Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Miyata 610

I looked through the scanned catalogs and wasn't sure what year it might be. Being an 18 speed it appears it would be 84-86 although the color doesn't seem to match to the catalog. Anyways, I was just wondering if $220 would seem to be a fair price or does that seem high. Thanks.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/bik/1081929935.html

I looked through the scanned catalogs and wasn't sure what year it might be. Being an 18 speed it appears it would be 84-86 although the color doesn't seem to match to the catalog. Anyways, I was just wondering if $220 would seem to be a fair price or does that seem high. Thanks.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/bik/1081929935.html

I guess his mailbox wasn't as full as his penpal thought. The Miyata 610's became much better in the mid 80's. This may be an '81. I don't know if they were manufactured earlier. However, this version is not exactly a full-on tourer, let alone one of the best tourers of all time. It's hardly worth $500. It doesn't have cantilever brakes, a standard feature of loaded tourers. It only has one set of bosses for a water bottle. It only has one set of fender eyelets fore and aft. The chainstays are only 43cm (which some loaded tourers had, but which isn't ideal for large rear panniers). The fork is high tensile, which drops the frameset down a rung.

So, no, I don't think it's worth $220, and especially not if you plan a loaded tour on it. It could make a decent rider, but I wouldn't pay more than $100-$150 for it if it's in excellent condition. And that's if I really wanted it. However, if you're in a hot market, you may not have much of a choice on price.

Here's a catalog scan for the '81 610, and you can browse the rest of the site for other years:

http://www.miyatacatalogs.com/2007/12/miyata-catalog-1981.html

I sold an '81 610 last year for $240 in a matter of a few days. It was great shape with new tires. I think $220 is on the high side, but not really too high.

610s routinely go for well over $300. A good deal IMHO if it fits.

Condition, condition, condition.
If in good condition, it would bring $250 here, easy.
Miyata fans are dedicated, and a Sugino triple is hot in the spring....

I sold an '81 610 last year for $240 in a matter of a few days. It was great shape with new tires. I think $220 is on the high side, but not really too high.

That's nuts.

610s routinely go for well over $300. A good deal IMHO if it fits.

That's more nuts, unless they are the later 80's models.

Condition, condition, condition.
If in good condition, it would bring $250 here, easy.
Miyata fans are dedicated, and a Sugino triple is hot in the spring....

Don't even get me started. Irrational fools.

I recently listed a '90 Fuji Saratoga in pristine shape - a REAL touring machine - for $275, and I've only had a few inquiries.

Miyata schmiyata.

My point is, I think you can get a better value for $220, but then I don't know your market. Avoid Miyatas, perhaps.

+1 People love Miyatas.

Is an old 610 a good value at $300? Maybe not, but people are paying that for them around here (note, this price is for a clean one, in ready to ride condition).

I'm supposed to get a Miyata 610 frame/fork that has a cantilever brake setup and is in pretty decent condition. I'm giving either $30 for it, or a set of aero brake levers if he wants them. I've got about $200 worth of stuff to put on it. I found some good bargains on shimano parts on ebay, plus I got a few pieces off of some of my parts bikes. The most expensive part was a set of 700c Mavic wheels with shimano xt hubs for $110. That makes it about $230 invested plus time, but it will be ready for touring once I get some racks/panniers and put it all together.

So basically you can build your own nice Miyata for that same price(if you do careful shopping), and it will be built EXACTLY how you want it. If you don't have time/patience for building your own, then that's a different story. It's going to end up taking me over a month to get mine finished, but I won't be going anywhere for a couple months.