Second Hand Miyata?

uzapuca

Hi guys
I know little about road or commuters bikes. A friend of mine ask me for advice. He would like to buy a second hand bike both fast and not expensive for going to work.
I found this Miyata
http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell- ... Z487139511

Is it worth it a first look? Miyata is a great brand. What could be the necessary upgrades?

What do you think?
Best

JayKosta

The bike looks good, but I can't tell the exact model. It is probably a lugged steel frame, maybe with butted tubing. My guess is that it is from the mid 70's to early 80's.
It was probably a 'high end' racing model at the time - guessing from the forged rear dropouts with screw adjusters, and fluted seatpost...

For a bike like this, your friend should be willing and able to do mechanical adjustments and minor repairs, or be willing to pay to have them done at a bike shop.
Concerns:
1) The wheels and tires might be 'tubulars', which are a pain to fix/replace, and can be expensive and hard to find to purchase. Not good for commuting.
2) The downtube shifters and the toeclip pedals can be difficult and ackward to use.

To me, it looks like it would be more appropriate to an enthusiast or someone who wants a nice vintage bike for 'good day' rides.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

uzapuca

Hi JayKosta,
excelent info, indeed.

A question on concerns

1) The wheels and tires might be 'tubulars', which are a pain to fix/replace, and can be expensive and hard to find to purchase. Not good for commuting.
If you have "tubulars" can you just change them for regular tube and wheels? like
https://www.bike24.net/1.php?content=8; ... duct=39035

To me, it looks like it would be more appropriate to an enthusiast
could your give me some advice on what to look for on a fast, light and unexpensive second hand bike for commuting? any advice on that will be just great!

Best

JayKosta

Tubulars (also called 'sew-ups') are a special design of BOTH the tires and the rims. Regular 'clincher' tires and tubes cannot be used on tubular rims.
To change between clincher and tubular tires / wheels requires changing the entire wheel - rims and tires.

Regarding helping your friend select a bike -
Does he have experience riding?
Does he know that he'll enjoy it?
Commuting requires extra time, getting cleaned-up, changing clothes, being prepared for bad weather, darkness, etc. It would be a real annoyance for someone who doesn't enjoy cycling. I did cycle commute for several years, but stopped when it stopped being fun.

Perhaps the most help would be to accompany him to various bike sellers where he can test ride some bikes. For commuting and recreational riding, I suggest a bike that is durable (not too light weight) with sturdy wheels and tires. It should also be able to accept mud guards and lights for commuting.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

uzapuca

Thanks for the detailed info!

I learned something new today. It seems "Tubulars" are more complicated and i can imagine they don't have the same marketing variety than regular 'clincher' tires, right? Too bad, because if my friend buys that bike he will have to change the whole wheel set by a new modern one, so that is good money spent there.

My friend lives in Ottawa and he plans to commute only during the summer months where the weather is pleasant. He does enjoy riding. He was confused how come everybody past like a torpedo while he goes very slow in his actual moutain bike on the bike trails. I advice him to buy an unexpensive road bike which are lighter, have thinner wheels and groupset more for speed than force.

Any particular model or models that you could think off? There is a huge second hand market in Ottawa too.

By the way, if i decide to get the Miyata for me, just for the using the frame, do you think is a good buy for $200? Is it worth the money. You said is a "high end" bike.

JayKosta

I suggest contacting the Miyata seller and asking him about:

1) The wheels and tires, are they clinchers or tubulars? Also, even if they ARE clinchers, has he ever used the newer lightweight FOLDING clinchers, or always the older style (and heavier) WIRE BEAD clinchers. Back in the 70's all clincher tires had wire beads which gave them a lot of strength to tighty fit on the rim with high tire pressure. Later, folding clincher tires with a not quite as strong Kelvar bead became available and weighed less. But the rims for the folding clinchers need a 'hook' profile on the inside of the rims to grab onto a matching 'notch' on the tire to hold it to the rim. Some of the older clincher rims don't have the 'hooked rim' design.
Wire bead clinchers are widely available, but not in light weight 'racing' version.
One of my bikes came with tubulars, and I recently put on a pair of wire bead clincher wheels for more reliability. The clincher wheels came from an older bike that I bought used from an individual - in fact I bought that bike just for the wheels, and because it was inexpensive. The clincher wheels are heavier, but the bike works fine with them.

I THINK the Miyata has a 5 speed FREEWHEEL on the rear, ask the seller about that too.
Modern road bikes ususally have a 9 or 10 speed CASSETTE on the rear. There are all sorts of complications about having the proper sized chain and front chain rings to work with modern cassettes. If the Miyata has a 5 speed freewheel, then other wheels that also use a 5 speed freewheel should work ok. The front wheels are all pretty much the same, regarding how they fit on the bike.

2) Ask the seller about any decals on the seat post that indicate what type of tubing the frame is made from. 'Double butted' is the best, plain 'butted' is fine, if there is a decal and it doesn't say 'butted' of some sort, then the tubing is 'straight guage' which was generally used for lower cost but good quality bikes.
Also ask if there are any decals or paint on the frame that indicate what model Miyata it is.
With a frame of that vintage, modern components such as bottom bracket, cranks, stem, handlebars, wheels, etc. might not fit properly. So while using the frame probably CAN be done, it might be more work and expense than you imagine.

My 2 '10-speeds' are both from the 70's, and I plan to keep them that way. If I need parts, hopefully I'll be able to find them on used bikes of similar vintage.

About your friend not 'going fast' on a bike trail - even a mountain bike can go plenty fast on the flat as long as it has suitable gears, and good tire pressure. Maybe he is just riding at a sensible and safe speed!

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

uzapuca

Hi Jay,

Great info! every day i learn something new.
I will definitely talk to the seller to learn more about the Miyata. It would be interesting to learn what is the real model. If i enter in a restoration project is worth to know if is 'Double butted' or 'straight guage'.

Thanks again for the very detailed and rich response.

Best,
Sebs