overt

Hello! This is my first post in the touring sub-forum. I haven't done any touring yet, just commuting to work daily, but I would like to give self-contained touring a try someday for fun. I have a 1985 Nishiki Cresta that I found on craigslist last summer after months of looking. Given that my bike's drivetrain is mostly original (as far as I can tell), is it worth upgrading my bike or should I look at something new like a LHT?

I've read differing opinions on vintage touring bikes in the classic and vintage sub-forum. My bike has Tange 2 double butted tubing--some say that this frame is just as good as newly manufactured frames, while others say that the vintage touring frames are wobbly/flexy when fully loaded.

I'm just curious what you guys think about vintage touring bikes and if mine would be as capable for self-contained touring as a modern touring bike if I were to upgrade various components.

The bike is currently in good mechanical condition: I've had the hubs, bottom bracket and headset packed with grease and adjusted properly. I keep an eye on hub tension since the rear likes to loosen up sometimes and I don't want to ruin the hubs before I decide whether or not I'm going to upgrade or not.

Wheels:
The bike currently has Araya 27 x 1-1/4 wheels with a LePree front hub and Sunshine rear hub. These would probably be the first upgrade I would consider, going to 700c and spreading the rear to 130 or 135 to fit a modern road or mtb hub.

Drivetrain (derailleurs, shifters, chainrings, crank):
The bike currently has a Suntour LePree rear derailleur (the goofy 3 sprocket one) and a Deore front derailleur, along with a Sugino GT crank and Sugino Cycloid (biopace equivalent) triple chainrings (48/40/28) and a 6 sprocket (32-14) cluster in the rear. If I upgraded the wheels, I would likely have more sprockets in the rear, which would likely necessitate a different derailleur and maybe a different shifter. I've never used bar-end shifters, but I know many people like them on touring bikes--I wouldn't mind giving them a try. When it comes to the bottom bracket and crank, I have no idea what is good. The cycloid chainrings are kind of weird--what kind of options do I have if I decide to replace them? Do I have to replace the crank alongside the chainrings? Also, is the bottom bracket something that needs to be upgraded? I'm not sure if there have been advances since the 80's in such things...

The remainder of the bike is great, in my opinion: lots of braze-ons, low-rider mount on the fork, 3 sets of bottle bosses (although, the two on the downtube necessitate small bottles since one interferes with the shifters and the other can hit the fender--bar end shifters would fix one of them).

Attached is a picture of my bike parked at work. I've added a few things: Tubus Cargo rack, Brooks B17N Imperial saddle, planet bike fenders, crank bros pedals and marathon greenguard tires.



So, what would you do you think? Would my bike with the upgrades I have in mind give me the same functionality/durability as a newer tourer, or are new touring bikes better in some way?

fietsbob

How far are you Planning to Ride? are you tempted to buy a new bike anyhow?


If it fits Perfectly ,then take those dimensions .. that will be the set up guide for the next bike,,

the handicap is 27" tires have been made sort of obsolete, so the spares selection is thinned down, 700c has expanded.

But if you bring 1 (0r 2) spare tire(s) along that covers the tire damage possibility.

ironwood

I wouldn't change anything. Maybe overhaul the hubs,BB and headset as grease can get old. Low riders help distribute any load better. If you want to use slightly wider tires you might consider lacing up 700c rims.

You should post a picture of the bike on the C&V Forum. Nice find.

ironwood

Check to see if you can lower the brake pads 4mm. before you go to 700. On most 27" wheeled bikes with cantis, you can lower the pads, in the slot, but I've heard of a few bikes on which you can't. There are still a lot of 27" tires out there, they aren't going away soon.

scozim 

700c will be the kicker - just not a lot of options for 27" tires. I just rode a vintage (1989) Peugeot hybrid on a short tour that I got free and rebuilt with parts I had on hand. I had new wheels built (used the hubs that were on it) which was the critical aspect for me - that was the largest expense. Had 48-38-26 gearing up front with an old Sugino crankset and 7 spd 13-28 on the rear. I spent most of my time in the 38t ring - had good range there. Overall, the gearing was plenty fine with the exception of one hill where I was wishing I could have dropped just a little lower. You should be able to get chainrings and use the crankset you have - just make sure you know the bcd (bolt center diameter - see Sheldon Brown's site) so you get the right rings. The 14-32 may leave you a little short on the high end (downhills) but the 32 would be ok especially if combined with a 26 front ring.

I have a sport tourer (old Trek) that has the Suntour shifters you currently have. I like them but went with bar end shifters on the Peugeot and definitely liked the feel of them better.

The bottom bracket is probably the old cup and cone version. Mine worked fine once it was all cleaned up and the bearings repacked. However, I'll probably eventually go with a Phil Wood cartridge - install and forget about it.

Looking at the photo you might want to consider a good long cage rear derailleur.

ironwood

The rear derailleur is the equivalent of a long cage dr. Suntour had a some good ideas that worked but didn't catch on.

Cougrrcj

I'd ride what you have! Spend your time and $$$ saved by overhauling every component so it is 99.995 reliable.

Good 27" tires are easy to find, especially mail-order! Panaracer Pacela in either standard or 'tourguard' (Kevlar belted).

Proper route plan. The touring rig - you'll figure out on your own as to what is important to you. I toured on my Fuji with a 48/38/28 front and six-speed 13-24 freewheel rear with no problems at all! --with 27" tires! My only mishap was taco-ing a rear wheel on a solo tour 300-miles from home. 20-mile hitched ride to a 'local' bike shop fixed me up with an -eh?- replacement -- good enough, but not same quality, but at least I was back on the road in a couple of hours instead of days...

bradtx

overt, Honestly, I don't think anything needs changing. The GI range is good and 27" tires are fine if you're prepared. An overhaul is probably all it needs if there are no fitment issues.

Brad

Barrettscv 

The bike is a keeper. I ask a bikeshop or friend to use an existing set of 700c wheels to see if the brake pads can be adjusted to fit the smaller wheel. If the pads can be adjusted to fit, consider a well made 130mm wide 36 spoke wheelset with some touring bike rims. Shimano 105 hubs are strong enough for most touring duty. You should be able to fit these without major realignment of the rear triangle of your frame.

Install a wide range 11-32 8-speed cassette and keep the Suntour drivetrain and shifters.

Add a nice set of Vittoria Hyper tires in 700x35 and enjoy the smoother and faster tires and the wider gearing range.

bikemig 

I've gone through the same thought process as the OP as my trusty old touring bike won't take anything fatter than 28c tires and fenders which is a bit of a drag on a tour. The OP's bike can probably take a fatter tire than mine so this is probably not an issue.

I think there is a lot of good advice on this thread. I'd fix up the old bike and get it to work more reliably (I'm not excited about a rear hub that loosens up (whatever that means)). The crank and BB are probably fine. You can easily add nice friction bar cons that you can pick up new from either velo orange or rivendell. I'd get 700c wheels. I would spread the rear to 130 from the current 126.

seeker333

Your Cresta appears to be in good shape. You should take it on a short "test tour" to see how it performs loaded, before going further with the idea of buying a new bike. If after test-touring the Cresta it proves unacceptable, then take a look at a Surly LHT. They are a good value and hard to beat at any cost.

Give the Cresta a major tune-up before tour. Clean and repack the BB, headset and hubs. Mount new tires, tubes and rim strips. New cables too if they are old. Check spoke tension and adjust if needed (and the nipples aren't seized to the spokes). New brake pads, with toe-in adjusted to minimize grab/chatter/squeal. New chain if the old one is rusted, which it probably isn't if commuting on it. If you later decide to get a new bike, all this maintenance work / cost will not be wasted, since it will make the bike more ready to sell or continue it's use as a backup/commuter bike.

There are still a lot of 27" tire choices today. They made a comeback a couple years ago when gas hit 5 bux/gallon and desperate people bought up all the old 10-speeds for commuter duty.

https://www.aebike.com/bicycle-tires-bike-tubes_c_.html#/?filter.extrafield7_tire_diameter=27%22&page=1

clasher

I'd upgrade as Barrettscv suggests. I put bar end shifters on my touring bike and it's nice. I think the aero downtube shifter mounts might be a problem for the downtube barrel adjusters that usually come with bar-end shifters. It's been a while since I've seen an aero shifter boss so I dunno it will play nice with the adjusters or not. Another solution would be use a clamp-on downtube shifter mount to bolt the STI adjusters to. Even paying a shop to upgrade the bike I can't see the costs being close to that of a new bicycle and you'll end up with something as functional. I'd also put new brake pads on and new brake levers, aero levers have less exposed housing to get snagged on stuff so that's nice.

djyak

I'd say keep what you have. Love a bike with a bit of history. My tourer is an early 70's German bike sold in Kurpfalz, Germany. I've upgraded gears, but still have friction on my down tubes, and I'm always asked about how I came to get the bike. Yours looks great, and if it rides good, fits good, I'd say go with it!

irwin7638

Since you haven't done any self contained touring, I would give it a try on the current bike before investing in a new. A lot of miles have been logged (by me, and others) on less appropriate bikes. Just don't carry too much, or make the first few trips too demanding; a couple of weekend overnights to get the idea, then maybe a week long trip that's not too demanding. After that you might have a better idea what you want to do. No sense buying state of the art everything for something you haven't tried.

Marc

Losligato

That's a great bike. Use it as is.

You've already got what many believe to be the best touring tires.... Schwalbe Marathon 27

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...reenguard-tire

Burton

Nice bike!

I say just overhaul and ride it. Agree you might want to change out brake pads and all cables and housing for stainless / lined ones, but if the rest is on good condition - take it touring!
If you insist alloy 27" rims are easily available with machined braking surfaces and if you can slap some Schwalbe Marathons on there - why worry about wheel size?

There's still a wide quality range in 'modern' touring bikes. Some frames might be 'better' than what you have - some won't be. The two most important things are - does it fit you? and do you like it?

chasm54

^^ This. 27" tyres are easy to get, wheels only marginally less so, especially if you order on-line. Until recently I had a Raleigh Tourer just a year older than that, it was a great touring bike.

The cup-and-cone bottom bracket should be just fine if you replace any worn bearings. In my opinion they spin better than the fit-and-forget modern stuff.

Cougrrcj

Heck, I'm turning my '75 Fuji S-10S into a dedicated touring bike. Of course, it is no longer anywhere near stock. It has been upgraded to a triple crank when I did some touring years ago, and I'm 'only' running a six-speed freewheel out back. Front is 48/38/28 and I can use either 13-21, 13-24 or 13-28 freewheels I have in stock. Sun Tour bar-end shifters have been on there since '76! Yes, 27" tires as well. Right now it is running Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1-1/8, but will likely get Panaracer Pasela 27x1-1/8 (non-tourguard) when I complete the overhaul. With my current component selection - including a rear rack - I've gotten the weight down to around 25 or 26 pounds. It will be getting fenders on this re-fit as well, so weight will increase slightly. I really don't like all splattered up when riding in the rain, so this time around I figure fenders will be a good thing to have on a three-week solo tour...

wahoonc

Another vote for run what ya brung. Just make sure everything is in good shape prior to taking off on tour. Load up and do a couple of day rides as a shakedown to make sure everything handles properly. FWIW I went transcontinental back in 1977 with a Motobecane Nomade 10 speed, a much lower end bike than what you have. Finished the trip and rode the bike as a backup for another 10 years, the frame set and the wheels are still hanging in my shop today.

Aaron