Last year I picked up this 1985 Miyata 100 for $50 while looking for a bike for my kid. I did not know anything about the Miyata brand at the time except in passing, and didn't even know if I was buying anything good. I just saw thin steel tubing and a "MADE IN JAPAN" sticker and bought it without question. Turns out, the 100 was the entry-level model, but that's ok, because my athletic performance is very entry-level.
I do mostly trail riding and MTB, and do not have a road bike. There is a paved 35-mile long road biking trail I like to do, but I used a gravel bike with chunky tires for that, probably not the most efficient idea. But hey, use what you got right?
I wanted a road bike that didn't come with pretentiousness, and definitely not something in a boring color. While looking for road bikes over the winter, I forgot that I stashed the Miyata in the shed. A couple of weeks ago, I pulled it out, and with spring in the air, I thought that a cherry blossom type theme would work well with the sky blue frame.
So I took apart the whole bike. While I had tons of MTB tools, I did not have any tools to work with the vintage bottom bracket or lock rings on the bike. Rather than buy more specialty tools, I decided to design and 3D print some myself. It took half a dozen iterations, but I was able to uninstall and reinstall everything needed.
Every single part was cleaned with degreaser and alcohol, all the bearings were re-greased, and all the raw metal parts were buffed with steel wool. Surprisingly, there was almost no wear on the bearings, which indicated that it was either well-serviced, or never used.
The tires which came with the bike were the original Miyata brand, but they were rotted and split. So I picked up a pair of Panaracer Pasela tires with new tubes. They're more commuter oriented, but that's ok, because I don't want to limit the bike to a smooth track.
All the cables needed to be replaced, and the original cable housing was chewed up in places. I got some pink cable housing with new cables to go with the sakura theme. I also picked up a rainbow replacement chain (which is light blue and pink), and sakura print handlebar tape, to bring the theme together. I also got a cheap leather bag from Amazon to carry tools and replacement tube, and picked up a Brooks C17 saddle from a bike swap for $25. For finishing touches, I cut some custom decals on a cricut.
The bike rides pretty well, and is comfortable when cruising around. It is not a fast bike, and I need to take it slow when going uphill, but it serves its purpose well.
Here is a breakdown on the total cost:
1985 Miyata 100 (Used): $50
Panaracer Pasela Tires (New): $60/pair
Tubes (New): $14/pair
Rainbow Chain (New): $16
Pink Cable/Housing Kit (New): $12
Sakura Handlebar Tape (New): $11
Saddle Bag (New): $20
TranzX Aluminum Bottle Cage (Used): $2
Brooks C17 Saddle (Used): $25
Total Cost: $210
Future Plans: I'd like to add a rear and/or front rack to carry a jacket and snackies. I picked up an original Jim Blackburn rack from the bike swap (some lady gave it for free), but the Miyata does not have mounting points on the seat stay, so I will need to fabricate something. I was thinking of painting part of the the fork and frame near the dropouts the same pink as the cable housing, but I will look for some feedback before doing that.
tl;dr
Bought a Miyata 100 not knowing what it was, spent $210 restomodding it into a road runner.
by dumbdadbuildsstuff