Miyata - Please help me identify
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Miyata - Please help me identify
Yesterday I took my first step into the vintage bicycle arena with a purchase of what I believe to be a 70s (most likely 75-78) Miyata. I have been looking through the sites with the Miyata catalogs, but this seems to predate the oldest catalog I could find, which was 1981. Any help identifying would be appreciated. Details below and photo attached. Thanks!
Frame - Orange with chrome tipped fork and rear triangle. Miyata decal, Sport Model decal, and a red, yellow, blue, green striped decal. Miyata badge says Made in Japan.
Rear Derailleur - Shimano Crane
Front Derailleur - Shimano Titlist
Brakes - Shimano Tourney (center pull)
Bars - SR Road Champion Sakea Custom (all text stamped on them)
Crank - SR Custom-3 Sakae Chainwheel Melt Forging (all text stamped on them)
Saddle - Concor S Marco Supercors (with a strange squiggle after it)
Frame - Orange with chrome tipped fork and rear triangle. Miyata decal, Sport Model decal, and a red, yellow, blue, green striped decal. Miyata badge says Made in Japan.
Rear Derailleur - Shimano Crane
Front Derailleur - Shimano Titlist
Brakes - Shimano Tourney (center pull)
Bars - SR Road Champion Sakea Custom (all text stamped on them)
Crank - SR Custom-3 Sakae Chainwheel Melt Forging (all text stamped on them)
Saddle - Concor S Marco Supercors (with a strange squiggle after it)
#2
Forum Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Kalamazoo MI
Posts: 20,650
Bikes: Fuji SL2.1 Carbon Di2 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 4 Trek Checkpoint ALR-5 Viscount Aerospace Pro Colnago Classic Rabobank Schwinn Waterford PMount Raleigh C50 Cromoly Hybrid Legnano Tipo Roma Pista
Mentioned: 59 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3090 Post(s)
Liked 6,599 Times
in
3,785 Posts
Crane is considered Shimano's first generation Dura-Ace. Date codes on the back can be traced on Vintage-Trek.com and looked at on disraeligears.
https://www.vintage-trek.com/index.htm
https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...Ace_story.html
https://www.vintage-trek.com/index.htm
https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...Ace_story.html
__________________
Last edited by cb400bill; 05-26-09 at 09:07 PM.
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks cb400bill, I was able to determine the rear derailleur is the first style of Shimano Crane released since the outer cable stop is part of the casting. This model was introduced in 1971. I wasn't able to determine the exact year as the only stamped number is an 8, the code sheet didn't go older than 1976. Still curious to find out what model and year the bike is.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 130
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
This probably won't help much, but I bought a new Miyata in 1977 (a beautiful pearl white one). I'm pretty sure the Miyata logo (the big letters spelling out Miyata on the downtube) were different than those in your picture. And, as I recall, I don't remember seeing your Miyata logo in the years after I bought mine. Which leads me to believe that your bike is pre-1977.
#5
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks New Yorker! At this point anything helps. I have been searching for clues all day. There was a post on this forum a couple years back by a guy with what sounds to be the same bike. A member T-Mar (from what I have seen, the Miyata SME) asked him questions that seemed to describe my bike even more. Unfortunately the conversation never finished. Hopefully T-Mar reads this and can provide some of his knowledge.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 130
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Don't know if any of these will provide clues, but might be worth checking…
https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Japan/miyata.htm
https://images.google.com/images?q=19...-8&sa=N&tab=wi
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/110695-mid-70s-miyata-top-line.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/58208360@N00/3423988567
https://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DG%26um%3D1
https://www.ask.com/bar?q=%221974+Miy...Ft-299938.html
https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Japan/miyata.htm
https://images.google.com/images?q=19...-8&sa=N&tab=wi
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/110695-mid-70s-miyata-top-line.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/58208360@N00/3423988567
https://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DG%26um%3D1
https://www.ask.com/bar?q=%221974+Miy...Ft-299938.html
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
New Yorker,
Thank you for your reply, that last link gave me some hope... it is an identical configuration to what I have, except mine seems to have a serial number that would make it a year older. Your links also helped me refine my google searches and I found a post that T-Mar identifies a similar frame (in wild yonder blue) as a MX-T. I still can't find any additional information online about this model, and unfortunately for me it appears (from his posts) T-Mar is on sabbatical for 2 months.
Thanks again for your help!
Thank you for your reply, that last link gave me some hope... it is an identical configuration to what I have, except mine seems to have a serial number that would make it a year older. Your links also helped me refine my google searches and I found a post that T-Mar identifies a similar frame (in wild yonder blue) as a MX-T. I still can't find any additional information online about this model, and unfortunately for me it appears (from his posts) T-Mar is on sabbatical for 2 months.
Thanks again for your help!
#8
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Hey man. I just got your PM. That was my old thread you were talking about. Here if anyone is interested.
I never did figure it out. It wasn't in the best shape so I sold it last year. Does yours have the same lugs and badge?
I never did figure it out. It wasn't in the best shape so I sold it last year. Does yours have the same lugs and badge?
#9
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Mine appears to have the same lugs, but the badge is different. Mine has the same badge as the one at this link. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/537452-first-c-v-miyata-pro.html
Since the one at the link was a frame only I was starting to think mine was pieced together until I saw yours with the same component config.
Since the one at the link was a frame only I was starting to think mine was pieced together until I saw yours with the same component config.
#10
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I believe the guy I bought mine from said it was some kind of special collaboration by the bike shop he got it from in the Mid-West, so that probably explains the badge. Twice I've run into people with the same frame. Neither of them had the Miyata decals either. Yours is the first one I've seen like that. I was never 100% sure mine was even a Miyata until now.
#11
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
2-7offsuit, I picked this bike up in the mid-west. Did yours (or the others you talked to with these bikes) come from the St. Louis area? If so, any idea of the bike shop that did the special collaboration?
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,223
Mentioned: 654 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4722 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,036 Times
in
1,874 Posts
The OP's bicycle is a mid-1970s Miyata MX-R.
#13
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks T-Mar, do you have much information on these bikes or can you tell me where I can find more information? From discussions I have had with others, it seems like there is some tie with the Midwest for these bikes, and just curious possibly why. Also, any idea where the MX-R fit into Miyatas line-up?