bennie222

I found a few Miyata bikes for sale at a thrift shop. Let me know what you guys think of these deals:

1) My favorite appears to be a brown 1981 Miyata seven ten with Suntour Cyclone. This bikes seriously looks like it was never ridden, there is barely a scratch on it. It's a 52 x 54cm, which is the only reason I didn't buy it on the spot, I prefer 54x54 or 54x56. $200.

2) Same size seven ten but a few years newer, with Suntour Blueline, and aero levers. This bike isn't in nearly as good a condition but apparently price is determined by age, $225.

3) This might be the prize, I found a Miyata six ten buried in the back of the shop. It's black, probably from '82 or something, and has had a MTB bar put on it, but otherwise looked to be in good condition. I didn't get a price on it, but I'd expect it to also be in the $200 range. Now, I'm not up on my Miyata history, but aren't the 1000 and 610 highly coveted as touring bikes, and therefore pretty valuable? There is a chance the guy knows what he has here, what do you think it's worth?

bennie222

I checked out that six ten again, the rear hanger is bent like 30 degrees and the deraileur is destroyed. Given it's condition the guy only wanted $60 for it. I'm going to do some research on fixing bent hangers before I decide to go pick her up. Also, it has the side pull brakes, and only one water bottle holder. It does have double eyelets on the front fork though.

rekmeyata

The number 1 choice is your best one. The Cyclone stuff was 2nd best of the Suntour line and far better then any other component manufacture at the time. Here's a web site with Miyata catalogs and they will detail which model is better and the stock components they came with: https://www.miyatacatalogs.com/2007/1...g-1985_07.html

I own two Miyata's myself, 87 Team and a 88 712, I bought the Team new, but the 712 I got used for a steal, both are in great shape and ride great.

Your lucky I don't live in Austin, I would have bought at least one of them before you could have sneezed!!!

beech333

Did the 610 have cantis? Earlier ones didn't and are far less desirable.

wrk101

Ridiculous prices for a thrift shop. I would pass on the first two, but I would go for the 610. Even with issues, as long as the frame is OK, it has good upside potential.

+1 Early 610s are not that highly prized. Look at the on line catalogs, and you will be able to spot the year. But at $60, there is room to do pretty good on it.

The others are priced close to what they would sell for after being refurbished, so not worth it. I sold a 712 last year for $235, fully refurbished.

auchencrow

+1 to what Thrifty Bill says.

Assuming the paint is good, the best deal there by far is the 610 for $60 ( = a good deal even if it needs a replacement DR and a tweak to the hanger.)

The earlier 610 had Suntour V-GT DRs and these are readily available for relatively little money.

Although the early ones were not really suited for full up touring and are less sought after than the later 610's and 1000, they were still exceptional Sport-tourers. If you buy it, you will find that the early 610 has an exceptionally nimble and quick frame.

( I really enjoy mine. . . )

rekmeyata

The first bike I assume is a 710 since I couldn't find a reference for a 7 other than 710 throughout the 80's decade. It also comes with Cyclone which is better components (IE finish, mechanical, and weight) then the Blue Line, and Cyclone is worth more on the market which does attest to that fact. Also the first bike seems to be in better condition as well according the OP.

In the late 70's Miyata had a 7 but it was later renamed 710 in the 80's, maybe that's where the confusion lies over some saying to go with bike #2 since the 7 was probably a lower quality bike.

Also I looked at ALL the Miyata catalogs on line and could not find one model, regardless if it was a 710 or a different model that came with the Blue Line components. This means that the 2nd bike, the 710, does not it's original components on it, making it less desirable.

T-Mar

The 1982 and 1983 Miyata 710 were spec'd with BlueLine derailleurs.

+1, regarding others' comments about the 710s being very pricey for a thrift shop. The 610 has the most potential but also the most risk, Derailleur hangers are pretty tough and I would be surprised if it can be bent back without any damage other than flaking ther paint. Regardless, you should inspect the area closely for crack in ther base metal. Also, if the derailleur was bent that far, there's plenty of potential for other damage besides the derailleur, particularly the rear wheel and stays. This one would require careful and thorough inspection.

Sidepull brakes are indicative of a 1982 model 610. While it's a bit of a compromise grand touring model compared to those that followed, it is a t least the first year for the double butted main tubes, though you go get hi-tensile forks and possibly stays.

rekmeyata

Whats odd is I could check every Miyata on the online catalog I mentioned above EXCEPT for some reason the 82 and 83 cats. I still can't get into it tonight, it just displays an error screen, but the rest I can get into. So I thought after looking at the other later years the BL wasn't mentioned in any even earlier years back to 78 when BL first came out. Regardless the Cyclone is a more desirable group then the BL which was nothing but a VX line priced just below the Cyclone. Not that the BL was a bad group, it still shifted better then all the other component manufactures, but the Cyclone gets the most attention and the more respect.

So I still disagree with the others and say the first bike is the best one. Even the OP says the first one is the best shape. Personally if I lived there in Austin I would have bought both and would not had left till I had them because those won't stay around long.

Beauty about Thrift shops is that usually you can negotiate with a manager. Maybe tell the manage you would take both for $350 or one (the first one) for $175, and see what they say.

bennie222

I'm going to go make an offer on the bikes today, hopefully he'll bite. I'm going to try to bundle bike 1 and 3 and get a deal. I actually want the cyclone group from the first bike for a restoration, so I'll probably just put a different group on it, and CL it. I should get my $200 back easily plus an almost unused group. I'll thoroughly photograph it and post them over in the other forum after purchase for historical purposes if I can strike a deal....

wrk101

Thrift stores around here never negotiate. But then again, bikes like this would be priced $25 to $35. My last thrift store pickup was a Trek 412, bought a month ago, for $9.50. I don't find them very often, but when I do, they are cheap. The most I have ever paid for a thrift store bike was $50, for a Trek 714 (all Reynolds 531 frameset).

The reason #1 would not be my choice, is after it is totally refurbished, I could only get $200 for it then. So paying $200 for it, and then dumping $40 to $50 into it, would be a losing proposition. Yes, I see that it appears to be in almost NOS condition. But in my experience, a bike that deteriorates in 30 years, even if stored well. Tires, cables, cables, bearings and grease usually need to be changed.

Every market is different. But an older Japanese friction shifting bike, with 27 inch wheels, galvanized spokes, high ten steel fork, only brings about $200. Anything over that price would have to be really special, with chrome stays, 700c wheels, stainless spokes, and so on. Note, a 1981 Miyata 710 is still a very nice bike!

(A 1981 Miyata 710 would have a high ten steel fork, galvanized spokes, and 27 inch wheels.)

rekmeyata

My thrift shops where I live sometimes negotiate, problem is they over price things to begin with. But I have yet to find a decent older bike in any of the shops around here in the 7 years I lived in Fort Wayne. I did buy this last weekend a early or mid 60's Murray girls Denim bike that will be used for the garden as decoration, but they wanted $30 for it so I offered $20 and they accepted...personally I think I paid $15 too much but that just me, but I did need it for the deco.

Benne: The first bike from your description seemed like a really nice bike. I know your going to buy it and it will be yours to do what you want with it. But those bikes are not all the easy to come by and their becoming quite collectible. I hate to see a bike like that get butchered which is what you sound like your going to do. You could have bought a Cyclone group on E-Bay and did the restoration project with that. Whatever man, but it's sad what the love of money will do to classic bikes and cars.

bennie222

Yeah, I knew someone would object to me taking the group off of it. I'll feel a little bad about it too if that's the route I go. It's not the worst thing in the world for it though, I'll replace it with a well used blueline group, and it'll go to some happy college kid who will ride it on campus until it's stolen and ends up in a pawn shop. It's the cycle of life for an old bike, either someone like us buys it and loves it, or it ends up chained to an appartment fence with 2 flat tires.

Fred Smedley

I would not pay more than 35.00 for any of those bikes.

rekmeyata

Fred, Schwinn Varsity's, at least where I live in Fort Wayne, sell for more then that! In fact Varsity's go for between $75 and $125; and both Miyata's are way superior to the Varsity. Geez I saw a late 70's Ross in a Thrift store sell for $200!!! That Ross and Varsity I wouldnt pay $20 for; but Miyata's were fine bikes, the best out of Japan, and they made their own tubesets which got quite a good reputation and cult following.

Just because you wouldn't spend that kind of money for a Miyata there are plenty of folks who would because they know bikes.

bennie222

I'm bored so I bought the 610 today. Should be easy enough to fix up. Rear derailleur is shot and hanger is bent, but I picked up an old shimano DX derailleur at the local swap meet a few weeks ago anticipating that i might need it for this build. It has a suntour blue line front derailleur, but a quick look appeared to show that the blue line either isn't going in far enough to allow the chain down on the innermost ring of the triple, or it is simply a standard two ring capable derailleur. I have the matching DX front so I can use that, provided the tube diameters work out. I probably won't post a 'progress' thread, as it's not that exciting of a build, but I'll post the completed bike in the regular c&v when done.

wrk101

FWIW: I have sold a Schwinn Varsity here for as much as I got for a Miyata 712. Doesn't make any sense to me, but Varsities (in ready to ride condition), bring good money, much better than similar quality bikes from other manufacturers. So I now will pick up Varsities, Continentals and Suburbans for flips. They do pretty well. Right now, I have five of them.

That 610 sounds like a good deal, good move picking it up.

rekmeyata

I can't figure out the Varsity thing either, or the Collegiate or the Suburban, I remember all of those and they were all junk and weighed 45 pounds! I wouldn't buy one, I would take cash to take one off the hands of another and then take it to a recycling yard! The only thing I can possibly think that is driving the prices of Varsity's like that is the older generation, like me, to want to relive their youth...but that's one aspect of my youth I have no desire to relive.

tmoneygetpaid

Good thing is it's steel, so you can just bend it back!
Shops that deal with steel bikes should have a tool that bends the hanger back and gives a decent measurement of it's alignment. It's important for proper shifting that you get that done.

I have an '83 610. The early 80s ones that do have canti studs did have hi-ten forks and (I think) stays, so they're less desirable than the later ones, but still way great touring rigs. If it is around that year, you'll also have to stick with 27" wheels and probably with the stock brakes. I've tried just about every modern cantilever out there, and none will squarely hit my 27" cr-18 rims! If you stick with narrower rims, maybe you could gain some wiggle room. The stock brakes are good, though.

Have fun! Post pics!

bennie222

tmoney, did you try a center pull like the Weinmann 750? Could that work? I was thinking if I kept it I might try to do the fenders and 650B thing. I'll probably flip it though.

I'm half way through the build. Paint is not great, but it's black so it hides a lot. There is a LOT of dirt on this thing, it's so thick and sticky I can't get a lot of it off. It was pretty rusty inside, I didn't feel like tearing it all the way down for an OA bath, so I sprayed what I could with an OA like product for cars. The SR triple cranks were pretty beat up, especially on the middle ring but it's still good to ride. stem, brake levers, brakes all cleaned up nicely with some oa, 600/1500 grit sand paper, and a polishing wheel. I've mounted my Deore DX front and rear derailleurs. I could have kept the front Suntour blueline on it, but I have a rear BL(missing bolt so not using it for this build) with no matching front, so this way I keep the sets happily together. Waiting on white brake cable housings to show up from ebay.

I eyeballed the hanger and straightened it with a trusty vice grip. I looked at the rear end of a few bikes in my garage and I think I got all the angles right. I can have it fine tuned by a shop if it gives me trouble in the end.

Skylar

I shelled out $100 for this Seven Ten at a Salvation Army. I think they scour ebay before they price. The paint is near flawless and it had a nice saddle, Cyclone group, and nice Ukai wheels. I added the wrap and tires. $100 is a great deal for quality lightweight vintage steel in any city I would think.

bennie222

When it rains it pours I guess! I headed into Goodwill yesterday to pick up a bed frame, no reason to pay retail for one of those. I look through the window into the back and there sits a Miyata, and I knew it was either a six ten or one thousand because of the canti breaks. I talk a guy into bringing it out with a pricetag on it and I bought it. It's an '85 six ten, looks almost unridden but set up a little goofy with 'city bars'. It's tiny, 47cm x 52cm and has rack back and front.

As for my '83 six ten, it's getting close to completion. I had to swap the DX front derailleur back out for the original suntour, because the DX was hitting the crank. The dx has an extruded portion of the FD, which was hitting the crank arm. The suntour FD is flat so it works. I was hoping to keep that dx group together but oh well. I'm also having trouble with the crankset, the chain always wants to fall between the two biggest rings, I fixed it temporarily by turning one ring around the wrong way. It must have the wrong chain on it, so I'll be looking for a proper 6 sp chain, hopefully that will resolve it. It doesn't have brakes on it yet, but I did ride it around the neighborhood a bit and to my surprise, it fits quite well and rides very nice which means I think I'll keep her. The $$ I make off the little six ten will cover the cost I have in the big one and then some anyway.

tmoneygetpaid

Sorry, I forgot about this thread. Yeah, those could definitely work. My 83 was designed for 27" wheels so I couldn't convert to 650b, is yours made for 700c? My 1000LT was made for 700c, and I still have cantilever compatibility problems. I'm thinking about building a smaller front wheel on a narrower rim to accomodate a bigger range of options.

How's the bike now? Pics?

bennie222

Hey guys.. i haven't forgotten about ya. I finished the sixten rebuild, It's a pretty solid bike. Geometry is basically 58st and 56tt. I didn't think this would fit me, but it actually fits me fairly well for a few reasons. First, I need my bars about the same height as my seat due to a bad back. This is often difficult to obtain on C&V bikes. In modern bikes i ride a 54cm square, but find that a 56cm TT in C&V is better for me, because that usually means the ST is 56 or bigger, helping me with the bar placement. Also, longer TT's are ok in C&V, because short stems were also common. I've tried out several 53st by 55tt C&V bikes lately, which would be a fine size for me in a modern bike but I just can't make it work on C&V without a riser stem / touring stem. IMO, only touring bikes look ok with riser stems.. which, this Miyata is of course, but fortunately I dont need one here.

I do have an issue with the crankset still, I had to turn the outside ring around backwards to keep the chain from falling in the gap between the outer two rings. I can't figure out whats wrong with it, when assembled correctly, it simply doesn't work. Beside that, it's working fine now. Only other thing I've noticed is that 20 year old brake pads suck, and single pivot brakes with cheap cable housings suck... I've started using MTB housings on anything with a single pivot, at least, anything I intend to keep anyway. I haven't decided quite yet if this is a keeper or not. I'm thinking I may sell it to fund a few of my other restorations because sadly, my wife called in her cut of my bike flipping fund to pay some bills...

BigPolishJimmy

That six-ten is looking pretty sweet there! You did well, nice bike.