This fall my son will be going to Luther College in Northeast Iowa. There are SO many good roads down there, paved and gravel. I had on hand a Six Ten frame that I bought about six years ago as a complete bike, hoping against hope that it would fit me, but it was just too big. I built it and rebuilt it to no avail. Anyway, I never got around to selling it, so I used the frameset as the foundation to put together a great gravel/road/touring bike for him. Had the frame blasted and powder coated (my son and my wife chose the color scheme). His aunt, who works with HED, contributed the wheels, and I set about to figure out what parts to replace. Saddle is Brooks B17, bar tape is their new microfiber tape that matches the honey saddle. Seat post is Thomson Elite. Bottom bracket is IRD QB55 (a great alternative to Phil Wood, SKF and similarly expensive square taper BBs, but loads better than the throw away shimanos). Bar end shifters are used 9 speed DA from Ebay. RD is Deore 9 speed. Front Derailleur, Brakes, Brake Levers, Crankset are original (except for a 38T middle ring that replaced the half step original 48T). It fits him like a glove. It should be a fun, fun bike. I know there are some on this subforum who may be aghast that I bastardized the bike, but it works perfectly for him. Sorry about the size of the photos. I resized them with two different programs, but that didn't seem to have any effect.

That is one fancy bike. Does he love it?

Brilliant! That wheelset really makes it look capable of handling anything. I wish I had an aunt that worked at HED!
Where did you source the brown cable housing?

Hey! That's my home town... And a beautiful place it is.

That bike looks perfect for the area and I'm sure he will enjoy lots of riding. Just hope he doesn't mind HILLS but at that age, I'm sure he will do fine.
Great bike by the way. I put those tires on my kid's bikes when I can find them. They are so light and supple they really make for a nice ride and at that width, they will soak up the gravel and bumpy asphalt with ease.

Awesome build. Absolutely beautiful. I Like the Shimano M591 RD. I've picked a few of them up on ebay for around $30 and, they work like a charm on vintage drivetrains.

Magnificent! This is a work of art. Any trouble with the seat post? 26.7mm? This is a fun bike for sure. My 1980 610 had become my primary ride. It's just so smooth!

He does. I came home from work yesterday to finish before he got home. My wife and I didn't realize he'd come home till he came in the door with a big smile on his face and said, "That bike rides great!" He'd seen it in the garage and took it out for a spin.

Got the cable housing from Velo Orange.

He is a XC and track runner, and a swimmer, so the hills will be just what he's looking for. He's decided not to do college sports, as for the past several years so much of his time has been dominated by athletics. He's looking forward to being able to spontaneously take days and weekends to get out.

The seatpost was tight, but not unworkable for a 26.8. Pretty bike above. Thanks for the pic.

Gorgeous build! I hope you bought him a lock too

I'll probably send a dozen or so with him. I'll also tell him that if something happens to the bike, something happens to the bike. He's the kind of kid who would take it hard and feel personally responsible if it were to get stolen or damaged. Can't have that.

You are a wonderful dad!

Hey, y'know, "bastards gotta bastardize." Just teasing; bike looks like a great modernization of an old classic.

If you'd included 'before' pics of the frame with pristine paint and untouched decals, then you'd get some harumpfing from me. So if you have such pics, don't post 'em.

Ha! I actually do have those pics. My guess when I purchased the bike five years ago was that it had probably been ridden no more than a few hundred miles. It was in very good condition, but my son wanted a different color indexed shifting, etc. I love him more than I loved the bike, so...
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Hello I'm new. I like the green paint job on that Miyata. Not so long ago I restored a 1985 Kuwahara Siera Grande ATB, seeing the Miyata posted here made me realise just how much the early "mountain bikes" had similar geometries to road bikes. I have also had fun with turning a Nishiki Cresta repco into a bike capable of riding on gravel. Gravel bikes have gone mad here in NZ, but not as much as mountain biking where it would seem half the population is bouncing around and into trees. Both of these are a gloriously comfortable ride. Very much go to bikes. The Miyata 912 started off as a frame only, hadn't even heard of the name previously. Triple butted sticker. I built it up with a lot of modern second hand parts and it goes really fast. I like Japanese steel bikes. Will post pictures if any interest when I have done enough posts. Cheers all.

Ha, ha! That's a keeper. I would love to see pics. I've also had a Miyata 210 (covered in grease and barn sludge when I got it, polished up like new) that I sold, and then built up a NOS Team Miyata frame. Great bikes.

What a beautiful bike, and a beautiful gift! I hope he enjoys it for a long time.

Nice bike! Love that color.
If you happen to have the original 36/40 spoke 27" wheels and you want to sell them please pm me.

10x better than the typical college bike. Indoors only when not being ridden!

nice job.

+1

On second look that is still a beautiful bike. Very nice update!
I've convinced my college-age son that fenders are actually pretty nice when your bike is your only transportation. Have you considered fenders for this bike? Seems like they would fit and even when dry, gravel will nick up a frame in no time without them.

Gorgeous bike! Another notch for the Powdercoat man? It will probably be safer at Luther than at any typical Twin Cities college bike rack, but you may consider registering it (for free) on the Minneapolis Police Bike Registry. I know Iowa is a bit of a distance for a stolen bike to travel back, but at the very least you'll have a margin of proof that you own it if the worst should happen. I also would discourage keeping that Brooks on a college bike. You can buy a cheap "pleather" facsimile from Origin8 that will hold up to inclement weather a bit better. (I spotted the bonnet stuffed under the saddle, but sometimes weather happens when you're nowhere around.)