stevage

>We all learn a lot from these restoration stories.

What restoration, didn't OP say "near mint condition"?

BengeBoy 

I guess we'll see.

RFC

Here are a couple of photos to compare -- 1984 Miyata 1000 and 1988 Univega Gran Touring

lard

a guy i work with(messenger) has a 1000, he seems to really like it. He got it after his LHT got wrecked in a accident. Very nice looking bikes those miyatas.

Ferrite

Another thing to look at might be resale value if you decide to sell it at some point. I would say the miyata would be a better long term investment. Considering you already bought it, I think you made the right decision.

ggriffinslo

Nice to read the LHT fans out there. Many haven't ridden the Miyata. I have a 610, 615, 618 and 1000. I love the bikes. The trple buttle splined frame of my 618 is a great touring rig. I've ridden it everywhere. I have 35mm tires, and fenders, so no problem with clearance. It handles a terrific load. If you want some of the newer components, that will bump up the price a bit, but it's possible to but the Miyata for considerably let than a new LHT.

Go for the Miyata!

Cue

Do you have any pictures of your Miyatas?

Sixty Fiver

On old vs new...

I am in a place where I could afford a 1000 and know of one that I could acquire for a very reasonable price but have decided to go another route and build up my 1987 Kuwahara Cascade or rather, rebuild it into a geared touring bike.

The Cascade really is an expedition bike with a hand made quad butted frame and classic touring geometry and in back to back rides, the Cascade is easily as nice a ride as the 1000 and has a much better feel when it is unloaded.

I used it as a fixed gear tourer for several years and have enough spare bits to build it into a geared tourer with a 24 speed drive (it was originally an 18 speed).

I have no issue and in many ways prefer the 26 inch wheels for their robust nature and the better ride one gets with 1.5 tyres which really do not give up much in the speed department.

I just have to finish setting up the crank as I plan to play around with a half step gearing and am using a vintage Cyclone GT in the rear, a Suntour Ar up front, and would use nothing but Suntour Barcons for shifting. These same parts have taken people around the world and can serve one as well today as they did 20 plus years ago.

I have ridden this bike 10's of thousands of km in a number of configurations from geared to ss to fixed and now in a re-geared state... it will be taking me on a 1000 mile tour through the Canadian Rockies next summer when the bike will then be 23 years old.

hujev

Even though this is an old thread, I'll add my bit here. I bought a LHT in '06 and toured heavy a few times on it, but it shimmies like hell. Also the first frame I had had such deep tube cutting at some of the weld edges I had to return it and try a second one (surly was ok about that, but it was still a major hassle since I was living 125 miles from the closest town so the whole turn-around took 6 weeks). Anyway, surly and the like are making great, cool things these days, so bless them.

But last weekend I found a near new 1983 univega G.T. and am looking forward to polishing that all up...

But I'd take the 25+ year old bike for one reason above all others - being able to use a $#@!! quill stem and not that awful 'threadless' garbage. I always imagine how my LHT would look if it just had an elegant stem and headset.

tarwheel 

Since this thread started, the Soma Saga also has come onto the scene. That would be my top choice for a budget touring frame at this time.

Kaptain Amerika

One of the things I do to make money is [rigorously] test bicycles, specifically utility [non race or mtb] bikes. Every year, I put hundreds of miles on dozens of bikes, plus I collect/restore/ride vintage bikes. That said, beyond tube spec and componentry, the #1 consideration is geometry and handling. And, while I love Surly and Soma for making steel rides, their teams, like those of most modern manufacturers, just do not have a clue about geometry and handling. It's as if they don't ride the bikes or study bikes or think about bikes or compare bikes. It's amazing. Right now, the best handling new bikes are being made by a little outfit called Rawland, God bless them. I have a Univega Specialissima I just scored, and lemme tell you, it is one of the finest-riding bikes I've ever put miles on. Way up there with the best Miyatas, Treks, Raleighs, etc. The Surly LHT I find to handle horribly; same for the Cross Check and others. Same for the Soma frames. And Kona and Salsa, etc. Sad.

Sixty Fiver

I have quite a few friends that ride Surly LHT's who are my size so we have traded bikes with them riding my Kuwahara which has nearly identical geometry but was a hand built model with quad butted Ishiwata tubes.

One friend said he would trade me straight across for my Cascade as despite his bike running 700c wheels and mine running 26's... my Cascade has a lighter and quicker feel to it and a much nicer ride quality when it is under load.

The LHT starts out feeling a little dead when it has no gear and is pretty lifeless when you load it up... IMHO.

We build some of the best custom touring bikes in the world up here and I could build my own but already have a great touring bike.

brooklyn_bike

miyata 1000 all the way.

revcp 

Bringing an old thread back from the dead. I usually commute with a build up of a 1991 Stumpjumper. Bombproof utility bike, and elegant looking with the light blue powdercoat, soma sparrow bars and Brooks saddle. I have a headset on order for the SJ (I had been using a fork mounted brake cable hanger, put a B&M headlight on the fork instead so switched to a stem mounted hanger and there are too few threads now for the lock nut) so I've been commuting with my 1986 Miyata Six Ten (suntour barends, suntour cyclone mk-II derailleurs, HED Ardennes+ wheelset with 35mm Vittoria Hyper Voyager tires...). It's just fabulous. Fabulous. I've never ridden an LHT. I have a Surly Troll that I bought used and rebuilt. Love it. But there's just nothing like Miyata steel and workmanship.





I'm also luckey enough to have a 1990 Team Miyata. We had a house fire a year ago and I lost my carbon fiber racer. I replaced it with the below, a NOS frame and fork build up with period Dura Ace.

fietsbob

Lighter frames bend with every pedal stroke due to the Mass on the rear rack and your forces in pedalling

Oversize tubes help ... 1_1/8" top and 1.25" downtubes..

Of course Having a Touring Bike like shown in 28, is different from taking what bike you own
and going someplace on what you have. and touring on it..

jargo432

Custom Touring Bicycle Miyata Frame SRAM Force DT Swiss Wheels | eBay

engineerbob

Three years later, Rawland does not appear to produce frames. No new Miyata 1000s, either.

I am confused by "handle horribly." Do they go into speed-wobbles? Do they resist turning? On fast downhills, my Trek 1200 can get scary. It probably does handle horribly. So, which specific bikes, pray tell, handle properly? Or, does one need to contract with a custom frame-builder? And if so, with whom?

Attitude off. Back in the 70s, my Honda motorcycles were the very definition of "handle horribly": twitchy steering and difficult to lean. When I rode some other bikes, I got it. There was a significant difference. Is a LHT significantly worse than a BG Rock N Road Tour (assuming that BG's bikes handle)? Admittedly, the LHT is a moose, and I don't need a moose. I would like a steel-framed bike that exhibits stability at speed and is geared for the mountains in which I live. At this point, "classic touring bikes" seem to be the best fit, even if I never carry more than ten pounds.

veganbikes

Enjoy the "new" bike. Keep it running and running well.

Some useful tips for getting it vintage machines up and running:

8 speed chains can also work for 5, 6 and 7 speeds

Interloc Racing Designs makes some decent freewheels in more sizes than the "Shimano" and Sun Run/Race cheapies.

Paul Components makes a nice freewheel hub in the U.S. that can fit a variety of frames. A good set of new handbuilt wheels will last a long time and support your weight and touring loads much better than machine built wheels or old wheels that have seen a lot of life.

If you can't keep it all original you can easily find a lot of companies that do vintage styled components (IRD being one) and keep it looking similar. Nitto for instance makes a ton of high quality quill stems so you can get right angle, height and length and some great racks.

Sometimes Craigslist has old stuff at decent prices but be careful as some of it is heavily worn out.


*EDIT NOTE* I didn't realize this thread was that old. Why people need to post in years old threads I don't understand. Anywho the tips written are still useful to anyone building a vintage bike.

Mr IGH

Let's hope he did, 5.5 years ago...zombie thread comes alive, even 5.5 years ago people couldn't understand Surlys.

Saddle Up

And Kaptain ******* is no longer coming here and posting silly commments

tarwheel 

This is an old thread that was dredged from the dead. However, I don't think Kaptain ******* was the expert he claimed to be. I own a Soma Saga and it is a very nice handling and riding bike, particularly for a tourer.

attylah

Before and after.

I, for one, am happy this thread resurrected. I have enjoyed reading through it several times over the past two years. I had the same debate with myself - LHT or a classic? Then I was able to buy this 1000 for $170, and dropped about $650 in to it. The result? The best riding bicycle I have ever owned. After 50 miles on it with a light load and the Brooks saddle, I can't tell I've been on a bike. If you could put wheels on a stick of butter, it would ride like the Miyata 1000 - smooth beyond compare. As my mechanic at my LBS said, the Trucker is a great bike, but is a beast of burden and rides like one even unloaded. Ride a 1000 unloaded and you are in for a treat. And, anyone can go out and get a Trucker. If you can find a 1000, buy it! I am currently building up an '86 Schwinn High Sierra in to a drop bar tourer to take care of anything the 1000 may not be best suited for.

badger_biker 

Attyla - very nice job on the 1000! I recently acquired a 1984 (I think it may be the same as yours) and fully agree on the ride. What did you use for the freewheel? Mine slips on the 17 tooth cog and I need to replace it.

My hands and wrists took a beating touring on gravel/dirt roads in ID with my Specialized Expedition and like you decided to build up a drop bar mountain bike for that type of touring. I wasn't successful finding a High Sierra which was my first choice but I wound up getting a nice Panasonic Pro ATB with mid fork rack mounts. Here is my thread from the C&V section of the forum https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...arly-done.html

I just finished swapping the STI set up for bar ends but haven't posted updated pics yet. I'm really liking the results and can't wait to load it up for a tour.

attylah

Beautiful conversion badger_biker. You hear the drop bar conversions called the poor man's LHT often. For the money I am putting into my High Sierra conversion I could have bought a good Used Trucker off of Craigslist. But this way, I get the fun of the build and have a unique, one of a kind ride.

robow

I guess I'll throw in my 2 cents at this zombie since I've owned and/or ridden both. My Surly LHT is definitely more robust and heavier duty than was my Miyata. If I was to take a solo expedition tour across Asia, I want the Surly. But the Miyata definitely had a sweeter ride when unloaded and the rear triangle was definitely not as stiff as the LHT. If you loaded the Miyata heavily in the rear (of course not ideal), you definitely could get some rear sway when climbing or jumping out of the saddle, more so than the LHT. Different bikes with different personalities to some degree but for lighter road touring, I could definitely see going with the Yata.