damanamohana

I'm a beginner looking to get into bicycle touring. I do not have access to quality touring bicycles where I come from. Since I'm visiting the US in a few weeks, I figured I could pick up an old MTB and convert it into a touring bike later. And then I figured if could buy a used touring bike for a "reasonable" price, I could avoid the cost of conversion later. I've come across these two bikes and was wondering if you guys think they're worth the money:

Miyata Listing (pictures attached): $575
Miyata Six Ten Mens Grand Touring Bicycle.Mfg 1984. Excellent Condition. New tubes and tires. New Chain and
Tune up by High Gear Cycles. Triple Butted Chrome Moly Steel Frame tubes. 40 spoke rear wheel. 36 spoke front
wheel. Dual bottle cages. 18 Speed shimano drivetrain. Cantilever Brakes. Luggage rack.Handlebars and stem
were changed to fit me better, I will include the original parts in the sale. Same goes for pedals, currently I have
Look pedals installed, I will include the originals in the sale. Additionally I had some ultralight fenders installed as
well.Sealed bearing gyromaster hubs received new sealed bearings in both hubs with the tune up. Ready for a
trip. 23" Frame.Considered one of the finest bikes for touring ever made.Paint and decals all there and in great
shape for 33 yrs.

Raleigh listing (pictures attached): $300
All original except rear derailleur and seat
Included in sale is a serviceable seat
LOW MILEAGE
Has a few scratches from garage storage

Looks like I'll need to invest slightly more into the Raleigh since it doesn't come with fenders or a decent saddle.

Bonus question: I was eyeing a 1997 Trek 730 that might be a hair small for me. I'm 182/almost-6' with an 88cm/34-35" PBH and it's a 21" frame. But it's only $120 and I could take my time to convert it into a touring rig. Do you guys that would be a better option? I could post this extra question in another sub-forum if it's wrong to ask it here.

oddjob2

The Miyata has been listed for 2 months, so it is not priced right IMHO. I sold the identical bike in 52cm(?) last year, in equivalent condition for $425, sans fenders. Maybe worth up to &450 as shown with fenders.



The Alyeska as incomplete is worth about $120, because the kickstand has crushed the stays. I have one available, completely refurbished in your size. Post message here if interested, but act quickly, I am heading to NJ tomorrow AM and can bring it.

Trek hybrid is too small. I had a same size 700 and at 5’10”, it is almost too small for me.

ramzilla

Welcome to the US. If you're looking for a used bike this is the place. Millions of bikes are purchased here and then rarely used. (It's all about cars). Never pay full asking price for anything unless you're absolutely sure it's exactly what you want. Deduct $$ for dry rotted tires, cracked hoods, messed up bar tape, out of true wheels, rock hard brake pads, rusted cables + anything else that needs to be replaced. (Remember, a decent set of tubes, tires & rim tape can set you back $70 - $80). Be good, have fun.

wrk101

The Miyata really isn't ready to go either. Look at that 30 year old rock hard foam handlebar cover. A good seller can pick up new bar tape for $2 or even less, so it makes me wonder about the rest of the bike.

On saddles, just remember, you may not even like the one on the Miyata. So the Raleigh missing a saddle is not as big of a deal as it sounds.

Raleigh is going to need lever hoods, not a big deal. It also needs new cables, so I would assume bearings and grease need to be replaced and serviced: headset, bottom bracket and wheel hubs.

I'd negotiate on the Raleigh, and forget the Miyata.


Touring bikes tend to sell at a premium. Ready to go, a nice 1980s touring bike is about $400. A grail model, like the Miyata 1000, Trek 720 and a couple of others bring more, about double.


Lots of bikes can be converted to capable touring rigs, both hybrids and rigid frame MTBs. But such a conversion is best suited for a person with the time/tools/aptitude/pile of parts. If that is you, go for it! I had friends ride coast to coast USA with a couple of Cannondale hybrids. Did just fine for them.

zukahn1

I'm with wrk101 the Raliegh maybe worth negotiating on I could see going $200-250 on it if it's the right size and color you want. No saddle would actually be plus for me it allows you some negotiation room to save $100 or so and you can get a really nice saddle in for less. As for the Miyata nice bike but not in a whole lot better shape realisticaly it will need some work and is priced a couple of hundred too high and since it's really nice bike that's been listed a while the seller likely won't negotiate.

rgvg

Not to derail the thread but can I ask in your opinion how much does that kind of kickstand damage affect the price in terms of %. In terms of ride the effect is minimal, right? Just asking because more than 1 of my frames have that.

coolkat

Personally, I couldn't care less about kickstand damage. It doesn't hurt anything and I'd rather have missing paint and rust way down there than someplace more visible. The Raleigh's still overpriced (they both are) but that's not based on the kickstand damage

Your trek might be ok, depending on just how bad the fit is but i wouldn't bother converting it to drops, if that's what you're thinking. The geo and fit of those hybrids just does not work well for that. Trekking bars and racks would make for a very functional and inexpensive touring bike.

ramzilla

I've personally never seen the chainstays crack or break off due to kickstand damage. (It's usually the seat tube that breaks loose on the bottom bracket). But, if it was a nice lightweight racing type bike with those dents ....... hmmmmm .... yeah, I'd want some reduction in price.

Pemetic2006

That 610 is nice but it's comparable to my Panasonic Touring Deluxe which was $100 plus shipping. Granted, that was a good deal.
You can score a Miyata 1000 for less than that 610 if you're patient.

damanamohana

Ah, I'd love to take a look at the Alyeska but tomorrow won't work as I'm visiting Princeton, NJ only on the 28th of April. I'll be there for two weeks, so if you've still got it by then, I can take a look?

79pmooney

I rode the heck out of a 610. Really well made bike. Those brakes are keepers. (I took one rode and they got pulled off and went on my custom where, 28 years later, they still are. In a demanding gravel adventure last summer I kept thinking how good they were as I went down 18% grades with tight corners.

That handlebar foam isn't 30 years old. Those are ergo bars. Ergo bars were still 15 years away when that bike was built. So he has to change out the seat. He's touring. The odds of the previous owner riding (or picking off a store rack) the right seat for the OP isn't very high. So that is just something that would have to happen anyway.

$575 might be a lot as a collector/flipper but the bike is easily worth that much as a quality rider.

OP, that's a good bike. You may be able to find an equal cheaper. But you won't regret this one if it fits you.

Ben

Dfrost 

I’m with @79pmooney in thinking that the Miyata 610 is the better bike here (and I admit to being a confirmed Miyata lover). It has more touring friendly chainrings, fittings for a front low-rider rack if desired, sealed bearings that are much less likely to need service, and the fitted fenders are a notable bonus for someone wanting to start touring, and probably not in a position to have them added without considerable labor expense.

The thorough description suggests that it was owned by someone who cared about it, and it looks to be in very nice condition.

I also note that the rack on the Miyata is triangulated lareally and consequently much stiffer in a useful way, unlike the rack on the Raleigh. The saddle (maybe an Avocet?) may not be the perfect one for the buyer, but at least it has one, and the foam bar grips could be used as a bargaining element. But the 610 represents a bike far closer to what the OP has requested, as a bike very nearly ready to go on a tour.

The Golden Boy 

IMO- the 610 is a great bike- but it’s priced too high.

That’s about what I paid for my 1990 1000LT.

thinktubes 

Ask to see receipts for the Tune-up and verify the new wheel bearings.

If they have the receipt and the bearings are new, offer $500.

If they can't prove the work was done, offer $450.

damanamohana

Thanks for all the inputs, guys and girls!