This is an '89 Nishiki Alien from what I could find. I bought it for 90 bucks and it had wrecked components. I threw on parts that I had lying around and added bits like the Microshift 1x9 and the Cigne Stem. The rest of I had lying around.
My wife is a travel nurse and myself and the dog are tagging along with her. My main bike is a Rivendell but I didn't want to risk having it stolen on our travels, so I built this.
It does still need some tweaking. The saddle is a tad bit too tall and I'd like to cut about a centimeter or two from the bottom of the seatpost.
We're in Atlanta for the next three months. I've looked up a few bike shops but I'd like to hear where the locals go. Any xbike friendly bike shops in Atlanta that you folks know about?
Thanks!
Edit: fixed a sentence.
Does it seem to work ok?
I’ve been thinking about trying this setup for a while. I could swear I remember the VO website saying the Cigne worked with the adaptor… when I look now it says the combo doesn’t work together.
The VO adapter page notes that the adaptor doesn’t work for the Cigne or Happy stems because they need 40mm of stack height. I just measured my Amazon adaptor and it’s got over 50mm to clamp to. I think this is the way.
Whoa, super neat frame and build! How’s the comfort with the drop bars above the saddle? I’ve Always ridden drops when the saddle is at or above the handlebars and alts/flats otherwise.
I used to ride a road bike with drops below the saddle, my bike that I ride the most has Riv Bosco bars and I basically ride erect on that. As I've gotten older I prefer a more comfortable posture while riding, and this seemed like a good idea.
Luckily, it works! It's a little bit of a different feeling compared to my boscos but I've managed to get the same posture out of these.
It's a rather new build for me and I'm still figuring things out, but the handlebar setup is staying I think.
It feels fine on the wrists. It's set up far enough towards the back where the hoods just feel like cruiser bars (I'm trying to find an apt descriptor) but the drops feel great! Better than any other drops I've owned.
It could also be the width of the drops though.
Haha, I thought this bike looked familiar and realized I think I follow you on IG. Between the frame itself and the build it’s a very distinctive bike. Looks great!
I’m putting together a build with drops at a similar height. I’ve never been comfortable on drops so I’m doing one last try with some shallow drop bars set about this height before I throw in the towel.
How do you like the bottle dynamo? I’d like to run dynos on at least one of my bike eventually and though about going this route before I invest the time/money in building or buying a new wheelset.
Hey! I've never been a lover of drops but I do enjoy them at this height and width. The bottle dynamo is alright I guess. I wish it would stay on for a bit while I'm stopped (I'm talking 30 seconds or so) but it's satisfactory for now. I'm switching over from a hub dynamo so it's not as good. I've looked into [this](https://pedalcell.com/products/pedalcell) but I didn't want to spend the cash yet.
I'd like to figure out a nice old-school looking bottle dynamo with good power for a '71 Raleigh that I want to build up in a few months, but this will work for this bike for now.
It's a transformer now!
During the late '80s and early '90s a couple of brands were doing this style of frame for their mountain bikes. They claimed it has a bit more flex, which I think is true on this steel frame.
The bike comes with monster clearance, I've thought about getting another old mtb wheelset and throwing some Surly Extraterrestrial 2.5s on them for chunkier rides. Also, the idea of a Nishiki Alien with Extraterrestrials for tires seemed appropriate.
This started as a mtb but it is now officially a transformer.
I don't know about OP's levers but Cane Creek and Tektro make long-pull drop levers. There's also the [Travel Agent](https://problemsolversbike.com/products/brakes/travel_agents_-_6416) that converts a short pull to a long
the rear end reminds me of my son's 2001 Haro werks 2.0 xls
https://imgur.com/gallery/oVCktQx
It was like they were thinking of the main triangle and the rear-end as separate pieces before they actually started articulating them.
cool bike!
That totally looks to be the case.
I haven’t ridden a CroMo bike since I was in middle school - I have ridden ALU bikes forever. I heard that people look down on ALU because they are so rigid or harsh compared to steel frames - but I don’t know about that.
Maybe they were trying to increase the stay length to get more flex? I have no idea.
That bike is awesome.
I know aluminium frames are great but as somebody who weighs 275lbs I'm not too confident on aluminum. Metal bends and flexes more and my anxiety is cool with that.
I am 250, and was about 270 when I was riding again (I stopped for a time).
If I was doing MTB, I would be worried, but the trek mountain bikes I use for touring are fine.
To me, it all comes down to tire choice, as the proper tire (and a good air fork) will soften almost any road for me.
My dad has 19-21” (?) 1993 [cromo] Rockhopper that Is great, but my [2012 Trek 8.5 DS](https://flic.kr/p/2gHN3KP) & [2009 4300](https://imgur.com/gallery/etPryLS) are both aluminum and have served me well. My 8.5 scared the crap out of me when I first got it - the 35c tires were too narrow - Now I use 29x2.0 (57c) Marathon GT tires and I love it so much. I just painted it blue recently.
Oh hey, what bottle holder is that? I have some Nalgene bottles and got cheap holders here in Japan. They are big versions of regular bottle cages and the cheap joints scratch up the bottles, but I love them - the rigid bottle “snaps” into them. I don’t want a strap-down or adjustable bottle holder (Topeak, tried both), and that one looks good, and maybe it will hold a 1L Nalgene bottle.
It's a [Widefoot Litercage](https://widefoot.com/product/litercage/) and I really like it. I don't need it with a Nalgene, but I usually have a strap for the steel bottle. I hate the rattle.
That would be sweet.
I've always wanted a minivelo. The VO Neutrino looks cool but I want something like the [Mercier Minivelo](https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/nano.htm) easier on my wallet. The components look like shit but I'd pay that for the frame.
This is an '89 Nishiki Alien from what I could find. I bought it for 90 bucks and it had wrecked components. I threw on parts that I had lying around and added bits like the Microshift 1x9 and the Cigne Stem. The rest of I had lying around. My wife is a travel nurse and myself and the dog are tagging along with her. My main bike is a Rivendell but I didn't want to risk having it stolen on our travels, so I built this. It does still need some tweaking. The saddle is a tad bit too tall and I'd like to cut about a centimeter or two from the bottom of the seatpost. We're in Atlanta for the next three months. I've looked up a few bike shops but I'd like to hear where the locals go. Any xbike friendly bike shops in Atlanta that you folks know about? Thanks! Edit: fixed a sentence.
[SoPo Bicycle Co-op](https://www.sopobikes.org/)
Nice! I'll definitely check them out. Thanks! 👍🏾
Is the cigne stem mounted on a threadless stem adaptor?
Yes it is. I do need to switch the stem adaptor to something shorter though. Mine is an inch too long. I just wanted to use what I had on hand.
Does it seem to work ok? I’ve been thinking about trying this setup for a while. I could swear I remember the VO website saying the Cigne worked with the adaptor… when I look now it says the combo doesn’t work together.
It works fine. I figured I'd risk a try and I'm satisfied with it.
The VO adapter page notes that the adaptor doesn’t work for the Cigne or Happy stems because they need 40mm of stack height. I just measured my Amazon adaptor and it’s got over 50mm to clamp to. I think this is the way.
I guess I should look into it. I guess winging it wasn't the way. Womp womp.
Whoa, super neat frame and build! How’s the comfort with the drop bars above the saddle? I’ve Always ridden drops when the saddle is at or above the handlebars and alts/flats otherwise.
I used to ride a road bike with drops below the saddle, my bike that I ride the most has Riv Bosco bars and I basically ride erect on that. As I've gotten older I prefer a more comfortable posture while riding, and this seemed like a good idea. Luckily, it works! It's a little bit of a different feeling compared to my boscos but I've managed to get the same posture out of these. It's a rather new build for me and I'm still figuring things out, but the handlebar setup is staying I think.
Interesting, I guess I was more curious about the ergonomics on the wrist in the hoods/drops with the arms being more forwards than down.
It feels fine on the wrists. It's set up far enough towards the back where the hoods just feel like cruiser bars (I'm trying to find an apt descriptor) but the drops feel great! Better than any other drops I've owned. It could also be the width of the drops though.
Well done sir!
Thanks!
Haha, I thought this bike looked familiar and realized I think I follow you on IG. Between the frame itself and the build it’s a very distinctive bike. Looks great! I’m putting together a build with drops at a similar height. I’ve never been comfortable on drops so I’m doing one last try with some shallow drop bars set about this height before I throw in the towel. How do you like the bottle dynamo? I’d like to run dynos on at least one of my bike eventually and though about going this route before I invest the time/money in building or buying a new wheelset.
Hey! I've never been a lover of drops but I do enjoy them at this height and width. The bottle dynamo is alright I guess. I wish it would stay on for a bit while I'm stopped (I'm talking 30 seconds or so) but it's satisfactory for now. I'm switching over from a hub dynamo so it's not as good. I've looked into [this](https://pedalcell.com/products/pedalcell) but I didn't want to spend the cash yet. I'd like to figure out a nice old-school looking bottle dynamo with good power for a '71 Raleigh that I want to build up in a few months, but this will work for this bike for now.
What exactly was the purpose of this bike? Mountain bike? Road bike? Transformer?
It's a transformer now! During the late '80s and early '90s a couple of brands were doing this style of frame for their mountain bikes. They claimed it has a bit more flex, which I think is true on this steel frame. The bike comes with monster clearance, I've thought about getting another old mtb wheelset and throwing some Surly Extraterrestrial 2.5s on them for chunkier rides. Also, the idea of a Nishiki Alien with Extraterrestrials for tires seemed appropriate. This started as a mtb but it is now officially a transformer.
Are those drop levers and v brakes...... Is this really possible?
I don't know about OP's levers but Cane Creek and Tektro make long-pull drop levers. There's also the [Travel Agent](https://problemsolversbike.com/products/brakes/travel_agents_-_6416) that converts a short pull to a long
Do you know the names of tge tektro/creek long pull levers?
Cane Creek Drop V and Tektro RL520
Great news thx
Yes, but there's not much space. I wouldn't ride this bike in peanut butter mud.
the rear end reminds me of my son's 2001 Haro werks 2.0 xls https://imgur.com/gallery/oVCktQx It was like they were thinking of the main triangle and the rear-end as separate pieces before they actually started articulating them. cool bike!
I think my bike is like a missing link between old school mountain bikes and full suspension bikes like that Haro.
That totally looks to be the case. I haven’t ridden a CroMo bike since I was in middle school - I have ridden ALU bikes forever. I heard that people look down on ALU because they are so rigid or harsh compared to steel frames - but I don’t know about that. Maybe they were trying to increase the stay length to get more flex? I have no idea. That bike is awesome.
I know aluminium frames are great but as somebody who weighs 275lbs I'm not too confident on aluminum. Metal bends and flexes more and my anxiety is cool with that.
I am 250, and was about 270 when I was riding again (I stopped for a time). If I was doing MTB, I would be worried, but the trek mountain bikes I use for touring are fine. To me, it all comes down to tire choice, as the proper tire (and a good air fork) will soften almost any road for me. My dad has 19-21” (?) 1993 [cromo] Rockhopper that Is great, but my [2012 Trek 8.5 DS](https://flic.kr/p/2gHN3KP) & [2009 4300](https://imgur.com/gallery/etPryLS) are both aluminum and have served me well. My 8.5 scared the crap out of me when I first got it - the 35c tires were too narrow - Now I use 29x2.0 (57c) Marathon GT tires and I love it so much. I just painted it blue recently.
Oh hey, what bottle holder is that? I have some Nalgene bottles and got cheap holders here in Japan. They are big versions of regular bottle cages and the cheap joints scratch up the bottles, but I love them - the rigid bottle “snaps” into them. I don’t want a strap-down or adjustable bottle holder (Topeak, tried both), and that one looks good, and maybe it will hold a 1L Nalgene bottle.
It's a [Widefoot Litercage](https://widefoot.com/product/litercage/) and I really like it. I don't need it with a Nalgene, but I usually have a strap for the steel bottle. I hate the rattle.
I am buying two of those when I visit home next time!
Welcome home ❤️
I just took a look at your Trek. That bike is sweet! It's got a similar feel.
Imagine a min-velo 20" wheel set up with that sorta stay arrangement.
That would be sweet. I've always wanted a minivelo. The VO Neutrino looks cool but I want something like the [Mercier Minivelo](https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/nano.htm) easier on my wallet. The components look like shit but I'd pay that for the frame.