Originally Posted by 3speed

As mentioned above by Geoffs, the rear hub is something to be wary of. I've only bent a few axles in my life. They were on decent quality 80's bikes with freewheels and my cheapo bike as a teenager with a freewheel. I only weigh 150lbs. I wouldn't hesitate to tour on a vintage frame, and even the other stock parts, but I'd replace the rear wheel without second thought before heading out on any long distance loaded tour. There's a reason many companies were coming up with their own solutions to stronger rear axle and hub designs in the 80s.

Hmm... Don't get me wrong, I Love 80's Miyatas. My 916 is one of my favorite bikes I've ever owned. It's a wonderful, sporty bike, and a nice race bike in it's time. I just want to clarify some for newbies who might be reading... Your feeling of sporty might vary from other people's opinion of sporty. A loaded Miyata 1000, or even unloaded, is often described, positively, in Many ways, but sporty isn't generally one of the frequently chosen descriptions of a vintage touring bike. I've ridden a few 80s and an early 90s touring bike. Nice rides? Yes. Sporty? I don't think I could get behind that one. Maybe the Bridgestone 550 Sport Touring? The old touring bikes do tend to be very smooth riding bikes. In general Miyata made fantastic bikes. I'm still looking for another 916 or Team frame-set one size smaller. It's a serious shame the company went under so soon. They made some of the best bikes on the mainstream market.