I finally got one of "those" deals...a free Miyata 710!!!
#1
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I finally got one of "those" deals...a free Miyata 710!!!
I'm always looking at this forum and salivating over the $50 Colnagos and free Jack Taylors that people seem to pick up all the time. However, living in the SF Bay Area, where craigslist is highly populated with "vintage" listings of worthless department store bikes in the hundreds of dollars, I have long since determined that I will never get a decent deal on an old bike.
However, just today I walked by a coworker's office and noticed a '80s scruffy but serviceable Miyata leaned up next to her desk. I complemented her on the nice bike and she noted that she had picked it up from a retiring coworker (getting rid of his possessions) for free but really wanted a different kind of bike (hybrid or similar). I talked to her about setting it up and noted that the frame was too big for her and that I would help her find a better fitting bike. She eagerly accepted and turned to me and said "Would you like this bike?...if so, it's yours!" I told her that I would gladly pay her for it but she insisted, so now I have a 1985 Miyata 710 sitting in my garage. It's filthy and badly needs an overhaul but it's a nice looking bike with CroMo triple butted tubing and Suntour Cyclone gearing. I will definitely be fixing this up nicely for commuting to work and will be searching for a decent bike for my coworker.
However, just today I walked by a coworker's office and noticed a '80s scruffy but serviceable Miyata leaned up next to her desk. I complemented her on the nice bike and she noted that she had picked it up from a retiring coworker (getting rid of his possessions) for free but really wanted a different kind of bike (hybrid or similar). I talked to her about setting it up and noted that the frame was too big for her and that I would help her find a better fitting bike. She eagerly accepted and turned to me and said "Would you like this bike?...if so, it's yours!" I told her that I would gladly pay her for it but she insisted, so now I have a 1985 Miyata 710 sitting in my garage. It's filthy and badly needs an overhaul but it's a nice looking bike with CroMo triple butted tubing and Suntour Cyclone gearing. I will definitely be fixing this up nicely for commuting to work and will be searching for a decent bike for my coworker.
#3
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Congrats fellow Berkeleyan! Hope you are able to return the favor. Anything in particular she has in mind? Size? I'm not angling for a sale, but happy to keep an extra pair of eyes out for you/her.
It is indeed a competitive market, but there is a lot of inventory, too. It helps if you are willing/able to put in some sweat equity, go the extra mile at the drop of a hat, get lucky with the timing, or make your own luck.
It is indeed a competitive market, but there is a lot of inventory, too. It helps if you are willing/able to put in some sweat equity, go the extra mile at the drop of a hat, get lucky with the timing, or make your own luck.
#4
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Any chance that it came from Stone's in Alameda? That is where I got my Miyata back in 1984, when I was stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Station. I don't know if there were any other Miyata dealers in the Bay area. I looked at the 710 back then, but decided that it was too much money and went with the 310 instead.
#5
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Enjoy it. Cyclone is one of my favorite derailleurs. Crisp shifts every time.
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