Classic & Vintage - What have I got here?

I bought this Miyata 912 off CL yesterday. The price was good, but I really don't know much about it. I found a 1984 catalog on line and apparently Miyata made their own double butted tubing. How does it compare to all the other stuff out there? It seems to be fairly nicely equipped. The wheels don't match, but I am OK with that. I think the only thing I will change is the bar tape, hoods and the freakishly long quill. Any thoughts?

That's a beaut! 912's are wonderful bikes, and yours looks to be in great condition.

That will be a very fun bike to ride.

Very nice bike. Too bad it has a Superbe Pro RD and 3t quill. PM me if you want to get rid of them.

Very nice bike. Too bad it has a Superbe Pro RD and 3t quill. PM me if you want to get rid of them.

I was thinking about that RD tooo and the cool shifters. is there a close up? what are they Suntour?

great looking bike.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=179082&d=1290199856

Very nice. That used to belong to a really lanky dude from the looks of it.

Very nice bike. Too bad it has a Superbe Pro RD and 3t quill. PM me if you want to get rid of them.
:lol::D

I just took this bike for a quick spin around the block. It rides and shifts very smoothly, epecially for a bike that has been sitting in a shed in the mountains for the last 20 years! I think the guy that used to own it was 6 feet tall. Near as I can tell, he had 2 foot long legs and a four foot long torso with arms that went down to his knees.:lol:

Great find! I really love that color combination. While I haven't had the pleasure of owning a Miyata myself, many hold them in high regard. That bike is deserving of a good cleaning and regreasing, enjoy!

Shifters are Shimano 600s. Here's a couple of pics. Any opinions on the rear wheel? Front and rear hubs are Shimano 600.

40 spoke rear wheel... bomb-proof.

Miyata were arguably the best of the mass production, Japanese manufacturers. The bicycles were very well designed and manufactured, and were excellent value at all price points. Unless it has been abused or just worn out, they are hard to fault.

The fact that Miyata operated their own tubing mill illustrates their extreme commitment to producing the best bicycle possible. It allowed them to maintain tigther control on the quality of the tubing and more importantly, it allowed the designers to make small variations to the to the tube's specifications in order to achieve the exact ride characteristics they envisioned. For this reason, many knowledgeable cyclists believe Miyata tubesets are superior to the standard tubests offered by other companies, where the bicycle designer was forced to design around a standard tubeset, unless his company was willing to pay for a custom drawn tubing.

Miyata was also the first of the Japanese manufacturers to sponsor a European based professional team, in order to test their designs in the toughest environment possible. As a result, Miyata tend to be incredibly rugged and reliable bicycles, though they are often slightly heavier than the competition.

Congratulations on your new acquisition. Enjoy.