Originally Posted by
petr714
Well I found the serial# and it begins with J82, so I'm guessing its an 82 model with 105 shimano components ...hopefully its decent enough to hold my weight haha
The thing that confuses me alittle is that its a burgundy color which only the 310 and 610 models came in, the 210s came in red.. The guy at the bike shop also found this interesting
*Update*- So I took in the bike I got yesterday for $40 and the guy said even though the serial # is J82, The color and characteristics point to it being a 1983 210 .. I read up online and someone stated that a serial # for a Miyata beginning with a J=1981-82..Who is right??? haha
Well, based on the serial number it should be a 1982. J does designate 1981. I compiled hundreds of sets of data to decrypt the code. The numbers are just the build sequence, but it's so high that's it's very late in 1981, when they would have been building 1982 models. Besides, the decals changed from 1981 to 1982 and this has 1982 decals.
The colors in the picture are more red than burgundy, though that could be due to the flash. My reason for it being a 210, as opposed to a 310 was that it has center-pull brakes and safety levers. The 1982 model 310 had side-pull brakes and hooded levers without safety extensions. While a 210 normally had stem shifters, I assumed the down tube shifters were part of the upgrade.
The pics didn't allow us to identify the tubing or discern the difference in geometry, which are the best ways to tell the actual model. A 210 will have a tubing decal that states "chrome molybdenyum tubes" while a 310 will state "chrome molybdenum double butted tubes". A 210 will also have longer chainstays and wheelbase, with slightly slacker angles.