Just how big is the Miyata Cult?
#851
Senior Member
I think the Miyata is a good old touring bike with a lot of lore surrounding it and that lore jacks the pricetag on the used market. This is great news for those who don't care if they ever own a Miyata 1k as there are many similar calibre touring bikes of the same era to choose from. There is no way I'd take a Miyata 1k over a decent modern touring bike.
#852
buy my bikes
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,675
Bikes: my very own customized GUNNAR CrossHairs
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 475 Post(s)
Liked 317 Times
in
202 Posts
…just a mediocre touring bike…
The present iteration of my Miyata one thousand that doesn’t deserve cult status.
Set it up with a S-A 2spd
presently it’s got the worst Conti tyres of all time
I’m going to ditch them before I end up with a face full of gravel.


these tyres suck.
Set it up with a S-A 2spd
presently it’s got the worst Conti tyres of all time
I’m going to ditch them before I end up with a face full of gravel.


these tyres suck.
#853
Senior Member
Highly recommend one of the iterations of the Schwalbe Marathon tires. For asphalt, I love the Racer’s.
Likes For Chris Pringle:
#854
Senior Member
After 12 years or so I still have the ‘83 Miyata 700 in my small stable (a very close sibling to the 1000) and I appreciate it for its simplicity. Our guests have commented how much they love its ride traits when they’ve used it for weekend credit card tours. I later tell them it’s a bike from the early 80’s and they seem surprised. But I agree with you. Given the choice, for serious touring, I’d rather go with a modern touring bike.
#855
buy my bikes
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,675
Bikes: my very own customized GUNNAR CrossHairs
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 475 Post(s)
Liked 317 Times
in
202 Posts
Originally Posted by Chris Pringle;[url=tel:22905170
22905170[/url]]Highly recommend one of the iterations of the Schwalbe Marathon tires. For asphalt, I love the Racer’s.
#856
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,188
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 121 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4340 Post(s)
Liked 3,410 Times
in
2,208 Posts
Just rode my '83 Pro Miyata up to Bald Peak SW of Portland. (Frame picked up from a BFer last summer. Rusty mess but very well photographed so no surprises. Set it up with almost correct Cyclone derailleurs and brakes. Superbe came with it but salvaging those rusty parts is a future winter project. New GL330 rims and skinny race tubulars. Pure best of early '80s race bike.) Long NItto Pearl stem. Fit is simply sweet.
What a ride! Wonderful bike. Great handling. Race speed corners is what it was built to do. Uphill - stiff and just wants to go at all the watts you have. (I had to discipline myself a hide a few away from it.) Downhill completely behaved (at race quick but perfect steering. (As I get older, the consequences of high speed crashes get harder to ignore and with them, trepidation. Trepidation can be a driving force for speed wobble that hounds one off my bikes. This one is sweet. I backed off a little on the possible 50 mph descent coming home, light braking, light head wind, but not much and bike was fine.
Uphill - not super light. With no bag or pump probably no lighter that my '70s race bike but that had lighter wheels and tires. But this bike simply wants to go uphill. Plenty stiff. Everything I put out is forward energy. Like or a tiny bit better than old bike. Sadly the engine needs a major overhaul and until I see to that, the speeds don't compare. As great as this bike is, that old one was far, far faster.
And Miyata had so much figured out by then. Little stuff. That was the one year window of the SunTour Asymmetric shifters. With the Cyclones, sublime shifting and feel; about as good as DT friction ever got. They put housing stops over the BB to get the cable runs right for the shifters. (Like a cheap '70s ten speed but - they nailed the locations of the stops. I took my time and put in exactly right lined housing. Absolutely perfect!
Last - got one of those nice '80s metal flake painted bikes but with chips?. Want the paint you can touch it up with? Nail polish! Now matching the color is a challenge but I bet every bike out there is doable. It took me three polishes to get the right mix. I didn't always get it right but the bike is vastly better, looks good at a distance, even in bright sunlight and the rust is stopped. $8 X 3 makes the refurb expensive but still, way under 1% of my namesake's last paint job so I think I can manage the less than perfect. (I can always come back with another coat of better matched. The most visible ones are also the easiest to get at.)
What a ride! Wonderful bike. Great handling. Race speed corners is what it was built to do. Uphill - stiff and just wants to go at all the watts you have. (I had to discipline myself a hide a few away from it.) Downhill completely behaved (at race quick but perfect steering. (As I get older, the consequences of high speed crashes get harder to ignore and with them, trepidation. Trepidation can be a driving force for speed wobble that hounds one off my bikes. This one is sweet. I backed off a little on the possible 50 mph descent coming home, light braking, light head wind, but not much and bike was fine.
Uphill - not super light. With no bag or pump probably no lighter that my '70s race bike but that had lighter wheels and tires. But this bike simply wants to go uphill. Plenty stiff. Everything I put out is forward energy. Like or a tiny bit better than old bike. Sadly the engine needs a major overhaul and until I see to that, the speeds don't compare. As great as this bike is, that old one was far, far faster.

And Miyata had so much figured out by then. Little stuff. That was the one year window of the SunTour Asymmetric shifters. With the Cyclones, sublime shifting and feel; about as good as DT friction ever got. They put housing stops over the BB to get the cable runs right for the shifters. (Like a cheap '70s ten speed but - they nailed the locations of the stops. I took my time and put in exactly right lined housing. Absolutely perfect!
Last - got one of those nice '80s metal flake painted bikes but with chips?. Want the paint you can touch it up with? Nail polish! Now matching the color is a challenge but I bet every bike out there is doable. It took me three polishes to get the right mix. I didn't always get it right but the bike is vastly better, looks good at a distance, even in bright sunlight and the rust is stopped. $8 X 3 makes the refurb expensive but still, way under 1% of my namesake's last paint job so I think I can manage the less than perfect. (I can always come back with another coat of better matched. The most visible ones are also the easiest to get at.)
#857
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,188
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 121 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4340 Post(s)
Liked 3,410 Times
in
2,208 Posts
Do you mean Panaracer Paselas? If yes and you like the size, well if it was me, I wouldn't change. I love those tires. I have 28s on my winter/rain/city fix gear, 35 and 38 on my geared winter/rain/city and have used 25s on another bike. Great tires as an overall compromise. No real bad points. I've done fairly extreme off road with them and they've done well. Decent city tires. Not armored but they don't attract glass. One caution - be careful with the sidewalls. They don't like brushing curbs or bike parts rubbing - at all. But you can ride over sharp rocks all day. Sidewalls are strong and very thin.
Likes For 79pmooney:
#858
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 96
Bikes: '72 International Bicycle Corp, '71 Schwinn Varsity, '81 Peugeot PFN10, '76 Motobecane Grand Jubilee, '58 Raleigh Robin Hood Sport, '66 Schwinn Staret III, '81 Bianchi Super Sport mixte, '72 Moto Grand Touring, '86 Univega Maxima Sport
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
3 Posts
. . . many similar calibre . . . of the same era . . .
Umm, NO, in the ‘80’s the Miyata 1000 was the pinnacle of touring bikes. I’ve a Miyaya 1000 (for comfortable 30- to 50-mile rides) and a Miyata 615 (for sporty trips to the market and back) in my garage, and I’ve restored, rebuilt, or upgraded about 20 steel, pre-index shifting, road bikes and coaster-brake middle weights. I am old school, yes, and I’ve yet to be on an aluminum or carbon fiber bike, or combination thereof, which rides as sweet as lightweight alloy steel.




I think the Miyata is a good old touring bike with a lot of lore surrounding it and that lore jacks the pricetag on the used market. This is great news for those who don't care if they ever own a Miyata 1k as there are many similar calibre touring bikes of the same era to choose from. There is no way I'd take a Miyata 1k over a decent modern touring bike.
Likes For MLyon18:
#859
Extraordinary Magnitude
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,479
Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
Mentioned: 83 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2533 Post(s)
Liked 1,520 Times
in
843 Posts
The Trek 720 was always made with premium 531 frame/fork/stays and was always specced "better" than the M1000 during its run.
Until the advent of the Splined Triple Butted Tubing for the 1987 model year, they were just ordinary really nice bikes- the splined tubing added stiffness which really makes those bikes special- however it also adds weight (compared to the normal CrMo tubing or the tubing or premium tubing other manufacturers were using).
I have a 1990 Miyata 1000LT. It's a wonderful bike, it's stiffer than any of my other tourers, but it's also heavier than my other bikes. It easily fits 35s, one of these days I'll get around to seeing how they fit with fenders. If I were to be hauling a lot, I think I would choose my M1000. For either unloaded rides or up to 20 pounds, I'd prefer my 720 (or my 620).
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
#860
Car free since 2018
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 650
Bikes: Mostly japanese ones
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 234 Post(s)
Liked 252 Times
in
124 Posts
Miyata was as good as the other high end tourers of the day- but not "the pinnacle" by any means.
The Trek 720 was always made with premium 531 frame/fork/stays and was always specced "better" than the M1000 during its run.
Until the advent of the Splined Triple Butted Tubing for the 1987 model year, they were just ordinary really nice bikes- the splined tubing added stiffness which really makes those bikes special- however it also adds weight (compared to the normal CrMo tubing or the tubing or premium tubing other manufacturers were using).
I have a 1990 Miyata 1000LT. It's a wonderful bike, it's stiffer than any of my other tourers, but it's also heavier than my other bikes. It easily fits 35s, one of these days I'll get around to seeing how they fit with fenders. If I were to be hauling a lot, I think I would choose my M1000. For either unloaded rides or up to 20 pounds, I'd prefer my 720 (or my 620).
The Trek 720 was always made with premium 531 frame/fork/stays and was always specced "better" than the M1000 during its run.
Until the advent of the Splined Triple Butted Tubing for the 1987 model year, they were just ordinary really nice bikes- the splined tubing added stiffness which really makes those bikes special- however it also adds weight (compared to the normal CrMo tubing or the tubing or premium tubing other manufacturers were using).
I have a 1990 Miyata 1000LT. It's a wonderful bike, it's stiffer than any of my other tourers, but it's also heavier than my other bikes. It easily fits 35s, one of these days I'll get around to seeing how they fit with fenders. If I were to be hauling a lot, I think I would choose my M1000. For either unloaded rides or up to 20 pounds, I'd prefer my 720 (or my 620).
#862
Extraordinary Magnitude
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,479
Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
Mentioned: 83 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2533 Post(s)
Liked 1,520 Times
in
843 Posts
Ugh, you have to bring that up... ugh...
So, like 5 years ago I went out to the garage and I see a 2x4 sitting on the middle of the garage floor- the little girl had some friends over and I thought maybe they had been digging around, looking for something in the garage... so I grab the VSP, ride to the bike store to pick up some stuff, and I parked the bike and something just looked "off." And then I see the dent in the top tube. What I've surmised is that I had that 2x4 stashed in the rafters, and over a few years of opening and closing the garage, that 2x4 fell square on the top tube of my VSP. It's really just cosmetic, but it sucks the soul out of you- and it's JUST in my peripheral vision. I have had the bike mostly torn apart for the past 3 years just because I'm more crushed than the TT.
That being said, the 2 Voyageurs that I've had, they have a less laid back geometry- it feels familiar, yet weird for the first few miles or so. I've ridden a lot of miles on both my old 86 Voyageur and the 84 Voyageur SP- but I haven't done a lot of 'loaded' riding with either of them.
So, like 5 years ago I went out to the garage and I see a 2x4 sitting on the middle of the garage floor- the little girl had some friends over and I thought maybe they had been digging around, looking for something in the garage... so I grab the VSP, ride to the bike store to pick up some stuff, and I parked the bike and something just looked "off." And then I see the dent in the top tube. What I've surmised is that I had that 2x4 stashed in the rafters, and over a few years of opening and closing the garage, that 2x4 fell square on the top tube of my VSP. It's really just cosmetic, but it sucks the soul out of you- and it's JUST in my peripheral vision. I have had the bike mostly torn apart for the past 3 years just because I'm more crushed than the TT.
That being said, the 2 Voyageurs that I've had, they have a less laid back geometry- it feels familiar, yet weird for the first few miles or so. I've ridden a lot of miles on both my old 86 Voyageur and the 84 Voyageur SP- but I haven't done a lot of 'loaded' riding with either of them.
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
#863
Car free since 2018
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 650
Bikes: Mostly japanese ones
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 234 Post(s)
Liked 252 Times
in
124 Posts
Ugh, you have to bring that up... ugh...
So, like 5 years ago I went out to the garage and I see a 2x4 sitting on the middle of the garage floor- the little girl had some friends over and I thought maybe they had been digging around, looking for something in the garage... so I grab the VSP, ride to the bike store to pick up some stuff, and I parked the bike and something just looked "off." And then I see the dent in the top tube. What I've surmised is that I had that 2x4 stashed in the rafters, and over a few years of opening and closing the garage, that 2x4 fell square on the top tube of my VSP. It's really just cosmetic, but it sucks the soul out of you- and it's JUST in my peripheral vision. I have had the bike mostly torn apart for the past 3 years just because I'm more crushed than the TT.
That being said, the 2 Voyageurs that I've had, they have a less laid back geometry- it feels familiar, yet weird for the first few miles or so. I've ridden a lot of miles on both my old 86 Voyageur and the 84 Voyageur SP- but I haven't done a lot of 'loaded' riding with either of them.
So, like 5 years ago I went out to the garage and I see a 2x4 sitting on the middle of the garage floor- the little girl had some friends over and I thought maybe they had been digging around, looking for something in the garage... so I grab the VSP, ride to the bike store to pick up some stuff, and I parked the bike and something just looked "off." And then I see the dent in the top tube. What I've surmised is that I had that 2x4 stashed in the rafters, and over a few years of opening and closing the garage, that 2x4 fell square on the top tube of my VSP. It's really just cosmetic, but it sucks the soul out of you- and it's JUST in my peripheral vision. I have had the bike mostly torn apart for the past 3 years just because I'm more crushed than the TT.
That being said, the 2 Voyageurs that I've had, they have a less laid back geometry- it feels familiar, yet weird for the first few miles or so. I've ridden a lot of miles on both my old 86 Voyageur and the 84 Voyageur SP- but I haven't done a lot of 'loaded' riding with either of them.
I have a small Voyageur I got last year, and I like it a lot. It's very far from perfect, but it's comfortable. Both the rear and the fork seem to have been spread. I can understand the rear but I don't understand why the fork. I like the way the frame seems to have a bit of flex to it, compared to my 1000 LT, which is stiffer. My Pro Tour is also a bit stiffer, but not as stiff as the Miyata. I have never ridden any of them loaded, though since I was/am a clyde, you could say it's always loaded.
I have to say I really like your bikes (the pics at least).
Likes For rgvg:
#864
Full Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Keizer. OR
Posts: 273
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Liked 236 Times
in
96 Posts
Scored my grail frame today!
I've been gathering parts and the wheels in hopes of some day finding an '89 Team Miyata in my size (63cm), and knowing that it just might not happen. Well, just drove three hours away and picked it up! Threw the wheels and seat on as a very preliminary mock-up. It will run 9 speed Dura-Ace, can't wait to get this on the road!!

Likes For attylah:
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
DavidW56
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
3
11-10-10 02:33 PM