[CR]Re: > Nishiki "Continental" ?

(Example: Component Manufacturers)

From: "jan-olov jansson" <janjol@worldonline.se>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, <Gjvinbikes@aol.com>
References: <CATFOODwQ6TCJtejs4t00003cae@catfood.nt.phred.org>
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 22:44:05 +0100
Subject: [CR]Re: > Nishiki "Continental" ?

Glenn Jordan wrote:


> Message: 6
> From: Gjvinbikes@aol.com
> Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 00:28:05 EST
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR]Nishiki "Continental" ?
>
> Chesley bought a bike from a guy in Raleigh, via eBay, but it turned out to
> be a bit too big for him, so I took it off his hands. It is a Nishiki
> "Continental" and I am getting pretty fascinated by it, and think I'll take
> it down to Bike Florida next week (anyone else on the CR list going ?)
>
> Observations & Questions:
>
> This lugged steel Tange frame is made of what tubing ?
> I notice that the tubing sticker has been removed from the seat tube, but I
> found one note during a Net search that said the 1988 Continental was Tange
> Infinity - which is a good tubing, isn't it ? The forks, complete with double
> eyelets and low-rider mounts, are labeled "Tange Fork Blade Hi-Tensile",
> which is not a good sign I guess. Maybe they didn't use Tange Infinity on the
> forks so they would be sturdy enough to handle a low-rider load ?
>
> The nice forged drop-outs front and back (double eyelets on both) are not
> labeled, but the rear ones have set screws.
>
> One the left chainstay, where my trainer Nishiki Custom Sport has the label
> "hand-crafted by Kawamura", this bike proudly claims "Nishiki No 1 and Proud
> of it" along with a Japanese flag. Very patriotic ! :-)
>
> The crankset is a Shimano Deore triple with those weird one-fat-bearing
> pedals that don't fit ordinary cranks. These look like bear-traps, with a
> (rusty) iron counterweight built into the bottom to keep it upright. The
> chainrings are 49/45/32, which would make a nice touring setup, I guess, if I
> had a pair of adapters so I could run a pair of clipless pedals on it. Anyone
> know of an inexpensive source for these ?
>
> The rear derailer is a real gem. It is a SunTour Le Pree with 3 pulleys !
> I''d never seen one of these before and can find no mention of one on the
> Web. Chesley wants it to use on his Moulten, maybe. I guess it is able to
> wrap lots of chain without dropping down so low as a regular long-cage
> derailer would have to ? I've got no idea yet how it shifts. It has braze-ons
> holding SunTour friction downtube shifters, the flatish ones with a slight
> curve at the tips.
>
> The brakes are the stubby little DiaCompe cantilevers with pads that look
> like oversized Mafacs. No "safety" levers, gum hoods, non-aero.
>
> It has very odd SunTour "Sealed Bearing Hub" hubs with curved skers and some
> kind of slotted dust covers or something. The 36-hole Mavic Module "3" 700c
> rims.
>
> The fork has no CPSC lips, but maybe that's due to it being made for a
> foreign market ? There is a sticker on the downtube above the shifters that
> reads "AB ARVID OLSSON Cykel & Sport HALMSTAD", which makes me think its
> either Deutsch or Nederlaendish ? Maybe Dansk or Swedish ? You sure wouldn't
> need gears like this one has in Belgium...
>
> It has three water bottle mount braze-ons, and what appears to be a Very Laid
> Back seat tube, so it may be my perfect little tourer (once I get a crankset
> on it that can handle Speedplay Frogs). I am really curious if anyone can
> help me identify it in the Nishiki line-up - I think it might have been their
> top-of-the-line tourer in the mide-80's.
>
> Got to get a rack on it and some fenders.
>
> Glenn Jordan
> Having fun in Durham, NC

I tried make some answer to regarding "Nishiki Continetal"

In 1983 I bougth a "Nishiki Continetal" from LBS here in Uppsala.

It was dark blue, with Shimano Deore crankset, SunTour BLGT front and rear der. Sun Tour Sealed bering hubs, ss sb spokes, Araya rims. Dia Compe centrepull brakes, SR steam SR Rando. h'bar, SR laprade seatpin and Kashimax sadle.

The tubing was Tange Mangaloy 2000 mangan-molyden, brazed with lugs.

First thing I bought was Bluemels Club sport mudgaurds, Ideale 92 sadle, Blackburn Exp rear rack and for the front lowraider. And I was completed with Suntour BarCon shifters, mirracycle.

After reading the F Bertos touring bike test in 1984 july Bicycling, I was changed the set up to halfstep 48 - 44 -28 / 13-15-18-21-26-32 I have still today some parts from this bike. I was touring 1983 2 weeks in Denmark, 2 weeks in Sweden, 1984 2 weeks in southern part of Sweden, 2 weeks in another parts in Sweden, etc "AB ARVID OLSSON Cykel & Sport HALMSTAD", is a shop in Sweden.

In this preriod of time Nishiki was selling lot of bikes in Sweden, and they having 2 touring bikes, "Continetal" and "Ultra tour". The later was little expencier and also have better parts like Sugino TAT triple, better front & rear der.

Some years later they have the eguiment that you mention, i e SunTour Le Pree with 3 pulleys .

I have the SunTour front hub on my Heron Touring I was building up for 2 years ago, it is laced up on Mavic Mod 4 rim and DT ss db spokes

best regards

Jan-Olov Jansson Uppsala Sweden

http://hem.spray.se/jan-olov.j/