Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Miyata 1400 frame I'll never use....

I traded a $20 garage sale find for a really nice big Norco Magnum with a 23-inch fame (YES !!!) and a Norco Cape Cod tandem (Hmmmmm) recently and the guy with the Norcos threw in what was left of an old stripped Miyata for free to sweeten the deal, as if I needed it.

I flipped the Tandem.

The old Miyata is a blue 1400 model from the 1980s with a 21-inch frame - and just about everything nice on the bike was already gone. The 1400 frame, however, is actually very nice but too small for me.

Is there any interest in this ?? I suspect that it was a really nice bike at one time... I am in Southern Ontario and would not be adverse to a quid pro quo if I could find someone (or vice versa) who could actually use it.

See the pictures:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/Miyata_3871.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/Miyata_3872.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/Miyata_3873.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/Miyata_3874.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/Miyata_3875.JPG

Damn, that's a sharp looking frame I can't imagine Miyata was using splined tubing + internal routing on anything low end . I'm sure you'll find someone in the TO area willing to trade / purchase it from you.

quote from wikipedia


"Miyata 1400: A high-end road bike sold only as a 1989 model with Shimano 600 components. It was higher-end than the 914 that was sold in the same year. Unlike the aluminum 1400A, the 1400 used Miyata's CrMo triple-butted construction."

I'm sure the Miyata experts will chime in but if that frame was my size and I wanted it I'd pay over 100 without wheels.

That's a 1989 model with the full splined triple butted tubest. It's a great tubeset and Miyata was a very good manufacturer. It's really underdressed at present and deserves something along the lines of Ultegra. The frame alone should bring $125-$150 in the TO area.

The shifter, chain, and rear brake calipers are missing. With a good overhaul, new tires, cables, and brake pads I could get about $150 in my market. Having the work done would cost that much so the only profitable way to overhaul the bike is to do it yourself.

As is, in my market, someone looking for a restoration project or looking to create a fixie would pay about $75.

The shifter, chain, and rear brake calipers are missing. With a good overhaul, new tires, cables, and brake pads I could get about $150 in my market.

Are those the only bits missing?

I have to believe that this bike overhauled, tuned-up and completed will get double that $150 on ebay. It a top-of-the-line model, and they don't come up everyday.

I own a 1400A, (aluminum) so I'm not sure you can compare the two, but mine is a joy to ride. Quick, very light and responsive and the ride is really rather nice too. A great bike IMHO....

Just checked out e-bay, and there is a 1400, same year, same color, same components in VGC and the seller is asking $400 BIN or Best Offer. We'll see if he gets that, but this bike is worth at least $300-350. I paid $340 for my 1400A, all-original Shimano 105 in VGC...

It might well be worth the OP's time and alittle bit of money to put this baby back together and flip it for a very tidy profit...

Just checked out e-bay, and there is a 1400, same year, same color, same components in VGC and the seller is asking $400 BIN or Best Offer. We'll see if he gets that, but this bike is worth at least $300-350. I paid $340 for my 1400A, all-original Shimano 105 in VGC...

It might well be worth the OP's time and alittle bit of money to put this baby back together and flip it for a very tidy profit...

The ebay bicycle, while being the same frame, does not have the same components. The ebay bicycle has the original Ultegra components, this one has much lower level and appears to have been orignally stripped then built back up with whatever was on hand. The rear derailleur is a cheap vertical parallelogram model, the crankset is swaged, the bars are steel, the levers have safety extensions, etc. The components them selves add minimal value, maybe $25-$50, so this would go for $150-$200, as is.

The ebay bicycle, while being the same frame, does not have the same components. The ebay bicycle has the original Ultegra components, this one has much lower level and appears to have been orignally stripped then built back up with whatever was on hand. The rear derailleur is a cheap vertical parallelogram model, the crankset is swaged, the bars are steel, the levers have safety extensions, etc. The components them selves add minimal value, maybe $25-$50, so this would go for $150-$200, as is.

Yeah, my mistake. I don't know why I thought both bikes had the same components. This frame would make a real nice project though.

Quick question if I may - how do you differentiate between Shimano 600 and Ultegra components? I believe the 600 is the forerunner of the Ultegra, but are they the same or is their a difference?

Quick question if I may - how do you differentiate between Shimano 600 and Ultegra components? I believe the 600 is the forerunner of the Ultegra, but are they the same or is their a difference?

Shimano 600 became Shimano 600 Ultegra in the late 80s, then eventually in the mid 90s the '600' was dropped and it just became Ultegra. There's quite bit of overlap so in my mind 600 and Ultegra are the same thing, although obviously 600 from the early 80s is not the same as a 2011 Ultegra group.

Shimano 600 became Shimano 600 Ultegra in the late 80s, then eventually in the mid 90s the '600' was dropped and it just became Ultegra. There's quite bit of overlap so in my mind 600 and Ultegra are the same thing, although obviously 600 from the early 80s is not the same as a 2011 Ultegra group.

Thanks for the info Jake!

Guys:

Thanks a bunch for the information & advice. I am close enough to the Toronto market that it might attract a buyer if I flog it there for $50. I have no intentions of putting the time and effort into building this frame into a rideable bike but perhaps some Miyata enthusiast will pick it up to have as a project. I'll strip the crummy wheels & seat off it to make it easy to mail and I'll post it on Craigslist, Kijiji (or eBay) and see if I can unload the frame to someone who knows its potential. Too bad its so small.

I already have a much bigger Miyata that I use around town, one of the Miyata Elevation bikes, and it is the veritable felines fundament for shopping & doing short hops on. I have other bikes, lots of them, but the Elevation is such a delight in town & virtually theft-proof, unlike my other stuff.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/Miyata_3883.JPG

Thanks again.

Mike

OR, trade or sell it in the vintage forum here. People are always looking for high end miyata frames.