Narhay

I found these two midrange Miyata touring bikes today and picked them up from a nice older man who happens to come from the same place as I do. Both are Miyata Six Ten touring bikes. The large black one had a nice surprise in the Brooks B17 saddle. Plan is to strip and rebuild exactly how it is with new tires, bar tape, cables & housing, grease, bearings, chain etc. It is in great shape for its age. I took some cellphone photos as before shots.

24.5" (62cm) c-c seat tube and 22" c-c top tube
Double butted Cr-Mo frame with 1024 High Tensile fork
5 speed freewheel
Custom SR Big chainring-Half-step-Granny crankset
Mountech front derailleur
Suntour V-GT Luxe rear derailleur
Suntour PowerShift downtube shifters
Diacompe G sidepull brakes with levers
Sunshine Hubs with Araya 27" aluminum rims
MKS AR-2 quill pedals with toe clips
SR fluted seatpost
Randonneur bars
Bluemels silver plastic fenders
Blackburn rear rack












Second bike is a smaller 610 (19" I believe) that I don't have sitting right in front of me but from what I can see:


Triple butted Cr-Mo
Mangalite fork
Sugino VP triple crank
Shimano Light Action front derailleur
Shimano ____ rear derailleur
6 speed freewheel
Araya 27" rims
Shimano BR-AT50 cantilever brakes with levers













The most surprising part of this all, however, was what was hiding under that seat cover. Care to take a guess?

mapleleafs-13 

another brooks saddle?

if you plan to ride that i hope you're like 6'8

Narhay

Good guess but nope.

The bike does have a large frame but a short top tube. At 6'2" it was relatively comfortable. I'll drop the stem and seat post a bit.

due ruote 

Terry?

Nice bikes; congrats.

Narhay

Nope, not a Terry either.

I've got black bar wrap for both and one pair of black tires that would probably suit the smaller one best. What do you think about the larger one...skinwall or another set of all black? All black might come out nicely with the black frame/saddle but tan/skin walls might offset it and give it some contrast.

The Golden Boy 

Jimmy Hoffa?



Those look like some really awesome bikes. Two of my favorite FDs- the Mountech and the Z206. A lot of people really like those shifters as well. The Dual Slotted levers totally look Class.


Congratulations!

Aren't the brakes on the little on the BR MC70s XT brakes?

Dfrost 

I'm 6'0" and fit nicely on bikes the size (62-63cm c-c) of that big 610.

Narhay

Yes, the larger bike with the short top tube is quite alright for you average 6'+ individual.

Ive spent the past few days taking apart the larger one nut by nut, bolt by bolt. It is currently sitting complete minus chain.

Something interesting I noted is that the rear dropout is 126/127mm. The wheel has a 5 speed freewheel at the moment. I had just assumed the dropouts were 120mm because of this. At this point I am thinking I can swap in a 7 speed freewheel as it looks like I have about a cm of space between the smallest cog and the dropout with the 5 speed. Will I encounter any issues and is this freewheel a direct replacement?

SunRace MF-M30 7Spd 13-28T Freewheel - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Narhay

The dropout spacing. The fender stays and rack mounts have been moved to the outside and only the head of the bolt sticks into the dropout area.

Narhay

Based on catalogues, I am deducing that the smaller bicycle is a 1985 Miyata 610 and the larger bicycle is a 1982 Miyata 610. Interestingly the dropouts on the larger one are 126mm yet it came stock with a 5 speed freewheel.

Narhay

Unfortunately, the 3rd cog in the freewheel is slipping. The other cogs seem to be fine. I'm going to have to replace the freewheel. Anyone given any thought to my 5 to 7 speed swap dilemma above?

The bike received a full nut and bolt strip and rebuild. A thorough clean and inspection of all parts before reassembly. Hubs, pulley wheels and headset were repacked. Dork disc removed and wheels trued. Bottom bracket turned out to be slightly pitted so a cartridge replacement was procured. All new tires, bar wrap, chain, brake pads, grade 25 ball bearings, grease, cable housings and cables. I had to hunt down a brake cable housing ferrule for the diacompe levers.

1982 Miyata 610
24.5" (62cm) c-c seat tube and 22" c-c top tube
Double butted Cr-Mo frame with 1024 High Tensile fork
Brooks B17 black leather saddle
Atom bte 5 speed freewheel
Custom SR Big chainring-Half-step-Granny crankset 52-47-34
Suntour Mountech front derailleur
Suntour V-GT Luxe rear derailleur
Suntour PowerShift downtube shifters
Diacompe 500G sidepull brakes with Diacompe levers
Sunshine Hubs with Araya 27" aluminum rims
MKS AR-2 quill pedals with toe clips - defunct. Missing dustcap and the other is stripped beyond removal.
SR Laprade fluted seatpost
Randonneur bars
Bluemels silver plastic fenders
Blackburn rear rack
CST 27" x 1/4" tires
Shimano BB-UN26 127mm square taper cartridge bottom bracket
KMC X8.93 chain

gaucho777 

Narhay did a great job. If anyone says the frame is too large, tell em it's a perfect French Fit and they don't know squat.

You shouldn't have any problems going from a 5-speed to a 7-speed freewheel since you are running friction shifters.

Btw, I notice you have an SIS cable running to your RD with friction shifting. I thought--perhaps mistakenly--that SIS cable housing (with the thin wires running along the length of the housing) is best reserved for indexed shifting only. I've always used standard brake housing, or vintage stainless coiled housing, or Campagnolo RD housing, for friction setups. I don't build many indexed bikes so tend to only use SIS cables as needed. Anyone know if there is a reason not to use SIS cable housing with friction shifters?

eMats

Sweet bikes! I had a chance to get one for a good deal but it was a little to big for me. I was totally bummed.

Narhay

Thanks to you both. The SIS housing, I believe, is resistant to compressibility and, as such, cable length is maintained at a predictable and consistent length for indexed setups. It is otherwise fine for friction shifting. I've used it quite a few times before and haven't had any problems.

oldbikenewbike

I'm 6' (long legs) and that's the size frame I ride. Saddle could be lowered a bit, though...

Narhay

I put on a sunrace 6 speed freewheel and off I was this morning. Everything performed well. I'll change the rack bolt to a button head to increase clearance and while in the largest chainring the derailleur has a hard time shifting into the smallest cog on the fw.

Very nice compliant ride with smooth everything. I'll chalk it up a bit to my burgeoning mechanic skills but mostly to the bicycle itself.

gaucho777 

Makes sense. I've always reserved SIS cable housing for indexed systems. But now that I think about it more, I suppose having less compression with SIS cables shouldn't cause any problems--in fact, it's probably beneficial. Enjoy your new ride!

triathloner

are we ever going to find out what was under that seat cover, or just assume it was a turd?

Narhay

Ha ha. It is something similar to this gem:

Narhay

I've done some modifications to the larger 610. The freewheel ended up being faulty and the freewheel mechanism started making a grinding sound. I have replaced it with a Shimano unit. It's too bad, I really liked the polished nickel finish of the other and the big black cog in the Shimano unit is pretty gaudy. I've also replaced the rear rack bolts to give a bit more clearance to the chain on the freewheel. I will also eventually sell them both so I've taken the Brooks saddle off and replaced it with a Kore Retrobu saddle. These are pretty nice and a great deal on ebay. If I were to keep it, I'd probably get some black replacement hoods but the brown ones are still in decent shape.

oldbikenewbike

Ditto. I'm 6' and that's the size bike I ride.

Narhay

And I've nearly completed the smaller Miyata.

Specs:
Chromoly Triple Butted
18.5" frame (47cm)
Mangalight fork with mid-fork rack mounts
RD-L514 rear derailleur
Shimano Light Action front derailleur
Sugino GP Triple Crank
Ukai 27" rims
Sansin Gyro-Master Sealed Bearing hubs
Shimano BR-AT50 cantilever brakes with levers
Cheng Shin CST 27"x1 1/4" tires
Shimano Light Action downtube shift levers
ESGE fenders
SR Randonneur drop bars
SR Custom stem
Kore Retrobu Saddle
SR Laprade seatpost
Cane Creek brake hoods
New black cork bar tape
New housings
New cables
New brake pads
Rear rack

Waiting for the replacement bearings to put on
Shimano 6 speed freewheel
KMC nickel plated 6/7/8 speed chain

I've taken this one apart, cleaned, new grease everywhere and I am just waiting on some cartridge bearings to replace the current ones. One bearing is grinding and the others are ok but 30 years old at this point and merit the replacement.

Some quick cellphone photos for now. I'll get some better ones once complete.

kc0yef 

62cm is a little too small for me and I am 6'5"
sweet ride

seely

Great find! My 610 started nearly identical to yours and sparked my obsession with vintage Japanese steel bikes. I just loved the fit and ride. I just recently acquired a 215frame, which is more similar in construction to your wife's bike (triple butted, cantilever posts, more braze ons) that I am looking forward to building with more modern components.

Edit: mine is the same size as yours and I am just a bit over 6'

Narhay

Very cool. The big one would be nice with barcons. It is a bit of a reach to shift as it stands.

It's interesting to have these side by side to see the progression of the design of the model series. While both have their merits, the components and frame on the later 610 just seem a bit sleeker and a bit more refined as a purpose-built tourer.