Touring Bike Build…Beginnings

[W I S N E R !]

Just got a new bike to play with…

http://sweepingthegarden.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/touring-bike-build/

I just started stripping it and planning the build, will post more as it progresses (shouldn't take too long).

[BlackHatGuy]

How much stuff do you already have for it? 'Cause I got stuff. As I continue to lighten my 'life' load, I'm always looking for good homes for my very usable stuff. I got bike seats, I might have a carbon fiber bottle cage, other stuff too. Need/want any of it for your new project?

[W I S N E R !]

Thanks for the offer Douglas, very generous…you give out quite a bit of stuff around here.

I'm not sure I need too much for it. I want to run 1×7 speed, so I'll be looking for a single speed crankset (or something I can modify) in a 175 length, square taper. Unfortunately, the stock cranks have welded chainrings…I can get them off the arms, but i can't separate the rings. I'll see if I can find a single chainring that fits the bolt pattern. It'll also need a seatpost…that was ruined. I'm guessing it's a 26.2, the old standard. Cheap enough if I buy a generic one though.

Without getting too fancy, that should do it for this bike…I have a set of bars/levers and other odds and ends that should work.

On the note of spare bike parts though, if you have stuff that you don't use and can't sell, I can always use it for students. I just received about two dozen bikes from the police department in varying condition that are all being fixed up to give out to students/community members in need. So spare parts of any sort usually get gobbled up quickly. I could even provide a tax write off/donation receipt for you if that's something you're interested in.

[John West]

I love those old Nishikis. I just built up my touring bike for this summer, trying to do it on a budget like you. If you pack lightly, you'll find that you don't need all the fancy stuff that real "touring" bikes have.

[Rick Dreher]

Hi Craig,

I don't know anything about this particular bike–I lost track of Nishiki after the '70s when they were a pretty big player in the "10-speed" market. (So were the French!) No matter, it looks like a robust platform for a project.

Based on your photos I'm going to guess you're possibly a decade off as to the age–it looks like a mountain bike from the '80s (except perhaps for the sloping top tube and twist shifters). If you're converting to a single-ring crank you'll need a way to align it with the rear cluster (do I understand it's a seven-speed freewheel? or is it a freehub?) Is the bottom bracket an old style tapered friction-fit cotterless or a newer splined type; loose bearings with fixed crankside ring or sealed cartridge? The type will affect your drivetrain options.

My body wouldn't accommodate those bars on a 200-mile day, I'd need drops and a different stem. it goes without saying whatever you can do to cut weight and rolling resistance and decrease wind resistance will help a lot.

Have fun, and keep us posted!

Cheers,

Rick

[Sam Haraldson]

Building it up for a tour probably means replacing the spokes and rebuilding the wheels is a good idea. At that time the rear wheel can be dished and the proper spacing/cog combination can be used to get the chainline where it needs to be. Personally I like gears on a long-distance bike but I also love the simplicity of my various single speeds.

[W I S N E R !]

I'll be swapping out a lot. No way will I stick with flat bars; I have some shallow, somewhat flared cyclocross drops that are going on it.

As for single speed up front, I've ditched that idea…I'll stick with 3×7 (it's a 7 speed rear freehub).

I don't think I'll need to worry about the wheels Sam. They're 32 spoke 3X, which in my experience have always been plenty durable. I don't plan on ever loading more than an additional 25 pounds (we're UL, right?), so I'll be going with a rear rack, 4 gallon bucket panniers, and a small backpack. Don't feel I need fenders or all the other typical touring stuff for what I'm doing.

[Sam Haraldson]

Lookin' forward to hearing more about the build. I love refurbishing old bikes.

[Arapiles .]

"Based on your photos I'm going to guess you're possibly a decade off as to the age–it looks like a mountain bike from the '80s (except perhaps for the sloping top tube and twist shifters)."

+1

And the sloping seat.

Funnily enough, my wife has a cro-mo Giant Innova that's about 15 years old and has hardly ever been ridden – I was using it as a back-up to my expensive Cannondale flat bar commuter and discovered that I preferred the Giant. It wasn't any slower and just rode really well. If I could find a 17 inch one I'd probably swap over.

[W I S N E R !]

Yup, I'm off, definitely an 80s bike. I'm getting my decades mixed up. I was already riding large diameter aluminum and 1 1/8" threadless MTBs in the mid nineties, this bike is 1" threaded headset…definitely older.

Amazing it's in such good shape for 20+ years old, just a few scratches on the frame. A testament to how many bikes get purchased and never ridden…sad to see so many resources and so much energy going into new stuff when there's so much already out there for the taking.

[Greg Mihalik]

Keep your eye out for a 3 speed rear hub.
Then you'll be able to hump the hills with a load.

[Sam Haraldson]

Sturmey Archer 3 speeds are pretty easy to come by. If you get one and it doesn't work perfectly right off, open it up and put a couple drops of Kerosene in it and let that swish around a bit. I've been told by the mechanics at my fave LBS that this will often fix any lingering problems these old hubs have.

[W I S N E R !]

The other side of building old bikes…compatibility issues.
All of which could be solved in one second with a stack of money, but I don't want to go that route. So I'll be slowing down until I can scrounge the parts.

Main issues so far:
*Needing a good set of cantilever brakes- the ones on the bike were trash. I could use V brakes but would need to buy pulleys ("problem solvers") to take up slack as I'm using road levers.
*Upon removal, I found the bottom bracket is garbage. It's a 68. I might try using a 73 that I have with a 2.5mm shim.
*I was going to use some cyclocross road levers (brake only), combined with clamp-on down tube shifters. The down tube shifters I found don't fit the diameter of the frame. So now I have to tweak them or go with an old 8 speed set of levers I have…but I didn't want to have indexed shifting (I've found friction to be simpler/more reliable for beater bikes).

[John West]

I hear you on that. My main touring rig is an '84 cannondale, and it was in BAD shape when I recieved it. Horrible paint, bad headset, bad brakes, tires, tubes, you name it, it was bad. Luckily I got the bike for $30, so after all the things I've put into it, Im only at like $300 total invested, and its a really nice bike now. Perfect for lightweight touring. The polished aluminum looks unique too.

[Tim Heckel]

Hmmm. Not sure about this kerosene technique for restoring Sturmey hubs.
Common wear parts are the clutch and pawls, sometimes cones. Those usually lose metal through misadjustment, lack of oil, and normal wear.

[Joe Clement]

This is making me feel guilty for buying myself a new carbon road bike for Christmas.

[John Elbare]

Craig — Nice project. I am now rebuilding a 1995 Trek 8000 as a touring bike. I looked around for an older hardtail mountain bike with no suspension, and I guess you did the same. Yours is quite a bit older, I think.

Mine's also a 3/7 set-up, and I am stocking with it. I am replacing some of the original Shimano components. I can still find a lot of them on eBay. Your bike still has a threaded headset. Are you going threadless? Your crank looks OK from the photos. How is the bottom bracket? I am replacing mine just so I don't have a problem with it later.

Here's cheap, solid, recycled bikes!

[Charlie Murphy]

I love fixing old bikes. As an everyday bike commuter I have a bunch of old 80 steel tourers. My personal favorite style. I also commuted many years on an old Gary Fisher mnt bike. I'm guessing your bike is an early 90's or very late 80's….just a guess though.
A couple points you may have already figured out. If you go to drops then the bike should be a little big for you. Top tubes on mnt bikes are often shorter than road/touring bikes with drops. Your body position will go from upright to a more prostrate angle thus the need for a longer TT. Some folks put on a longer stems to compensate. This will affect your steering. Another option is to use butterfly bars. They offer multiple hand position but you can't really get into the drop position. Very comfortable option though.
Also I would stick with triple up front. Most tourers(myself included) feel they never have enough low gears for the biggest hills. My current gearing: front 52-48-28 and rear: 12-34. It can almost climb anything when loaded when I'm not spent.
Brakes/shifters: Since you are going to drops try barcons in friction mode. I love old Suntour style($25-40 on ebay) as they are indestructible. This is important when touring. Brakes are very strange. If memory serves, brake levers for drops don't always work with mnt bike style cantis. I try to keep each style within it's own style. I was able to use road levers on mustache bars but kept the original sidepull brakes.
Good luck, Charlie

[Terry Kelly]

Craig do you have any updates on how your build is going? I am considering doing a similiar project and you be interested in hearing how yours is progressing.

[Craig Savage]

^2-speed, drop bar MTB with DiaCompe & Paul Vs

My cross has campy, no issues with Paul cantis. have fun!

[Terry Kelly]

Looking Sweet!

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