mstateglfr 

Looks nice to me. A lot of production bikes had the tubes crimped and slammed together. Those are rounded to match the BB shell.

T-Mar

The stays still look like a straight cut to me. The main tubes are are mitred but I've seen better. It's still a very nice frame but not at the level of a top builder and not what I expecting to see.

I went back though my 1986 magazines and found a reference to the Team Issue in a Nishiki advertisement. I'm not surprised that I didn't recall seeing it, as the Team Issue and the Comp III are almost an afterthought, being mentioned in the 2nd to last paragraph of a full page advertisement (see attached). No details are given other than the Team Issue being a road racing model, while the Comp III was a criterium racing model. Regardless. it confirms that the team Issue was a legitimate 1986 USA market model which, in conjunction with its absence from the 1985 and 1987 literature, establishes it as a single year model.

BTW, the Team Issue would have been 2nd in the 1986 line-up, as there was a model above it that used Dura-Ace and a carbon fibre frame sourced from Alan in Italy.

tendency

Not to get into a mitering flame war - lol - but, here's the mitering from my '83 3Rensho:




Very nicely mitered however, to my eye, the Nishiki is done slightly better.

MauriceMoss

Congrats - that is a very nicely made frame. Team Issues are certainly rare birds and, this one being my size, I'm a wee bit jealous.

Almost all Team Issue frames I've seen (that still had original paint) had the same color and the same decal style.

However, I did run across one a while back that sported 1987 style decals and had different features than yours, which would make Team Issue a model that ran for at least 2 years. Still made with Tange Prestige, with the same lugs and Hitachi made bb shell, but most other things are different (fork crown, seat stay caps, top tube cable guides (now on the underside) and the brake bridge).

It's been a while since I saved these pics, so I don't remember where they came from - probably a listing on FB Marketplace (judging by the file names). Unfortunately, the picture of the bb shell barely shows a number that is almost impossible to read.

T-Mar

Yes, the paint, decals and rear brake cable tunnels are indicative of a 1987 model. However, it's definitely not included in the 1987 USA market catalogue. It could be from a foreign market. Unfortunately, the country code indicator of the S/N is indiscernible.

tendency

Very interesting! Thanks for the info - they are beautiful bikes.

And, Hitachi made bottom brackets?!

unworthy1

really nice paint on that '87 example!
I was gonna point out the Hitachi BB shell but Maurice Moss beat me to it! The investment-castings were done by another Japanese company but Hitachi sold them.
I always thought the metal badge (with cap "N") stuck on the stay cap was a cheesy feature that made even the low cost frames seem cheaper, IMO, so glad to see a Tange Prestige frame finally ditched that (but in the second year of production, maybe).
I once had a "bumblebee" black/yellow Tri-A frame pass thru my hands (on the way for a friend's use) and we both agreed that prying those appliques off improved the look, plus with a little heat from a hairdrier the adhesive softened and no paint was damaged.

norskagent

here's one that passed through my hands quite a few years ago, I haven't seen it around here since:
Nishiki Team Issue

tendency

Ah yes, came across that thread on here when I searched. The Team Issue's seem rarer than hen's teeth - as you said I think that's about the last time one has come up in here.

Hummer

If you rotate the image 90 degrees the first character looks like a "W".

Trsnrtr

My team had a Nishiki sponsorship in 1987 and 1988. In 87, we were issued Comp llls in maroon and silver and in 88, I had a Team Issue in the blue/white fade shown in earlier pics.

Alas, almost none of the Comp lll s survived as the frames were prone to breaking, especially at the rear drive side dropout. My Team Issue also broke through the down tube at the water bottle braze ons. It broke like a pop can does if you twist it back and forth.

Anyway, they were great criterium machines, tight and agile. Too bad they were fragile.

tendency

Fascinating details thanks Dennis. Not too surprised about your frame breakage stories as, given the weight of the Team Issue, the builders took it right to the edge (and perhaps a little over..) in terms or strength. But, as Tom Ritchey once remarked (paraphrasing) "if you don't break a few frames a year then it's probably overbuilt".

tendency

Completed bike. Found a chrome fork from an '86 Miyata Pro that I purchased off ebay a while back - looks good IMO and should have very similar characteristics to the Nishiki original. Mismatched wheels; trying to find a Dura Ace HB-9000 (20/24 hole) to complete a front wheel matching the rear.

18.5 lb as equipped - not too shabby for 63cm steel frame/fork.

mhespenheide 

Looking good! I'm glad you found a steel fork for it.

tendency

Thanks again for tracking it down and shipping it out to me Mark. Bike rides super nice - really smooth, excellent handling, that Tange Prestige certainly has the 'magic carpet' ride quality too it - reminds me a bit almost of riding a carbon fiber frame.

Lanovran

I just came across this thread and had to log in to the forum for the first time in years to comment on it! I picked up a Nishiki Team Issue second-hand from a used bike store in southeast Indiana nearly a decade ago and fixed 'er up with a combination of Dura-Ace 7400 & 7800 stuff, along with a (then) brand-new Shimano wheelset. I did have to replace the stem and handlebar due to damage, and also installed a NOS Dura-Ace headset and a new Brooks Swallow special edition blue saddle. At some point in the bike's lifetime, she received a fresh paint job in the original colorway minus the logos/decals (I was actually able to ID it thanks to norskagent's old post), so she still looks pretty shiny and new! The original head badge was also long gone by the time she came to me, so I replaced it with a custom paw print head badge, and dubbed her "Coyote Blue." Here she is:









I'm actually considering selling her, since I really don't ride any of my bikes nearly as much anymore as I used to, and especially this one. After reading this thread and seeing all the comments about how apparently rare these bikes are, now I'm also reconsidering my potential asking price! XD

norskagent

This is one I found on Craigslist several years ago, and resold as it was too big for me. Tange prestige tubing, dura ace 6 speed. "As found":

Lanovran

Yep, that's the one that I saw you post many years ago that helped me to ID my own bike!

ign1te

Prestige tubing is still around, even in the modern era. I even found a place that sells bikes made out of Prestige tubing.

https://yasujirobike.com/product_detail.php?sn=10