icemilkcoffee 

3/17/24 update: Some shocking developments to my first C&V build

This will be an ongoing build diary chronicling me (slowly) building up a Nishiki Linear 62cm.
The bike as advertised on CL:

I drove all the way from San Jose to Sacramento to buy this bike. I only bought the frame and the 24" front wheel though. Frame on my stand back home:


It's in very good condition. As far as I can tell nobody has ever clamped a front derailleur on this frame. And then I bought this Giant bike for $300 to scavenge the 105 5700 drivetrain from:

But after riding around on it, I kind of grew fond of it. This became my commute-to-work bike. And in any event the Hollowtech II crank and the wheels aren't exactly period-correct. So plan B:

Got an RSX partial groupset for $40, and also got a 126mm NOS RSX rear hub, both from Ebay:

This hub was laced to an Alex DA22 rim by our esteemed wheelsmith Mr. Rabbit.
Slapped a Conti 4000s 700X25c tire on there, and got a big surprise - the wheel would not fit into the frame- the chain stay bridge is stopping it. I had to deflate the tire, mount it on the frame and then re-inflate the tire. Is that common for these old frames? Anyways- once it's in the frame, there is actually loads of clearance for the 25cm tires:

Got these 42cm Nitto Promenade cruiser handlebars off of CL:

Neat, huh?

No? Just kidding!

Bike is taking shape! Unfortunately I found out that I needed a 110mm spindle for the RSX double crankset. More delays.
Anyways, keep in mind that up to this point in time I have not thrown a leg over this bike. I just did some measurements on my old bike and figured that 62cm c-t should fit me if I drop the seat post to the lowest position. So now is the moment of truth:

With the seatpost in the lowest position, it still feels a smidge taller than my regular bike. Maybe I'll swap the Selle San Marco seat with the Selle Italia seat from my other bike. That seats seems to be ~1/4-1/2" lower profile. Another screwball idea is to go down to 165mm crank, which would gain me 5mm over 170mm crank. According to the experts 165mm is probably right for my 172cm height anyways.

To be cont'd

malcala622

Very nice progress build thread for your Nishiki Linear. One of these popped up near me in the past few months but unfortunately it was a disaster of a frame.

I hate test fitting bikes with jean shorts or even basketball shorts bcuz I think it still doesnt give the full range of leg motion. Therefore the needed saddle height, crank/stem length and handlebar position won't be accurate for optimum comfort.

I personally would tilt the bars up towards you a bit. The wrists look like they will be hurting in that position after a ride. I know you hopped on just for feels but nice build you got going on.

Last ride 76 

Oh boy, I almost had a stroke. Or something. I was looking at this thread on my phone, and you hooked me right in with that first handlebar pic. Second photo got everything flowing properly again. A few years ago, these seemed to be plentiful. So I went and got other bikes... Oops. Nice job!

2cam16

Watching this build.
That NA Miata though with the hardtop!

icemilkcoffee 

Yeah. Realistically I’ll have to tilt it up some. I just like the way it looks now because the transition part of the bars line up with the head tube, and the drop part of the bar lines up with the ground. Once I tilt it up, it will break up the lines. Oh well!

xiaoman1 

IC,
Looking forward to following the build....great looking project.
Best, Ben

HPL

@icemilkcoffee, nice ride you have going. Mine is a 1987 model year, but built in '86. Not my newest build as my bike now sits, but this photo was between when I got it (complete bike @ <$190!), and some first alterations. Now it is nearly stock; except still needing DT 1st gen 105 shifters, and "Biopace" chainrings (available cheap at my LBS). This photo still has LOOK pedals and OFMEGA derailleurs still on it, with bar-end shifters. I was able to find a great set of 105/1050 pedals with the plastic cages still in great shape, but I ride LOOK so I left the "clipless" pedals in place .This frame rocks; just rode this past weekend on it. My frame is a 58cm, should seem large (I ride 52-54cm), but feels just fine. You should enjoy it once you get it fit to your body, but over 25 miles is not for me on it; my back!

icemilkcoffee 

Sweet looking bike! I saw a 54cm version of the Linear, and it didn't look as good. I think this frame looks best when it's either 58cm or 62cm- it looks the most dramatic!
Anyways my project is stalled at the moment- I am transferring the whole RSX group and the RSX hub wheel over to a Bianchi I am putting together for my wife. The Linear will get a tri-color 600 group. I just need to get another rear wheel built for it.

HPL

Cool! A 600 "Tri-color" will do nicely. I seem to have various parts of that group spread out over a couple frames. I just couldn't stomach a Japanese bike having been downgraded with OFMEGA parts when the Shimano stuff was far superior; 80's technology and performance over 70's same old thing with a different name to it.

icemilkcoffee 

OK! Project Linear is back on track. When we last left off, I had just taken the groupset, wheel, stem, etc off of the Linear to put on my wife's bike. So now the Linear is back to square one. Stripped clean and back on the stand:

In the mean time I have completely changed my plans for this bike. I got a 600 tri-color groupset, and got a new handlebar/stem and shifter. The only thing carried over from the first iteration was the tire.
I got a Sun Ringle rim off Ebay for the grand sum of $10. I wanted a shallow rim with eyelets, to match the (BMX?) front rim. Here is the wheel freshly built by Mr Rabbit: Sun Ringle rim with 600 tri-color hub.:


When we last left off, the old seat post/seat combo was just a tad high for me, even at the lowest setting. After a lot of scrouging around, I found the Sakae seat post which is probably the lowest rise seatpost available:

Compared to the original Kalloy seatpost, the Sakae seatpost mounts the seat about 15mm lower.
I also decided to go with a Nitto RB009 bar instead of the original bar and tt brake levers.
Bike is taking shape:

After installing 105 brake levers, 600 brakes and 600 crankset, I got on the bike and did the KOPS routine and adjusted the bar/stem:


I ran out of daylight for today. Hopefully tomorrow I can finish putting the groupset on there!

xiaoman1 

I.M.C.
I was wondering what was going on with the build.....Looking quite nice!
Best, Ben

Dylansbob 

I've been tempted by one of these for more than a decade. For some reason, I really like the townie-ization of a TT frame. Bluelug did a Low-Pro with a Promenade upright bar that I really liked a few years ago.

icemilkcoffee 

Today I put the finishing touches on. 600 tri-color FD, RD, crankset; 12-28 7 sp cassette, and 42/52 rings up front.

NOS Bio-pace chain rings. I love Biopace rings. Alas the crankset is far from NOS though:

Cockpit: 105 1055 brake levers and BS50 7 speed barcon shifters- very hard to come by. Lovely Cinelli cork bar tape:


And now the piece-de-resistance! Selle Italia Iron Flow seat. This one:


This seat is probably no more than 10 year old, and is technically not period correct. But I just love the space age styling with the tail fairing. It fits in with the zoomy 80’s styling of the Nishiki:


‘tail-light’ detail

Also My understanding is that this seat has been banned by the UCI because there is too much of a backstop. So right there something else in common with our beloved funnybikes
here it is! The finished bike!

Oh hold on there. That wasn’t the piece -de-resistance. This one is:


you don’t see it? It’s the retro aero water bottle. They sell these on Ebay. It’s kind of crudely made with lots of flashing. But it does complete the look!


I hopped on the bike and took a spin around the block. Maybe it’s the little front wheel but this bike just feels fast no matter what speed you are going. It’s a hoot! The 50mm stem is probably too short. I guess my calculations were no good. The Iron Flow saddle unfortunately, is just weird. I’ve tried probably 10 or more saddles in the last year and this one is possibly the weirdest and most awkward. I might have to tilt it down a bit.

xiaoman1 

IMC,
I really like the build and the care/deliberateness that you have taken in selecting the components for the build.
Best, Ben
icemilkcoffee

icemilkcoffee 

Revisiting my first C&V build! I was never too happy with the look of the tall stem. I got ahold of a 90deg Nitto stem and a light grey Nitto RB018 flat bullhorn bar.

I put it on the bike and then noticed the upturned tips are too short to take the barcon shifters. What to do? I can’t give up on this new bar because that would be admitting defeat. In an alarming departure from good taste and common sense and in flagrant violation of UCI rules, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and the tradition values that made this country great, I put these Altus CT15 shifters on there:



They were pretty much what you would find on a KMart or JCPenny bike . But I do like the little indicator dials!
The finished product:

No more tall stem sticking out like a sore thumb! The brake levers are Tektro interrupter levers. They work surprisingly well here. The Altus right shifter works very well. The left shifter works well but it does take some thumb effort (it was meant for longer-armed MTB FD’s).

Velosophy

An original, good on you! Well done! And after a ride get a neck massage

John E

Yup -- that bike looks like a pain in the neck.
Great serious thread about a "funny bike."

John E

Having just read the "farthing penny" (old high-wheeler "ordinary" or "penny farthing," but with the small non-drive wheel in front instead of back) thread, I reacted that the "funny bike" could be regarded as a cross between a farthing penny and a safety cycle, or maybe a higher-technology re-envisioning of the former.

icemilkcoffee 

Actually it's really not too bad. The secret to owning a Lo-Pro, is to find one that is the biggest size you could straddle. This Linear here is either 61 or 62cm. I normally ride ~53-55. The other secret is the 90 degree stem. It minimizes the amount of stem sticking out. Sometimes on a horizontal top tube C&V bike, the 90 degree stem disrupts the flow of the horizontal lines. But luckily on a Lopro like this, there is no horizontal line, so there is nothing to disrupt, and it's not even all that obvious that the stem is 90 degree because you have nothing to reference against.

The main issue I am having now is that this Nitto RB018 handlebar is pretty small. There is only really one hand position possible. And the CT15 shifters pretty much took up all the room on the 'top part of the bar. I may have to rearrange the cockpit yet again this weekend.