tunnels are an anomaly. I have not seen these on any other 1986 Tri-A. Normally, I would suggest the possibility of a foreign market model but the the presence of the W-prefix in the serial number indicates a USA market frame for West Coast Cycle. Even the advertisement for this model, which started appearing in January 1986 and would have been laid up about 3 months earlier, shows internal cable routing for the rear brake.


Regardless, I don't understand your decal concerns. Velocal has the 1986 down tube and head tube decals available. They are available as sku Nish104 & Nish703. You just have to specify the appropriate colour options.

Writenride 

What I want to know is if someone else owns this exact bike I own. If they do, what length their down tube decals are, so I know too. That's it.

T-Mar

I don't believe that I've ever seen a case where a company has altered the size of their down tube logo within a model year, regardless of the model or frame size, unless it was a non-standard down tube. A brand logo is a trademark, so great attention is paid to the style, proportions and size. I can't imagine any company changing this within a model year, other than to scale it up, to fit a larger diameter down tube. The only change is typically colour, to better compliment the selected paint. Consequently, the down tube logo should be the same dimensions for all 1986 frames with a 1-1/8', imperial, down tube.


Regardless, it should be easy to determine the length of your down tube logo using the extant photo. You can scale the length of the logo relative to the known diameter of the down tube and subsequently calculate the length.

MaryMac

Londonsworld 

Thank you Jon (HazetGuy)

Londonsworld 

I don't really need another project, but I like the color

squirtdad

Not a nishki, but a Team Miayta
Serial number L276166

from what i can google L = 1983 build, bike looks like 1984 based on components (kkk pro ace pedals)

is there anything else the serial number can tell me ? thanks all

SooopaDoopa

I got a Nishiki International as a 16th birthday gift from my parents waaaaaay back in 1985 when I lived in Queens, NYC. Cromoly frame, 12 speeds (which was a big thing back then) with super skinny 32 spoke 27 x 1 Araya wheels, it handled better than any other bike I had ever ridden. I used to hate that it didn't have braze ons for the shifters, rather it had that funky little aluminum box that bolted to the frame. Shimano SIS was a new unproven technology so I was happy with my SunTour friction shifters.

With dreams of being the next Eddie Merckx/Greg LeMond/Nelson Vails and my Uncle Victor (who was an amateur roadracer), I used to ride it every chance I had. I added clips and straps, bought some Diadora riding shoes that were drilled for some new fangled French of pedals with a funny name and logo (Look), a couple pairs of pricey Descente riding shorts that I scored from Paragon Sports in Union Square but I never wore riding shirts: Strictly soccer jerseys (I played until I was 19 on a team out in Long Guyland). I would ride halfway across Queens to the velodrome at Kissena Park and go lap after lap after lap trying to improve my time. Mind you this was in the 80s, long before they cleaned the place up and started having organized races so i was bumpy in some spots. Back then it was a popular hangout spot for older teenagers to drink beer. Sometimes the "guidos" would pull their IROC Zs or Grand Nationals on the track and do a lap or 6. In any event this bike served me well.

Sophomore year in college I had a short stint as a bike messenger in Manhattan. I thought I was in shape before that but I was disabused of that notion quite after the first 2 days. I spent a lot of money getting those wheels trued and re-trued but I was well on my way to becoming a racer, just like Nelson Vails in Quicksilver...sorta. I had a pair of knit fingerless gloves which I quickly shed in favour of some Partridge Family coloured lycra Look gloves and a matching cycling cap. Helmet? What helmet?


Later I came to the realization that I only rode well in the dry but morphed into a big ole chicken when it got wet. So much for being a roadracer.

During the late 90s I decided to convert it into a "constant" which nowadays they call fixies. I stripped off the shifters and derailleurs, mated some gold anodized 700cc aero wheels (can't remember the brand) that I had kicking around with high flange hubs and voila!, the old Nishiki was reborn. I still have the original wheels hanging up in my garage but I'm not sure where the original derailleurs and shifters are, perhaps in a box in my mother's garage.

The bike sat for a few years as I started to mountain bike I let my nephew borrow it a couple of years ago so it is currently sitting in my little brother's basement in Philly. He is supposed to bring it to me the next time he visits so I can restore it to its former glory. In any event it, here it is back in 1989




Affectionately called "La Machine" and/or "Blue Streak "according to the note I scrawled on the back of the picture, I always kept it in the basement instead of in the garage. Check out that Zefal full frame pump . And I know y'all are eyeing that sweet big screen television in the background as well as my little brother's skateboard



And here it what it looked like about 2 years ago where it has been languishing in my little brother's basement. A second nephew has been eyeing it but I will have to remind him how old the bike is and how I need to restore it to its former glory. I have been thinking about either going mid 80-s Dura Ace or Campy, both of which I used to drool over.




Serial #GE02412 which, according to the chart makes it a Giant framed bike





The aforementioned Diadora riding shoes which I bought at 16 with the hard earned money from my multiple Pennysavers routes, were resurrected about 2 years ago. I threw on a pair of Keo cleats and started using them as clipless shoes. The leather was surprisingly in good condition.

T-Mar

The only date stamp in the Miyata serial number format is the year of manufacture, at least up until the 1985 models introduced in late 1984, when they added a fortnight indicator. The numeric portion is believed to be a sequential frame number. In other words, yours should be the 276,166th frame of 1983. That number is low enough that I would almost certainly think it is 1983 model. In 1984 they got up to a much, much higher sequential frame number before they added the fortnight indicators for the start of 1985 production.


The KKT pedals do not necessarily indicate a 1984 model. The bicycle is obviously frankenbiked to an extent and it's possible that the Dura-Ace AX cranket and pedals were replaced. After all, they were Dyna-Drive, using the incompatible 1" threading for the pedal/crankarm interface. This was not popular with a lot of cyclists and when a pedal or crankarm had issues, it was common to replace both with a more traditional style.


However, the fact that 1983 model used a Dyna-Drive system provides us with an invaluable clue. Proper frame selection, resulted in a slightly smaller frame size, due to the lower pedal/foot interface of the Dyna-Drive system. Miyata instituted a frame sizing system that compensated for this and all the Dyna-Drive frames are stamped DD on the bottom bracket shell. If your shell is stamped with a DD, then it is definitely a 1983 model, as Miyata dropped all the Dyna-Drive equipped models for 1984.

T-Mar

I don't think this is a Giant manufactured model. More likely, it is Kawamura manufacture and the G-prefix represents some market for which we don't know the the code. A foreign market is model is further supported by the logo style which was not used on USA models in 1985, though I can't explain why a NYC dealer would have non-USA models.

squirtdad

T-Mar thanks.
I looked again an a number of clues suggest 84.
Looked at frame no DD-xx markings (have seen pics of them)
7110 crankset as pictured in 84 catalog
Nitto stem (Miyata marked).... 83 was speced with Dura ace ax stem per catalog
water bottle holder looks like one pictured in 84 catalog 83 had the funky aero water bottle and holder (remember seeing these at the Cat's Hill Criteriem in los gatos, ca at that time...pretty sure greg lemond raced)

T-Mar

The stay caps are also MIYATA embossed as on the 1984 version, as opposed to the PRO embossing in the 1983 literature. The components and frame features are contrary to the serial number, which seems too low for a 1984 model.

deux jambes

T-Mar

Yes. Based on my analysis, in which I have a high degree of confidence, it's the the 230th frame manufactured during September 1972. Proba ly a 1973 model, given the September manufacturing date. It's definitely Katakura manufacture based on the Silk fork decal. Stay caps and limited exposed chrome on stays and blades indicate a Professional, as opposed to a Road Compe, which was the only other Nishiki model during this era to use top tube cable clips,chromed head lugs and forged dropouts with an integral hanger. Nice acquisition. Enjoy!

SooopaDoopa

The logo style is different? So I finally figure out what my bike is and you burst my bubble and tell me otherwise?

I'm 99.9999% certain my father bought it through AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service) as opposed to a local bike shop and thought it might have been older than a 1985 model. I believe AAFES sources directly from the product manufacturer as opposed to a foreign distributor so your conclusion makes sense. I have never been able to google an exact picture of my bike. This is the closest I have come across: Different decals, this one has schrader valves while mine came with presta plus a few other minor details. I can't remember if it came with black cotton handlebar tape or yellow tape but I definitely had yellow tape on it at one point. I used to swap it out regularly back in those days






I'm going to ask my brother to get closeups of every sticker on my bike

deux jambes

T-Mar

Admittedly, the G-prefix would normally be associated with Giant but if this was a Giant serial number, then the first number would be the year indicator, making it a 1980 or 1990 model. The derailleurs and crankset would be incorrect for both periods. Also, circa 1985, Giant was typically building the entry level models. Something a bit higher grade, like an International was typically being built by Kawamura. The Nishiki they built had a serial number that was uncommon in that the first alpha character was unique for each market. The second alpha character was the year indicator. In this case, the E represents 1985 which matches the components and the purchase year. The AAFES source explains the G, which may represent Japan or a wider Asian market.


As for the logo, the USA market models had a logo used a font that was unique to 1985 (see photo, courtesy Veloclas). I can't say that I've seen it on a International but it was used on a number of other 1985 Nishiki models including the Tri-A, Prestige, Cresta and Riviera

T-Mar

FYI, for when you move it along, it's a 1986 model manufactured in late 1985. The brake calipers were typically Dia-Compe G400N and the rims are the venerable Araya 20A. Everything appears to be OEM, with the exception of the tyres, which would have been CyclePro Linear,700 x 25C. Thxs for posting.

Faizal

Faizal