1982 Miyata Pro - Vintage Goodness

Like the Camaro you wanted in high school, the bike geek version from my bike shop era - the '82 Miyata Pro - this one spotted on eBay.  And Holy Suntour Superbe Batman, this one is a keeper.  Appears to be the garage queen with little use or wear.  Sweet.

Alas, 63cm frame way too big for me, so no need to explain to the family why I need a vintage Miyata hanging in the garage.  This one going in the $790 - $990 range, not exactly chump change.  Curious to watch the bidding action over the next few days.

I'll just admire from afar, pics borrowed from eBay listing...

I'll keep my eBay search alive.  I'd like to score just a clean frame set - as to not feel guilty pulling off vintage parts - then replace with something along the lines of modern Ultegra or Chorus.  Mixture of Old 'N' New, that be a very cool steed indeed, standing out in a sea of modern carbon.  True?

Ancient Miyata Fest - 912 and Team

Cruising eBay as I'm prone to do, searching for stuff I don't have the money or space for, came across two cool old Miyata bikes up for auction. Both in my frame size to boot.  Sweet.  Will I be bidding on these?  Of course not - but fun to look - and sure beats watching television.

Miyata?  Who cares you say.  Well, I do - since these are time travel machines for me.  During my shop days of the early '80s, we sold and assembled many Miyata models.  This was the age of lugged steel, toe straps, 6 speed freewheels, and quill stems.  Japan was the powerhouse of affordable, nice bikes at the time.  And out of all the bikes from Japan, and from the selection we carried, Miyata was always my favorite.  Especially their upper end road bikes - the 912, Pro, and Team.  Anytime I scored a customer assembly for one of these models, a little extra attention went into the build.

I remember one shop customer during that era.  Very friendly, short stocky guy, with a Romanian or Russian accent.  Older guy, well to 19 year old me anyway, seemed older.  Dude rode though, a lot.  He'd stop by the shop and chat with us, while we spun wrenches with the garage door open out to the parking lot.  During the early '80s in suburban New Jersey, didn't see many adults riding a race bike, complete with bike shorts, out on the street.  I always got a kick when he stopped by, like having a euro pro visit.   He rode a orange Miyata 912.

Joanne, one of our sales people, also rode a orange 912.  One day, another mechanic and I were goofing around, which turned into playful wrestling, which turned into Joanne's 912 flying in the garage door rail of the shop - denting the top tube.  Ouch.  We offered to buy her a new frame, she declined - though wasn't exactly happy.  Minor cosmetic dent, though I felt terrible about it.  My very empty wallet was relieved however.

Alas, I never owned one of these bikes, so still have a thing for old Miyata road bikes.  Call me weird.  I did score a new Miyata mountain bike in '84, but that's a different story.  

Back to the road trip...

Very orange 1981 Miyata 912 as spotted on eBay.  Only the modern saddle and water bottle cage spoiling the old school goodness.  Those cables could also use a trimming.  Nitpicks easily resolved.

Miyata head badge beams from the past.  Note the Shimano 600 shifters.  That be downtube and pre-index shifting.  Friction it be, yes indeed.

Shimano 600 derailleur with 6 speed freewheel.  Clear spoke protector still in place, amazing time specimen - really clean.

More old school 600 goodness.  Steel fork with clearance to run fatter tires.  Nice.

Fantastic condition.  Time warp, it's 1981, 912 in work stand, I just taped the 'bars.  Now time for a stromboli at Guy's Pizza...

Page from the Miyata catalog.  912 cringing with reflectors and spoke protector, usually removed within minutes of purchase.

Also spotted on eBay, a clean '86 Miyata Team.  The Team was Miyata's most expensive offering, the full race deal.  The '81 era Team went for $1250 or so, big bucks to me.  At the shop, the Miyata Team and a Raleigh Professional hung near the cash register, mostly to amaze folks shopping for bikes in a lower price range - much lower.  We sold very few of these bikes, but when one went out, a pretty big deal.  Huge score to assemble one of these as the replacement.

Clean example of '86 race technology.  Spare sew up included.

Dig the old school Campy Record.  Appears to be in great shape.  Still not as clean as the one I spotted awhile back, that one with Dura-Ace. Both in that cool blue however.

I'd get a grin out of having either one of these bikes hanging in the garage.  Especially the 912, even if the "lower" model of the range.  During my bike shop era, thought I'd be a poser on the Team, the 912 a bit more subdued.  The Pro model actually being the perfect middle ground.

I can't justify it, nor afford at the moment, otherwise I'd place a bid on that sweet orange 912.  I hope the new owner enjoys it, wherever it may land.

1986 Miyata Team - Yes Please

I spotted this sweet '86 Miyata Team on eBay, offered for sale by The Pros Closet. It looks super clean and in perfect shape. They're asking $900 and if I didn't have about two zillion items more important to spend $900 on, it be on its way here via a big brown truck. It's even my size. Damn.

I have a soft spot for Miyata bikes of that era - which happens to be my bike shop era. I spun wrenches in a shop from '81 to '84 or so. Whippany Cycle, located in scenic Whippany New Jersey. I assembled many Miyatas at that time and always dug their higher end road bike models - the 912, the Pro, and the Team. I never purchased one, but should have. I did wind up buying a Miyata mountain bike however, but that's another story.

I occasionally cruise eBay searching for a clean example, this one is the best I've seen.....

Old school Dura-Ace and steel fork. Very nice indeed.

More old Dura-Ace goodness. Only 6 speeds. Go ahead, count 'em.

Man, that's clean. I always dug the blue color of the Pro and Team models.

Ah, downtube friction shifters. Somewhere, Grant Petersen nods his head in approval.

Old school Turbo saddle. I still run one of these on my RB-1.

Very, very nice. Yeah, modern carbon bikes rock - but don't match this era of old school steel for style.

Oh well, the cleanest example I've ever witnessed. Not gonna happen, unless Santa is watching. I promise - I'll be good all year. Really.

Personal Rides: Miyata Ridge Runner

In the early ‘80s, I worked at Whippany Cycle, a bike shop located in Northern New Jersey. Even though I spent plenty of time as a kid riding around on Sting-Ray copies and department store “10 Speeds”, during my era at the bike shop I actually never owned a bike. Strange but true. I did borrow one occasionally for rides, but had nothing I called my own. Between attending community college, dating my girlfriend (and later wife) Lori, keeping my collection of ratty Fiats running, as well as my ‘73 Yamaha RD350 – there was no motivation or extra money to spring for a new bike. Sure, there were bikes hanging in the shop I lusted after – they would have to wait.

In 1984 the wait ended. Having a dirt motorcycle background, I really wanted a mountain bike. We carried Miyata at the time and I had my eye on the top of the line Ridge Runner model. I just scored my first job in computer operations and the pay increase over a bike shop wage was like hitting the lottery. I pulled in with my new Volkswagen GTI, popped for the Miyata Ridge Runner, plus a Miyata 110 road bike for Lori. All that with sick days and benefits included. What a concept. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast working at the shop – but having some extra was dough was a really nice change of pace.

This was the Cro-Magnon era of mountain bikes and the Miyata was a prime example. No suspension, SunTour Mountech derailleurs, 6 speed freewheel, friction shifting, bull moose handlebars, round bear trap pedals and bolt on hubs. I loved the thing. I rode it a fair amount for two years - on the road, exploring nearby woods, playing Observed Trials rider and just general cruising around. Besides cutting the handlebars down a bit and changing the grips, it remained stock and felt great.

At the time, mountain bikes were fairly rare. I remember riding it to watch the Tour of Nutley, a local crit race that I used to check out. People were asking me questions and one guy photographed it leaning against a wall. Another time I was cruising through Branch Brook Park in Newark, when some messenger looking dude rode by and asked me how many gears it had. When I replied 18, he just shook his head and cruised past. Anytime I ran into someone in the woods, hiking or on a dirt bike - they were amazed you could ride the same trails on a bicycle. This was years before land access hassles hit the scene.

This was also before helmets or specific mountain bike clothes. All I needed was a pair of OP shorts, sneakers and tube socks. Winter kit was jeans and hiking boots. Didn’t even use toe straps yet – that was for road bikes.

Near my house in Morris County, hit the woods in Mount Arlington and nearby Allamuchy. Trails I used to ride on with dirt motorcycles, replaced by human power. I never looked back. Hot humid summer rides, changing leaves in the fall, snow rides in the winter. Lori and I also rode the NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour on our Miyatas. Good memories.

I sold the Ridge Runner in 1986 after picking up a new Fat Chance. My old bike shop pal, John Passacantando bought it off me. He later gave it to his dad and from what I hear, still rides it today. As an interesting side note, John later went on to run Greenpeace USA – not bad for a bike mechanic from New Jersey.

Even though I already dug bikes, this Miyata really launched me into being a full on bike nut.

Thanks Miyata.