PandaExpress

Picked up a used bike today, its a Schwinn Miranda. The seller said it was from somewhere around the 80s, but that's really about it. Can anyone tell me a bit about Mirandas from that time frame? It's blue/cerulean with a rigid steel frame. And does anyone have any experience with this bike, especially with conversion to a hybrid for commuting?

Sorry, I would load pictures but the uploader gives me an error every time it gets to 100%? I'll retry again later.

Thanks!

ColonelJLloyd 

Isn't that one of the oddball 80s bikes built with 650b rims? What are the markings on the tires?

rekmeyata

They came with 26" tires.

How much is the bike?

That particular model was the second from the lowest level MTB, if you can call it a MTB more of a ATB, that they offered, it was heavy at 30 pounds, and the stays were built bad, they used cheap steel not cromoly like the main 3 tubes.

I wouldn't pay more then $45 for it if it's in fantastic shape!

PandaExpress

Why were they oddball? Don't think they're the original tires, but mine say: Smoke, 2.1 Classic, Compe Kevlar, 26x2.1

LesterOfPuppets

My dad used to have one. It was a little portly but rode nicely. I wouldn't call the stays "built bad". Sure CrMo woulda been nice, but HiTen in the back yard doesn't destroy the ride, IMO.

Came stock with those awful foam grips but hopefully those have completely disintegrated by now and have been replaced.

Pops never had full slicks on it but had some center ridge tires on it and it got around pretty good.

I probably couldn't pay anymore than reky unless it was totally virginal, then maybe $60.

ColonelJLloyd 

Then they're not 650b. There were few mass produced bikes in the 80s equipped with 650b wheels.

LesterOfPuppets

Oh, and it's Mirada, not Miranda.

PandaExpress

Paid $100 at a charity sale for foster children. I may have been ripped off, but at least it was for a good cause! Nothing to compare it to, but it's a pretty nice comfortable ride. Will definitely be switching out the tires though, any recommendations for quality hybrid commuting tires?

PandaExpress

Well at 30 pounds, losing weight through biking shouldn't be a problem for me

The Golden Boy 

Unless, of course, your username is in reference to a Chinese food restaurant- and you're eating at Panda Express everyday, all the time.

At work, we occasionally order out from a restaurant called Panda Hut. It's good. And we like to refer to it as "Panda Butt" and I find it unreasonably funny to eat food from a restaurant called "Panda Butt."

rekmeyata

If this is a starter bike for you, then ride it and use it for whatever weight loss program your doing. Then if you decide after a year that you really enjoy biking then buy either a really nice used road bike or a new one. If you do decide to go used later take this time you have and read about various brands of vintage bikes and you can start here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/vrbn-a-f.html This site as not been updated in a few years so the prices have gone up, Sheldon Brown died and no one has bothered to up date prices. But it does provide useful information about various vintage brands. Then visit forums like this and others and read the vintage sites and learn what to look for in bike brands and models and components. Buying a vintage bike today is tricky if you don't know what your looking at, and a person can get badly ripped off.

Poguemahone

The Miradas,are,as another poster mentioned,fairly heavy.Still they're not bad. Unlike a lot of MTBs, they have horizontal rear dropouts, which lets you do a lot with them,as they can take a variety of drive systems. Mine is built as a snow and ice bike,fixed gear:



They're fine in a utility/hack bike sort of use. Should be fine for what you intend.

PHT

*shrug* Haters gonna hate! I like them and I think they are really comfortable. Mine was already equipped with upright riser bars and a killer sakae stem that I wish I kept.

Add some cheap semi-slick tires and you are pretty much good to go in regards to hybridizing. I sold mine for about $150 so they have value to the right person. It was pretty scratched up too.

Poguemahone knows what's up - older MTBs w/horizontal dropouts are great for winter bikes. I go the coaster brake route though. Some of the modern coaster hubs offer pretty good modulation. Nothing wrong with stripping off parts on an older mountain bike if it doesnt get any respect to begin with, right?

Flying Merkel

Got one of the 650b models. Converted it to 700c and added an 8 speed cassette. I like mine. It's a ponderous lovable tank. It has a antique feel of stability.

rekmeyata

I got to ask, how did you get the bike to remain upright like that? it appears frozen to the pavement! It's a weird shot. How did you manage to ride it on ice like that, do you have studded tires? Personally, I hate cold weather, I would never venture outside to ride a bike in anything below 40 degrees...I'm a cold weather chicken, not sure why I live in Indiana, I think it's because I'm stupid. Then to insult to pain, I hate riding the trainer in the winter because it's so boooooorrrrrrriiiinnnngg. So I start out at the beginning of cold weather riding on the trainer for about 2 hours, then as winter progresses and temps start to warm enough to go back outside I slowly taper down to about 15 minutes on the trainer.

Actually it's not a bad looking bike.

PandaExpress

Just wondering how narrow of tires this bike can handle? Definitely looking to switch out the knobbies for something more along the lines of city tires, but I'm not sure how narrow I can go before it just becomes too uncomfortable to ride?

sonatageek

Some years that model is 26" some years it is 650b. I have an lugged model with 26" wheels in the basement. A very nice lugged frame and beefy/comfy construction.

For folks who don't know, the bikes that were spec'd with 650b were not classified as mountain bikes (26" wheels = mountain bike) and so did not have to pay an import tariff.

rekmeyata

Actually Schwinn classified that bike as ATB or All Terrain Bike, they had a separate MTB class. Probably the ATB class is closely related to our Cross bikes we have today.

Poguemahone

I'm actually invisible and am riding the bike in the above shot.








okay, it's really held up by the pile of extremely wet snow around the front tire.

@ Panda-- the stock rims prolly can't go narrower than 1.25" or so.

I'm running studded tires on mine, and 22/18 gearing (really). When there's ice on the roads, it's the fastest bicycle out there. Actually, it's faster than most of the cars, too, since many of them are in ditches spinning their wheels. Get stuck on this, just pick it up and move it over. Lot lighter than a car, however heavy it may be.

jettore

I use these tires on my commuter MTB conversion. No flats so flats with about 1 year of use.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...8_20000_400238

Just swap the tires out and do whatever maintenance is needed and it will be a great commuter/around town bike. Maybe throw a rack/fenders on it and switch the bars out. Shouldn't need much more. 30lbs isn't a problem on a reasonable commute. My MTB conversion is over 30 and it's not a problem.

rekmeyata

I kind of figured the snow was holding it but it didn't seem like enough snow to do that, but it looked so funny like it was frozen to the ground.

Do you commute to work in the winter or just ride for fitness? I can't understand anyone wanting to ride a bike in those conditions because I hate the cold but you know that's just me. It's one thing to be riding with studs as you do, but I would be somewhat concern about the another car without studs hitting me because they couldn't stop. When I was kid I use to take bikes out into the snow and ice without studs and fell down a lot, but when your kid falling down you get up and laugh and do it again, now that I'm 58 years old I no longer fall down and get up laughing! In fact the older I've gotten the more allergic I've become to pain. So I try to avoid pain and it's long healing process and in that pursuit of pain free bliss I avoid riding in snow and ice.

Actually I'm surprised that at my age with all the injuries I had doing various sports and crashes I've had in cars and bicycles I'm riding a bike at all not alone pain free!

sauze

@ rekmeyta I rode my old Raleigh 'Super Grand Prix' single speed with 27 inch wheels and some old knobbly cross tires for nearly the whole winter last year (and here that's about 6 months) getting down to minus 40 some days. It's not nearly as bad as one would assume, even in Winnipeg. Most of the time there's enough packed snow on the road to get decent traction , I only had one spill and that was from absentmindedly touching the front brake on a small ice patch. Most drivers give you pretty wide berth , and I tried to avoid the very high traffic routes. It made my commute a lot better and I found less stressful than driving a car.

Poguemahone

This is Virginia. When it snows here, everybody panics, riots at the grocery store, and then returns home to hide for several days. It's the END OF THE WORLD!!!!!

Those who do go out driving tend to drive directly into the nearest ditch and get stuck there. I once watched a neighbor drive one car into a ditch, get out, start up their other one, and proceed to drive it into the same ditch.

In all fairness, the snow here is different. It usually melts a bit during the day, and then refreezes under the snow, reducing the roads to a nice frictionless sheet. Having driven in winter weather both here and Wisconsin, it is much easier to drive in Wisconsin winters. Also, the snow removal budget for the entire state tops out at about thirty-two cents.

rekmeyata

32 cents for snow removal...my god man their bankrupting the state!

It's funny watching people drive on ice and snow, especially those that think their invincible because their driving their SUV in 4x4 mode, or driving their 4x4's, and they go swooshing past me on the highway, then about 10 miles or so I go by them while they sit in a ditch or the median waiting for a tow truck that could take many hours due to all the other idiots stuck in ditches. And you would think after living here all their lives they would have a clue as to how to drive in ice and snow....nope.

Flying Merkel

SUVs and other 4x4s come with a hidden load of false confidence. Makes them dangerous through no fault of the vehicle.

My Mirada actually can handle most dirt trails competently. Not quite sure what ATB vs. MTB is all about. The Mirada is no MTB fer sure.