Miyata Pro
 

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=460644

My son found one of these at a thrift shop. Not in quite as good condition as the one in the photo but not bad. Can anyone give me a bit of information on this bike and some idea of value. Is it worth investing in?

Value depends on the actual bike, rather than a picture of a similar one. Miyata catalogs are all on line with all the information you could want.

One of the top Miyata racing frames. Value depends on location, mechanical condition, completeness of original components, and cosmetic condition. Miyata catalogs available online.

+1 to @wrk101's comments, regarding the actual bike. In fact, I rarely give a FMV estimate for an "as refurbished" bike without seeing the actual work product, because some guys do sloppy work and others do superb work. Also photo quality varies too, and the same bike leaning against a clean backdrop vs a backdrop of weed infested sidewalks and rusing bike parts is worth more. Unless they consistantly turnout great finished bikes and photos, no opinions until the homework is done.

OK... you are all much more serious about vintage bikes than I am. Can you give me some idea as to whether this is worth spending money on. For example, would it be unreasonable to invest $500 in it? I'm not asking for a professional estimate but just some idea of where it stands as I have zero idea.

We still need pics to have an idea of what it might cost to fix the bike up. Assuming that the frame and wheels are in reasonable shape, it will not cost $500 to fix it up. You can do all the work yourself. Typically an old bike needs an overhaul and you need to replace the consumables (typically tires, cables, chain, and probably freewheel or cassette). That's less than $100 in parts plus labor.

hi, don't know what you mean by investment....how much is the bike? others have suggested that you do a search to see what equipment is original to the bike, if all original parts and no frame damage and the bike is within your budget "after" considering price of tires, tuneup I would say buy it.
Take a look at what they are going and not going for on the bay and that should give you some idea of market price.
JM2C, Ben

I have seen Miyata Pro bikes with the same color scheme selling for $300-500 on our local Craigslist. If the components are decent quality and it's in good shape, it could be worth that much. Personally I wouldn't spend more than $300.

The reason we need pictures of the actual bike is that condition varies so wildly, and people's descriptions of bikes have little if any relevance on the actual condition. I've seen rusty junk described as "mint." I've seen bikes with obvious frame/fork damage for sale at full market value. Often bikes are crudely repainted which KILLS the value. Pictures tell the story.

You shouldn't invest $500 in this bike. But assuming the bike isn't wrecked you shouldn't need to. If the frame/fork/wheels are in good shape it might need $50-100 worth of parts, plus your labor. If it needs wheels or something big like a crankset, figure that into the price.

There are only a couple of vintage bikes I would invest $500 into (beyond purchase price), and this one is not one of them.