Classic & Vintage - My lucky day! 1981 Miyata 1000

After not buying anything decent in months, I finally got to a bike off CL first this week. I'm sure any Austin people on this forum will recognize this. It appears to be an all original Miyata 1000 from 1981. I plan on keeping it to do some light touring on around the texas hill country. Only down side seems to be that it only has one water bottle cage.

Yesterday was especially lucky because a guy at work brought me a bike that he had sitting around his garage, I'll make a separate post for that one!
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/9338/dscn1914z.jpg
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http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6981/dscn1926e.jpg
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http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8688/dscn1922e.jpg
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2139/dscn1916h.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7530/dscn1917p.jpg
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1874/dscn1918v.jpg
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Great score! I saw that one yesterday- any day you can buy a Miyata 1000 for (that price) is a good day, IMO. If it were my size, you would have had to race me there! It looks all original, with the original front and rear racks.

Now you need to find the "restoring leather seats" thread, though that one may be too far gone.

Yes, sadly the seat is too far gone, here's a top down view if it, it's very sad. Luckily I have a cardiff saddle sitting around looking for a bike to live on.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3954/dscn1921c.jpg

Congrats! Like many on here I am always on the lookout for a nice touring bike.

As far as water bottle cages, look into one of those behind-the-saddle type that the triathletes use.

good find, its going to look great cleaned up.

Though I never tour, I really like the Miyata 1000 Gran Touring (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Feature_Bicycles/Feature_Bicycles_Japan/Miyata_1000_GrandTouring_Mine/MIYATA_1000_GT_1_Start.htm) for the wonderful bicycle that it was. Mine was a bit different than the OP's but both are pretty nice bicycles. Mine had three braze-on sets of water bottle mounts, as I recall. Look closely at the picture, one set on top of down tube, one set under down tube and one set on seat tube...
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Bicycles_Table/Japanese_Bicycles/Miyata_Bicycles/Miyata_1000_Touring/Miyata1000_Tour_FullTQFront1.jpg

Nice find and the OP will love the bicycle. They are very well made. I wish mine had had the head badge:-(

Yes, sadly the seat is too far gone, here's a top down view if it, it's very sad. Luckily I have a cardiff saddle sitting around looking for a bike to live on.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3954/dscn1921c.jpg

No way, dude. You can get $50 for that on ebay. Just make sure you put fixie and rivendell in the title.

Seriously, though, that bike is sweet. I'd probably switch to barcons and ditch the shorty fenders, but whatever, it's a nice one.

btw, who can tell me what the F and A stickers on the bb shell are about? I've seen those on other Miyatas.

btw, who can tell me what the F and A stickers on the bb shell are about? I've seen those on other Miyatas.

I've seen those stickers on Univega frames as well. Perhaps the frames made by Miyata.

At the risk of stirring up hornets, I'd like to ask a question. I preface it by saying that I am a Miyata fan. I have a 1988 312 and a 1984 710 (that is the subject of a recently active thread).

My question is "What is so special about Miyata 1000's?" I know that Sheldon Brown has praised them highly but what is it about them that makes them better than this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220824905687?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1537wt_1396

I recently "won" this Nashbar Toure MT. I understand it was made by Maruishi for Nashbar. I know that the Suntour Mountech rear derailler has a bad reputation but mine works fine. I have ridden the bike about 50 miles and I am very happy with it.

The Nashbar seems to be very comparable to the Miyata in most respects. Double butted frame, similar drive train and brakes, etc.

I'm not trying to be contentious. I'm certainly not intending any criticism of the model 1000 in this thread. I'm just curious.

At the risk of stirring up hornets, I'd like to ask a question. I preface it by saying that I am a Miyata fan. I have a 1988 312 and a 1984 710 (that is the subject of a recently active thread).

My question is "What is so special about Miyata 1000's?" I know that Sheldon Brown has praised them highly but what is it about them that makes them better than this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220824905687?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1537wt_1396

I recently "won" this Nashbar Toure MT. I understand it was made by Maruishi for Nashbar. I know that the Suntour Mountech rear derailler has a bad reputation but mine works fine. I have ridden the bike about 50 miles and I am very happy with it.

The Nashbar seems to be very comparable to the Miyata in most respects. Double butted frame, similar drive train and brakes, etc.

I'm not trying to be contentious. I'm certainly not intending any criticism of the model 1000 in this thread. I'm just curious.

I don't know the answer, but your Nashbar looks nice. What kind of tubing is the frame made from?

The material is Cro-moly steel. I'm not sure if the stays are butted but the frame is.

Here is a link that describes an almost identical bike.

http://backroom.hardsdisk.net/nashbartoure.html

The Miyata 1000 was made with triple butted, splined tubing that was made in house at Miyata - no one else made the same bike. The argument goes back and forth between the M1000 and Columbus tubed Schwinn Voys as to which is stiffer / more stable / and over a nicer ride.

My vote goes to the 1983-85 Lotus Odyssey. Columbus SL or SP tubing, full braze-ons, factory front and rear racks, chrome fork ends, chrome seat and chain stays. Components similar to the Miyata otherwise. 1986-87 models used Tange Infinity tubing and were very well equipped.

So that's where that bike went...

rhm is looking for old worn out leather saddles to experiment with.

Cool, I'll pm rhm about the saddle, he can have it for the shipping.

I'm thinking of putting a set of the tpr RRL SR (http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1091&catid=183) brakes on it, I've been dying to find the right bike to use them on.

My vote goes to the 1983-85 Lotus Odyssey. Columbus SL or SP tubing, full braze-ons, factory front and rear racks, chrome fork ends, chrome seat and chain stays. Components similar to the Miyata otherwise. 1986-87 models used Tange Infinity tubing and were very well equipped.

this.

it was a great frame and fully decked out with all the extras. however, i don't believe the OP's bike was triple-butted. i think that came a little later, along with fork eyelets, extra bottle mounts, spoke holder, etc etc etc.

a 1987+ 1000 would probably be ideal (i have a 1982).

I'll stick with my Fuji Touring Series V, which BTW Sheldon likes as well. (cable loops have since been rectified...) You have have the Miyata 1000, LOL :)

http://home.comcast.net/~khatfull/images/tsv/tsvmods.jpg

Slightly previous incarnation, but with all bags.

http://home.comcast.net/~khatfull/images/tsv/tsvallbags.jpg

That bike looks like a time capsule!

The Ideale Saddle:
Soak it in some water.
Wrap some twine or rope/cord around it until the skirts reshape (point down)
Wrap the whole thing in a plastic bag
Set it aside for a couple days
it will be fine

Yes, sadly the seat is too far gone, here's a top down view if it, it's very sad. Luckily I have a cardiff saddle sitting around looking for a bike to live on.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3954/dscn1921c.jpg

What do folks think of the Cardiff saddles? I am curious (but not yellow).

Another great vintage Japanese built touring bike was the 1983,84 and perhaps there was a 1985 model Specialized Expedition. There is a yahoo group that discusses these
great touring bikes.

What do folks think of the Cardiff saddles? I am curious (but not yellow).

This is a little off the mark because I don't have any experience with the Cardiff saddles but I do have experience with VO saddles. I understand that the Cardiff and VO saddles are made by the same company and the Cornwall looks very similar to my VO Model 3. I also have a VO Model 8 with springs. I have four other bikes with Brooks B17 saddles in various stages of breakin.

That said, take it for what it's worth, but I would not buy a Cardiff unless you can inspect it and satisfy yourself that my reservations don't hold. First, my Model 3 has the rails attached to the support in the back by a butt weld and not by a secure mechanical connection like Brooks uses. This weld has broken on one rail and I had to have it rewelded. Second, the VO saddle is not as comfortable as the B17. Every B17 I have was more comfortable out of the box than the Model 3 after hundreds of miles. I attribute this to the lining that the VO saddles have bonded to the underside of the leather. I'm not sure what the intent of this lining is but it seems to stiffen the saddle. And third, the Brooks saddles have a smooth slick surface that I prefer over the VO's rough surface.

In summary, the VO Model 3 is not a terrible saddle (or I would not still be riding it) but I would not buy one over a Brooks B17 just to save a few bucks or to be different. The VO looks fine but otherwise "not so much". The VO Model 8 is similar to the Model 3 regarding the sit surface.

Another great vintage Japanese built touring bike was the 1983,84 and perhaps there was a 1985 model Specialized Expedition. There is a yahoo group that discusses these
great touring bikes.

Yep, the Specialized Expeditions of those years were exactly the same as the Miyata 1000, aside from a hole for the generator wire. They were made in the Miyata factory of Miyata tubing, had the same components and geometry and were pretty much indistinguishable.

[QUOTE=khatfull;13166638]I'll stick with my Fuji Touring Series V, which BTW Sheldon likes as well. (cable loops have since been rectified...) You have have the Miyata 1000, LOL :)


Slightly previous incarnation, but with all bags.

Sweet Vintage Touring Bike!!!

Well, I finally finished version 1 of this build. Eventually I want to buy a Brooks B17 special in Honey, and switch the bar tape over to brown. For now though it gets the knock off brooks saddle because I already own it, and black tape.

The details: First, it got thoroughly cleaned of course. I was surprised to see how easily everything came apart, the OO used plenty of grease on the post and stem so it came right apart even though it had probably been in a barn for 20 years. I switched it over to Suntour barcon shifters, used with a down tube cable stop from the co-op. I had planned on silver braided housings, but found that I had exactly enough gold housing in my garage, and it's not terribly ugly given the gold Miyata label and gold lug accent striping. My big expense on the build was the TRP RRL levers which I rather like. I think they will look better when I switch over to brown seat/tape but they are nice. I was worried about the flair out of the levers on a rando bar but its not too bad. Tires are Pasela tourguards in 1 1/4, not many options in a skin wall 27" tire. Stem switched to a Nitto Technomic for height. Finished off with a crappy bell, my favorite flick stand, and a few rack cords.

Besides eventually switching it over to brown accents, I have a 7 speed free wheel I plan to put on it, and install one or two more water bottle cages (using tube clamps I suppose) and a frame pump.

Here are a few shots taken with my cell phone, hopefully I can get some better ones taken soon.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/7721/img20111021120350.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4711/img20111021120412.jpg
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/3316/img20111021120526.jpg

Nice job! Although I could do without those brake levers.

Yes, the levers might be a bit much. I like them, and they looked great on paper, and in small pictures on the web. They feel great in the hand, but they look a little over the top..... and large. I think they will not stand out as much when I switch to brown tape.

This is a little off the mark because I don't have any experience with the Cardiff saddles but I do have experience with VO saddles. I understand that the Cardiff and VO saddles are made by the same company and the Cornwall looks very similar to my VO Model 3. I also have a VO Model 8 with springs. I have four other bikes with Brooks B17 saddles in various stages of breakin.

That said, take it for what it's worth, but I would not buy a Cardiff unless you can inspect it and satisfy yourself that my reservations don't hold. First, my Model 3 has the rails attached to the support in the back by a butt weld and not by a secure mechanical connection like Brooks uses. This weld has broken on one rail and I had to have it rewelded. Second, the VO saddle is not as comfortable as the B17. Every B17 I have was more comfortable out of the box than the Model 3 after hundreds of miles. I attribute this to the lining that the VO saddles have bonded to the underside of the leather. I'm not sure what the intent of this lining is but it seems to stiffen the saddle. And third, the Brooks saddles have a smooth slick surface that I prefer over the VO's rough surface.

In summary, the VO Model 3 is not a terrible saddle (or I would not still be riding it) but I would not buy one over a Brooks B17 just to save a few bucks or to be different. The VO looks fine but otherwise "not so much". The VO Model 8 is similar to the Model 3 regarding the sit surface.

This is an update regarding my criticism of the weak design of the VO Model 3 saddle in which the aft rail weld broke. VO has redesigned the joint to strengthen it. I know this because the re-welded joint broke again and I contacted VO to see if I could get a warranty replacement. Even though the saddle was supposedly out of warranty according to their web site, they sent me a new saddle. Here are the comments that I sent VO after I received the replacement saddle:

Wow! I'm impressed!!

I just received the replacement Model 3 Touring saddle that you sent because the aft rail weld had broken on my old one.

1. You did a warranty replacement even though your web site says your warranty is for one year on defective parts. My saddle was bought in 2009.

2. You sent the new saddle by priority mail so it got here quick.

3. The new saddle has a new design for the weld joint that combines a mechanical connection with a weld similar to how Brooks does their B17. Your design now looks even more robust than the Brooks.

4. The new saddle came in a nice drawstring bag. This is a little "over the top" perhaps but impressive nonetheless. My only regret is that the bag did not also contain a small bottle of Scotch.

Thank you for your excellent service. I plan to remain a faithful VO customer.