spiderwilliams

I have a Miyata 1024 10 speed from 1977 that I bought at Lowry AFB in Colorado. Frame is good, but is it worth restoring?

fietsbob

IDK , it's your time and Money
That old its 5 by 2, 120 wide rear dropouts, Right?


think of making it over with a 3 speed Hub gear, If vertical dropouts the old rear derailleur is OK as a chain tensioner..

HTupolev

Define "worth." If there's a lot of stuff that needs work, there's a good chance that bringing it to good condition will cost you substantially more than the resell value. If you spend $300 improving a $200 bike, you don't have a $500 bike; you have a pretty sweet $200 bike.

Depending on your goals, for instance if you're going to ride it, that may not be an issue.

ironwood

It is probably worth overhauling and cleaning if you do it yourself. 1024 refers to the steel in the frame or fork. Some Miyatas had cro-mo main frames and 1024 forks.

It's nice to have an old bike around for quick trips or errands. There are places you wouldn't want to ride or leave an expensive new bike.

52telecaster

If You keep the rear derailleur might as well keep e front as well and have a 2x3 or 3x3. That's what I did with my miyata1000. I have a granny and half step with a sturmey aw.

bikemig 

You should post some pics of the bike in the C&V forum with some ideas of what you might want to do with the bike.

one4smoke

Quote of the day!

TomHilbert

I purchased two bikes from the 1980s on eBay and for both of them I spent more than double what they are worth making them into beautiful bikes for riding. I also recently bought a 1970s Schwinn Paramount and replaced most of its parts, costing quite a bit. All 3 bikes are my pride and joy.

Deciding what to spend on an old frame or bicycle is a very individual thing.

Sangetsu

Probably not work restoring, at least not yet (back in the 70's, nobody thought Schwinns from the 50's were worth restoring), but it is perfectly worth fixing it up enough to ride. If you aren't very mechanically inclined, an old Miyata is a good bike on which to learn.

dedhed

"Restore" - no, "Rehab" or "Rebuild" - probably, IF you can do most of the work yourself.

bulldog1935

Considering that you bought this bike in 1977, I vote rebuild it into a Rocky Mountain limousine.
No, you could never sell it for what you put into it, but you could also never replace it for what you put into it.
Here's my old Raleigh bought in 1977.
I live in the TX hill country, and climb 400' with a 14% grade to get home.
This is also the green choice compared to importing another China-cut cookie.



drivetrain - half-step plus granny chainrings work equally well with wide-5 or -6 in the rear.


if you don't live in the hills any more, just rebuild it around your comfort - regardless, you should begin this way.

Check out this thread, it's a good place to get ideas, and the C&V forum will get just about any rebuild question you have answered
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...ke-thread.html

52telecaster

That's worth every penny spent in my book.

bulldog1935

What you see above is 3 major rebuilds over 40 years of riding.
This is the kind of rebuild that you should never consider having your local bike shop do for you. It would cost $1500 and would not be worth it.
But if you have any mechanical skills, you can do it at home, and smart shopping for tools and parts makes it cost-effective.
All the information you could ever ask for is on the internet.
Pick and choose what you need done at you LBS. If you're not comfortable with adjusting BB and headset, have those rebuilt by your LBS, etc.
Take it in stages.
Begin with rebuild for immediate service, then rebuild for comfort and work your way through rebuild for function.

rekmeyata

It was a low end bike for Miyata, the 1040 means that the frame is made of 1040, the fork could be the same or it could be even lesser quality, either way the bike isn't worth pouring a lot of money into then expect to turn and sell it for a profit...it won't happen, you'll take a loss. Having said that, if you're going to use the bike to commute in then the cost to get it in reliable road worthy condition (ie, overhauling the bike which means relubing all areas and replacing any bearings that may need it, replacing cables and brake pads if necessary, truing wheels, adjusting the entire driveline, maybe replacing the freewheel if the gears are worn, and the chain if worn), will be worth it because you'll save fuel and wear and tear on a car. As far as any components go, don't replace anything if it isn't broken, if a part is broken and cannot be fixed find the lowest costing part you can buy to make a suitable and workable replacement. In other words don't go and upgrade stuff for no reason, just get it in road worthy condition. If you are using it for commuting invest a set of low cost fenders is helpful as are front and rear lights.

bulldog1935

the same could be said for the Raleigh Grand Prix I bought in Nashville, TI 20-30 tubing.
I've ridden the bike 1500 mi/yr in rotation with my other bikes, and it doesn't meet anyone's pigeonhole except mine.
And that's the point - it's mine.
Considering the OP is probably my age and his goal is to ride the bike.
Yes, make it ride-able. Make it yours.
It is a more noble effort than buying a new Chinese import.

cb400bill

Thread moved to Appraisals

rekmeyata

Huh? He wasn't asking for an appraisal, he was asking if it was worth while fixing up his bike, not how much it was worth, even though that is part of equation which is to make sure he doesn't overspend by putting on more expensive stuff then the bike is worth...unless he wants to of course.