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90's Koga Miyata

14K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  KogaValleyRunner  
#1 ·
Here's my recently built mid-90s NOS Koga Miyata Forerunner lugged steel, triple butted frame that I recently got from ebay. It has various modern parts like SRAM 9.0sl shifters, 7.0 9 speed cassette, MC-572 LX cranks, Avid V-brakes, Geax Sturdy 2.1 tires. I did a 17 mile backroads ride with it yesterday on New Years day and I really love it.
 
#5 ·
Rumpfy said:
I've talked to that guy a few times. He's very helpful.
As I understand it, he's unloading all the remaining Miyatas after the company went belly up. Mostly NOS stuff and a really good deal.
Yeah, his ebay username is "eencore", I recommend him highly. I've now bought 3 NOS Miyata frames from him on ebay, all right around $50-60 each too. The other 2 are bonded aluminum frames that I really like. The one that I've built up rides amazingly steel-like. All are actually quite modern with 135mm rear axle spacing. The really nice thing about the old Miyatas is that they are very well crafted and straight frames.

Miyata USA used to be headquartered in SLC, like eencore's shop is. Someone must have bought a large quantity from them after they went under. Interestingly, Dutch-Japanese company Koga-Miyata now has a new US distributor as of recently. http://www.kogausa.com/
 
#6 ·
Rumpfy said:
That sounds about right.
Did you get the black and 'paint dab' Elevation frame as well? Heavy frames, they better be straight!

I asked him if he had any old Ridge Runner Teams...I want to go Herbold Replica.
Well this particular steel bike isn't a super-lightweight for sure. I'd guess somewhere around 5 to 5.25 lbs. A lot lighter than my Surly Instigator frame anyway. It was originally sold as a 26" wheeled touring bike I think. It has pump pegs, long chainstays and grounding lugs for the light system etc., in addition to the lugged construction. The aluminum ones aren't as heavy. I never weighed the first one but I'd guess it's around 4 to 4.25 lbs. and the Elevation 5000 I have is weighed at 4 lbs. 10 oz. and it has a lot beefier "lugs" that the tubes are glued into than the first one.
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
alfaman said:
Hello guys

I am looking at those NOS miyata prologue on ebay.
any thoughts? thanks for reading.

joe
I'm not familiar with that particular frame but you'll have no worries with that seller: I've bought three NOS Miyatas from him. In general though, all of those Miyatas are Japanese made and very high quality. You'll of course pay a slight weight penalty over an aluminum frame but it'll ride great.
 
#14 ·
Is Koga/Miyata the same company as Miyata?
I remember checking out old German bike mags and the Koga/Miyatas they had looked nothing like the carbon/alu, alu/alu, steel, tripplebutted steel, Miyata frames that are so common here in Sweden.

Anyway.. Ive always wanted a carbon/alu bonded Miyata frame. If I can find the one that was goldplated (I think, some parts of the frame was gold something) I would probably ask the guy on the street if he wanted to sell his 10 year old bike for 500 kronor.. about 60 bucks.
 
#15 ·
erkan said:
Is Koga/Miyata the same company as Miyata?
I remember checking out old German bike mags and the Koga/Miyatas they had looked nothing like the carbon/alu, alu/alu, steel, tripplebutted steel, Miyata frames that are so common here in Sweden.

Anyway.. Ive always wanted a carbon/alu bonded Miyata frame. If I can find the one that was goldplated (I think, some parts of the frame was gold something) I would probably ask the guy on the street if he wanted to sell his 10 year old bike for 500 kronor.. about 60 bucks.
As I understand it Miyata made and exported high quality, Japanese made frames until the value of the yen made that unprofitable. They then folded up shop in the USA around the mid-nineties. Koga-Miyata is a Dutch/Japanese venture, Koga being the Dutch part. It looks like most of their bikes are now built in Taiwan/China.

Those old splined tubing, triple butted, lugged, steel frames are a thing of the past it looks like, though they still make some lugged steel road frames. The glued carbon, titanium and aluminum ones that you mentioned (and that I love too) are no longer made.
Check out this older carbon one though: https://www.dli.ch/Hobbies/Bikes/Travelbike/#general%20Information

I'm still trying to figure this crank out that's on it: https://www.dli.ch/Hobbies/Bikes/Travelbike/MVC-236F.JPG

https://www.koga.com/
https://www.kogausa.com/
 
#16 ·
tl1 said:
As I understand it Miyata made and exported high quality, Japanese made frames until the value of the yen made that unprofitable. They then folded up shop in the USA around the mid-nineties. Koga-Miyata is a Dutch/Japanese venture, Koga being the Dutch part. It looks like most of their bikes are now built in Taiwan/China.

Those old splined tubing, triple butted, lugged, steel frames are a thing of the past it looks like, though they still make some lugged steel road frames. The glued carbon, titanium and aluminum ones that you mentioned (and that I love too) are no longer made.
Check out this older carbon one though: https://www.dli.ch/Hobbies/Bikes/Travelbike/#general%20Information

I'm still trying to figure this crank out that's on it: https://www.dli.ch/Hobbies/Bikes/Travelbike/MVC-236F.JPG

https://www.koga.com/
https://www.kogausa.com/
Good lord!
That crank can't be a good idea.
 
#18 ·
tl1 said:
As I understand it Miyata made and exported high quality, Japanese made frames until the value of the yen made that unprofitable. They then folded up shop in the USA around the mid-nineties. Koga-Miyata is a Dutch/Japanese venture, Koga being the Dutch part. It looks like most of their bikes are now built in Taiwan/China.

Those old splined tubing, triple butted, lugged, steel frames are a thing of the past it looks like, though they still make some lugged steel road frames. The glued carbon, titanium and aluminum ones that you mentioned (and that I love too) are no longer made.
Thanks for the info!

I had a splined tubed Miyata once, it was the same bike that Herbold won the DH worlds something on. The blue/white one but with a one inch steerer. Though I dont have it anymore I did like the lugs. Lugs on a mountainbike really looks great!
 
#19 ·