Newbie and fixin' up a Mixte

[DesertBloom]

Hi, all. Can't tell you how pleased I am to find a forum with ladies who cycle. I completed a sprint tri three years back and wish I had known about this forum then!

Now...I've got a 1981 Nishiki custom sport mixte that I've been meaning to get tuned up/replace components. I've got a couple questions for those of you 'in the know'...

First, I am 5'8" and a 57 cm fits me well. The Nishiki is 54 cm, thought the TT is 21 1/2" (close to what feels good to me).

Anyone else able to ride a bike with a smaller frame size and have it work out okay? {hoping} I am thinking maybe I can have the guy at my LBS adjust the seat and get the bars up and that could make it work.

Also, for those of you who have done this, how much money could this cost, low to high? The drops on it are fine, but needs a new saddle, don't know about the brakes or anything else.

Thanks in advance

[sarahspins]

My mixte (also a nishiki) is probably "too small" going by the frame size... the seat tube measures at something like 45cm, but the effective top tube comes out to around 54cm, so it's not much shorter than yours - personally I wonder if the geometry isn't pretty similar on most of these, with "smaller" frames just having the seat stay mounted lower, shortening the seat tube. I did have to buy a longer seat post to make up for the short seat tube... the one the bike came with was only 180mm!

I didn't have to replace any of the drivetrain components on mine (yet).. it's a 10 speed and everything looks/shifts fine, neither the freewheel or chainrings show any significant signs of wear for a 25 year old bike. I do want some lower gearing though.. it's fine to ride as is, but when pulling a trailer I wish I had more. The brakes look fine, it was sold to me with new brake pads (and recently trued wheels) so I left that alone. I still need to get new tires for it but I can't decide what I want.



What I did to mine:

• New bars (and tape)
• Aero brake levers
• Cross brake levers
• new cables/housings
• New seatpost
• New saddle
• Pedals (egg beaters)
• Rack

I spent just over $200 fixing mine up, but I put a Brooks on it and spent a little more on some things (like my chrome cable housings) than I could have simply because I was picky about what I wanted. I probably could have done everything for well under $100 if I had been thrifty.

There are lots of "vintage" components on ebay if you aren't looking to replace any of the drivetrain with modern parts... a lot of them are really inexpensive. If you have any local bike swaps that may also be a source for parts cheap/free/for trade.

[DesertBloom]

Thanks, sarahspins, for the quick reply! Your bike and mine could be twins (same color, too), except that the paint on mine is chipped a bit more than yours looked in the photo. I felt happy to see your bike in the pic. Warmed ma heart

May I ask how tall you are/your inseam?
What you wrote about the seat post height makes sense. I'll keep that in mind.
Also, I appreciate you writing about what components you replaced and what you paid. Keeping that in mind when I call the shop.

[sarahspins]

May I ask how tall you are/your inseam

My inseam is about 30.5" and I'm about 5'6" or so depending on who's measuring.

My Trek 7.2fx has a similar length top tube and seat tube as my Nishiki (but a more aggressive seat angle)... my Trek is a 17.5", which is 44.5cm.

I fit on each differently.. the Nishiki has a really relaxed seat angle (I measured once and it was about 70˚) and the frame itself is lower to the ground.

I finally mounted my basket and replaced my tires today.. since my DH bought me new ones after lunch when we picked up my new to me roadie, so now I'm basically "done" with fixing up my Mixte The poor thing still had the original Nishiki tires on it - they needed to go!

Also, I've done all of my own wrenching on the Nishiki.. nothing about these old bikes is all that complicated (even adjusting the derailleurs.. since it's all friction it's really hard to mess it up), so don't be afraid to get in there and get dirty. You don't need much in the way of tools either.. 99% of what you need are 8mm and 10mm wrenches, and then a set of metric hex keys, and maybe a phillips screwdriver and maybe an adjustable wrench.

Of course I haven't really gotten into anything complicated.. otherwise you'd need a few special tools, but it's still nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle on your own.

Oh, and my bike is plenty scratched up! I bought some Honda touch up paint in a color that is "darn close" to my bike's original color... from about 5' away you can't see it, but up close you can

[DesertBloom]

I am 5'8", so hopefully with a new seat post it will work out. We'll see!

Yeah, I am so not mechanical (yet); you inspire me! I think if I had someone show me how to do a few simple things with tools and a bike I wouldn't feel so intimidated. My Dad has a LHT and wants me to ride with him, so I may get a chance to have him show me how to do some basic stuff.

Have fun riding your Mixte!

[sarahspins]

Make sure you get the right size seat post.. I know my Nishiki was an odd size (26.6mm) so I couldn't just walk into a LBS and buy one. I ordered mine from Niagara Cycle since they had a few other things I wanted to order too so paying shipping didn't sting as much.

The park tools website has all kinds of little how-to tutorials http://www.parktool.com/

I also have the repair book that Bicycling magazine put out.. it's been handy and I bought it from someone right here on TE