Originally Posted by
MLyon18
Umm, NO, in the ‘80’s the Miyata 1000 was the pinnacle of touring bikes.
Miyata was as good as the other high end tourers of the day- but not "the pinnacle" by any means.
The Trek 720 was always made with premium 531 frame/fork/stays and was always specced "better" than the M1000 during its run.
Until the advent of the Splined Triple Butted Tubing for the 1987 model year, they were just ordinary really nice bikes- the splined tubing added stiffness which really makes those bikes special- however it also adds weight (compared to the normal CrMo tubing or the tubing or premium tubing other manufacturers were using).
I have a 1990 Miyata 1000LT. It's a wonderful bike, it's stiffer than any of my other tourers, but it's also heavier than my other bikes. It easily fits 35s, one of these days I'll get around to seeing how they fit with fenders. If I were to be hauling a lot, I think I would choose my M1000. For either unloaded rides or up to 20 pounds, I'd prefer my 720 (or my 620).