Originally posted by photocles Gorgeous image!
I rode a steel Kawamura Nishiki International from 1986 to 2001. That bike was so forgiving on my body compared to the aluminum (mostly mountain) bikes that followed.
Or maybe it was just the age factor?
Thanks! I didn't realize until I was processing the picture that the whole scene matched the color scheme of my bike. A happy coincidence.
It amazes me how much the right frame can smooth out a ride, despite smaller tires. Those Nishikis were fine bikes. Lots of excellent Japanese bikes in that era.
I sold one more bike last week, my other Schwinn, a '74 Le Tour. I bought it five years ago because it was yellow ("Kool Lemon" according to the
catalog archive). It's really heavy by modern standards, the brakes didn't work at all if the chromed-steel wheels got wet, and the stem shifters and old-style brake levers with the cables sticking straight up annoyed me, but I got more comments and compliments about it than any other bike I've had. While I did enjoy riding it, bikes improved tremendously in the '80's.
I was surprised that the guy who bought it was around my age (both of us much younger than the bike). He was replacing a Motobecane from the same era that was in much worse condition.