If it weren’t for this 1986 Miyata Pro road bike, I might never have found my true love. Five years after my ex abandoned this classic lugged steel bike in my garage, he gladly agreed to give it to my nephew. That meant boxing and shipping it to Louisiana, something I had no idea how to do on my own.
“Go to Chain Reaction and ask for Dick,” my friend Tammy said. There I met a man so intriguing I kept coming back for no real reason. After a weeks of engaging banter he asked me out for a bike ride. Our first bike date rolled us to bigger adventures: love, marriage and more bicycles. But this one holds a special place in my heart.
Builder of Japan’s first modern bicycle in 1892, vintage Miyata bicycles are known for their workmanship.
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- The 1986 Pro Miyata has classic features like a quill stem.
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- And a lugged frame with a chrome plated CroMoly fork.
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- The rear triangle is chrome too. The wheels have 36 double-butted spokes.
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- Down tube shifters! Front is friction, rear is indexed. Some wear on the decals.
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- My ex bought the Miyata in 1990 at Shaw’s, a local institution.
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- Look, the cable guide is above the bottom bracket, not below.
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- The originals are gone, so we bought some MKS pedals and toe clips.
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- The San Marco saddle is barely worn.
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- Single pivot side pull brakes were popular in bikes of this vintage.
Frank
June 11, 2012 at 8:53 am
That is one beautiful bicycle. I’ve always been a big fan of lugs. Shame you hardly seem them anymore.
ladyfleur
June 11, 2012 at 9:41 am
Thaks, it is beautiful. I’ve read that the ’86 was the last year Miyata made them in Japan.
My husband has a custom bike with lugs made by Richard Sachs. Also very lovely. If you like lugs, you should check out my photos from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show:
http://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/national-handmade-bike-show-nice-lugs/
http://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/nahbs-lugs-lights-racks-and-fenders/
Rachel Unger
June 11, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Aww. What a nice story. :)
ladyfleur
June 11, 2012 at 2:20 pm
I guess I was in a schoopy kind of mood.
Dan Falandysz
November 21, 2012 at 2:00 pm
I have the same bike. keep it in good shape and it will love you back for a life time.
ladyfleur
November 21, 2012 at 2:19 pm
It’s easy to keep in good shape since I rarely ride it. :( It technically fits me, but its racing geometry doesn’t fit the riding I do.