Hi everyone.
I was lucky to come across a 1988 Miyata 615 in a pristine condition. The seller bough the bike for his wife, but for some reason she rode it only a couple of times. The bike was sitting in their basement for 31 years until they decided to sell it. Other than a few minor scratches on the frame the bike is in like new.
I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I became obsessed with it when I rode it (except for the cage pedals, still getting used to them). The bike was well worth the 400kms trip to pick it up.
I'm not new to cycling. I've been regularly commuting on a bike for the last three years. But other than adjusting the brakes and lubricating/replacing chain, I relied on LBS for the bike maintenance.
I would like, however, to take care of Miya myself. To learn how to work on a bike and for sheer enjoyment of it.
Could you please help me to figure out what should I do on the bike. Here's what I've done so far:
1. inspected the tubes and tires. They are in great condition: no holes, no cracks. I'm still using the original tubes and they hold air well. I'll replace the tubes just to be safe but will keep the tires for now.
2. inspected wheels and spokes. Wheels are true and spokes are tight. Should I tighten the spokes a bit more, since they were sitting stretching for 30+ years?
3. took apart the brakes, put some grease on brake posts, reassembled and adjusted. Kept the original brake pads. I'm not impressed with the brake performance (but I'm comparing the cantilever brakes with hydraulic disk brakes). Do you think that replacing the old pads will dramatically increase braking power?
4. checked the BB and wheel hubs, they turn smoothly, no grinding, no clicking. I'm worried, however that the grease in the BB and hubs dried up. Is it a good idea to repack bearings anyways?
5. had an issue switching from the third to the second smallest rear cog. Tried to adjust the rear derailleur's cable tension but the gear switching still doesn't work as smooth as I would like. Switching from the second smallest to the smallest works fine though. What could cause this weird behaviour?
6. The bike has 54cm frame and it feels just a bit too small for me (I'm 5'9"). I wanted to try a setback seatpost but 26.8 posts are not that easy to find. It looks like the stock seatpost has some offset already. Does anybody know what's the stock seatpost's offset?
7. I'd like to try a longer stem to see if it will feel more comfortable. But it's hard to find a quill stem with 25.4 clamping diameter. Where do you guys source parts for Miyatas? One option I found, is to use a Nitto stem (26 mm clamp diameter) with a shim. But that feels a bit risky.
8. Is there a trick to using cage pedals? I have a hard time getting my foot into a cage once I start riding. I must be doing it wrong. Want to give cages a chance because they feel great once both feet are in: good power transfer without a feeling that your feet are nailed to the pedals (unlike the clipless pedals).
I apologize for such a long post and so many questions.
Thank you for all your suggestions and looking forward to another great Miyata discussion
