Yesterday I took my first step into the vintage bicycle arena with a purchase of what I believe to be a 70s (most likely 75-78) Miyata. I have been looking through the sites with the Miyata catalogs, but this seems to predate the oldest catalog I could find, which was 1981. Any help identifying would be appreciated. Details below and photo attached. Thanks!

Frame - Orange with chrome tipped fork and rear triangle. Miyata decal, Sport Model decal, and a red, yellow, blue, green striped decal. Miyata badge says Made in Japan.
Rear Derailleur - Shimano Crane
Front Derailleur - Shimano Titlist
Brakes - Shimano Tourney (center pull)
Bars - SR Road Champion Sakea Custom (all text stamped on them)
Crank - SR Custom-3 Sakae Chainwheel Melt Forging (all text stamped on them)
Saddle - Concor S Marco Supercors (with a strange squiggle after it)

Crane is considered Shimano's first generation Dura-Ace. Date codes on the back can be traced on Vintage-Trek.com and looked at on disraeligears.

https://www.vintage-trek.com/index.htm

https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...Ace_story.html

Thanks cb400bill, I was able to determine the rear derailleur is the first style of Shimano Crane released since the outer cable stop is part of the casting. This model was introduced in 1971. I wasn't able to determine the exact year as the only stamped number is an 8, the code sheet didn't go older than 1976. Still curious to find out what model and year the bike is.

This probably won't help much, but I bought a new Miyata in 1977 (a beautiful pearl white one). I'm pretty sure the Miyata logo (the big letters spelling out Miyata on the downtube) were different than those in your picture. And, as I recall, I don't remember seeing your Miyata logo in the years after I bought mine. Which leads me to believe that your bike is pre-1977.

Thanks New Yorker! At this point anything helps. I have been searching for clues all day. There was a post on this forum a couple years back by a guy with what sounds to be the same bike. A member T-Mar (from what I have seen, the Miyata SME) asked him questions that seemed to describe my bike even more. Unfortunately the conversation never finished. Hopefully T-Mar reads this and can provide some of his knowledge.

Don't know if any of these will provide clues, but might be worth checking…

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Japan/miyata.htm

https://images.google.com/images?q=19...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/110695-mid-70s-miyata-top-line.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/58208360@N00/3423988567

https://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DG%26um%3D1

https://www.ask.com/bar?q=%221974+Miy...Ft-299938.html

New Yorker,

Thank you for your reply, that last link gave me some hope... it is an identical configuration to what I have, except mine seems to have a serial number that would make it a year older. Your links also helped me refine my google searches and I found a post that T-Mar identifies a similar frame (in wild yonder blue) as a MX-T. I still can't find any additional information online about this model, and unfortunately for me it appears (from his posts) T-Mar is on sabbatical for 2 months.

Thanks again for your help!

Hey man. I just got your PM. That was my old thread you were talking about. Here if anyone is interested.

I never did figure it out. It wasn't in the best shape so I sold it last year. Does yours have the same lugs and badge?

Mine appears to have the same lugs, but the badge is different. Mine has the same badge as the one at this link. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/537452-first-c-v-miyata-pro.html

Since the one at the link was a frame only I was starting to think mine was pieced together until I saw yours with the same component config.

I believe the guy I bought mine from said it was some kind of special collaboration by the bike shop he got it from in the Mid-West, so that probably explains the badge. Twice I've run into people with the same frame. Neither of them had the Miyata decals either. Yours is the first one I've seen like that. I was never 100% sure mine was even a Miyata until now.

2-7offsuit, I picked this bike up in the mid-west. Did yours (or the others you talked to with these bikes) come from the St. Louis area? If so, any idea of the bike shop that did the special collaboration?

The OP's bicycle is a mid-1970s Miyata MX-R.

Thanks T-Mar, do you have much information on these bikes or can you tell me where I can find more information? From discussions I have had with others, it seems like there is some tie with the Midwest for these bikes, and just curious possibly why. Also, any idea where the MX-R fit into Miyatas line-up?