Road bicycle with half step gearing
Page and photos updated May 16, 2010
This bike was found by James on Craigslist. Using Bob Hufford's photos we confirmed it was a Pro. At some point a previous owner repainted the silver portions covering most of the chrome and unfortunately the bamboo-style down tube logo. Some of the original silver color is showing at the blue panels on the seat tube. The original silver has a much finer metal flake and the color is cooler - not champagne like the repaint.
The bike was not stock when I got it, and therefore did not feel compelled to restore it. The stock parts still on the bike were the Compe seatpost, Compe rear derailleur (sold), Compe freewheel (narrow range), Sugino Mighty Comp crankset, headset, Dia Compe cable hanger, down tube cable stop, Compe brake levers, Suntour bar ends, handlebar, and likely the bottom bracket. Many of the non-original parts were pretty good: Shimano hubs, Super Champion rims, Tourney and Dura Ace centerpull brakes (same casting). The shop I bought it from tossed on a cheap plastic saddle and a Schwinn front derailleur. I stripped the frame of all parts and rebuilt with a few more non-orignal parts of my liking.
Configuration (as of March 2010):
| Frame | Nishiki Professional, circa 1974 |
|---|---|
| Front Derailleur | Shimano 600 Arabesque |
| Rear Derailleur | Suntour Cyclone GT long cage |
| Shifters | Suntour Power downtube |
| Brake Levers | Tektro R200A |
| Brakes | Dia Compe and Shimano centerpulls, Dia Compe front cable hanger |
| Bottom bracket | -- |
| Crankset | Sugino Mighty Comp 45/50, half-step |
| Chain | SRAM 8-speed |
| Hubs | Shimano model unknown |
| Rims | Super Champion |
| Tires | Panaracer Pasela TG 32 |
| Freewheel | Shimano 5-speed 14-17-20-24-28, much wider than the stock Compe, approximately 9% to 10% ratio shifts with half-step |
| Headset | original |
| Handlebar | Nitto Olympiad, Velox tape, cotton twine cord whipping, and cork plugs |
| Stem | SR |
| Saddle | Brooks B-17 (Fujita Belt shown) |
| Seatpost | SR Laprade |
| Pedals | MKS Touring with MKS clips with custom leathers by Kirsten |
| Miscellaneous | Cateye Vectra wireless cyclocomputer |
| Wish List | Saddle bag |
For an example of a nearly stock Nishiki Professional, visit this link to Bob Hufford's photos.
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