7 x 3 = 18?
 

So just skimming the local CL pages, and came across a Miyata Touring bike 1000 T. Right size, but I really don't need another bike right now (contract ended). Miyata 1000LT, 58cm, Touring

But something got me curious. I went to the Miyata catalogue in the ad and tried to see what equipment was on it. It states a seven speed hub but that the bike has 18 speeds. Was that just a typo? Or did they limit the RD to 6 out of 7 sprockets? If my fuzzy brain remembers properly, 7 speed derailleurs were standard in 1989.

With overlap 7x3 is only 7 speeds anyway or something like that. You can easily dismiss 3. Speaking in gears written F(ront)-B(ack) 1-3 is the same as 2-1 and 2-4 is similar to something like 3-1 and this happens in many combinations that are pretty much the same.

There likely was an upgrade somewhere form 6x3 to 7x3, they just never quite updated all the specs.

It's a typo. I counted 7 gears on the cassette and 3 chain rings. That's a 21-speed in my book even if some are duplicates.

7-speed FWs fit in 126 mm spaced dropouts. 126 mm was adopted in the early '70s to accommodate 6-speed FWs using the same spacing as 5-speed FWs. Late '70s SunTour, then others started making narrow FWs such that 6 cogs now fit in bikes spaced for 5 and 7 cogs in the space for 6. So using the old terminology, that Univega is a 6-speed spaced frame with a 7-speed FW.

The bike looks like it was from the early '80s when 7-speeds were pretty new and 126 spacing was universally called "6-speed".

Ben

The Miyata 1000LT was not offered in 58cm (color and decals match 1989, so I'm educated-guessing on the year). It was offered in 50, 54, 57, 60 and 63cm

Miyata Bicycle Catalogs: Miyata Catalog 1989

It came with a 3 x 7 or 21-speed drivetrain as standard.

But that same page said 18 speeds, hence the confusion. I am guessing it was a typo.

Yes, I noticed that in both on the description page and the spec page they list the Shimano 7-speed CASSETTE for the 1000LT. However, the 618GT is listed as only having a SunTour 6-speed (freewheel?) and triple crank for 18 speeds.

So that bike is about $420 US?

It's not a typographical error. It's an editing error.

Quoting Winston Churchill responding to a charge of ending a sentence with a preposition, "This is the sort of pedantry up with which I will not put!"
BITD, gearing was invariably referred to by the product of the number of front chainrings and number of rear sprockets, ergo, 10-speed, 12-speed, 15-speed, etc. ;) :beer:

according to sheldon,

2x5 = 8 gears (or less)
2x6 = 9 gears (or less)

I'm well aware of what Sheldon wrote, duplication of gears, issues with cross chaining etc.

But I, and I suspect all of the posters in the thread also are aware, that bicycle catalogs and ads universally state the total number of gears, not the number of useful gears.

I suspect some of you have spent too much time away from the bikes.

I know I get extra punchy during the winter...

7 x 3 = 18?
 

Only for pedalphiles.

I respectfully disagree with a counter-example, and regret only that Sheldon is no longer around to debate this, in his always-civil and rational fashion.

I geared my UO-8 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26, with an ultra-6 freewheel, and I have a near-perfect ratiometric progression through all 12 chainring/sprocket combinations, including two eminently usable crosschains. The half-step in front helps, as does the close horizontal spacing and moderate cog size range in back.

With 1.5-step gearing and a standard 6-speed freewheel (14-26 and 13-23), I get 11 usable gears with the 2x6 combinations on the Bianchi and the Capo Modell Campagnolo. I avoid the somewhat rough-running large-large cross, but small-small works nicely.

Definitely a 60cm vs 57. I think that bike looks great but am biased towards miyatas. I would pay 400-500 for an inspected/approved keeper with perhaps some haggle over fender set and racks.

That price is a steal for that bike. This and the equally-revered Trek 720 touring bikes from the eighties regularly sell for over $1000 on eBay. This assumes the frame is intact with no dents or damage. That Miyata and the Trek are the two finest touring bikes ever produced.

Keep in mind that while you're wondering about the number of gears, somebody else might be buying it. Snatch it if you can - it's a treasure.