Miyata110

Just wanted to share my new (1st) road bike. I've been looking for a bike for a few months and finally found this:




It's a 1986 Miyata 110. I picked it up for $50 (CL) from the original owner who hasn't ridden it in a few years. I think it's totally original (including the tires), and seems to be in really good shape. It fits good, shifts really nice - though I'm still getting used to the friction shifters - and is a lot of fun to ride. I understand this was the lower end of the Miyata's, but I'm not nearly serious enough to care at this point. Just wanted to share; I've been stalking this site recently and thought I'd finally add something to it.

auchencrow

In my experience, all of Miyata's line-up during that period was pretty darn good. And you bought it for a flip price too - that's the way to do it!

Roger M

Very good bike at a great price. The light action stuff is nothing fancy, but it works real good. I bought the same bike recently(on the other end of the size chart and a 1985 though). Miyata built a good bike, even the lower end models.

I would suggest servicing the bike before racking up some miles. The grease is probably old and needing replaced, in all of the bearings.

David Newton

Hi Miyata110
Nice bike and in great shape, you did great on the price. Is it a 50cm?
I have a '86 710, more like a racing frame, but built up just like yours. You will really like those wheels.

pinch1967

Awesome bike !! and in great condition !! Enjoy riding this beauty!!!

KonAaron Snake 

+1 to the other comments...Miyata built some very nice bikes, even at the lower price points. It'll work well.

In addition to the comments about grease, which are definitely accurate, I'd also suggest taking a look at those tires and brake pads if they're original and almost 30 years old.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Beautiful condition, I don't think I've seen a 110 look that nice. I like those Light Action components.

Miyata110

Thanks everyone.

David, I think it's a 53cm - it measures 21" to the top of the seat tube. Also, I already like the wheels - I really like the anodized look.

I will definitely look into greasing the bearings in the near future as well as replacing the tires. I'm not having a ton of luck finding 27 x 1 1/8 gumwall tires though.

My frame/serial number actually indicates the bike is an '85, but the catalog picture from the '86 110 is identical to my bike so I assume the frame was made in '85 (maybe towards the end) and was actually fitted with '86 paint/components/etc. Just my guess.

KonAaron Snake 

Check Panaracer Paselas. Readily available.

T-Mar

Miyata were arguably the best of the mass volume, Japanese bicycles during this period ant good values at all price points. That's a great price for such a clean bicycle. Regarding the serial number, it was probably manufactured in the last quarter of 1985. Fortunately, Miyata added a serial number stratifier in 1985, and the date can be narrowed down to a fortnight.

Chicago Al 

Picked up the same bike for my teen son last year. The year is '86. At that point the market was so competitive that Miyata had really upgraded their line and the 110 was way different from the same model a few years earlier. While the 110 had been the low end 'sport bike' they introduced other models below it.

We upgraded son's bike with Tektro brake calipers and aero levers. Bikeisland.com sells a 'budget' brake kit that includes both, for $45 I think, a great deal. The only trick was that the rear brake on the Miyata is a nutted mount, not recessed, because the rear reflector serves as a washer. The Tektros are recessed. On our bike I drilled out the brake bridge and found a concave washer, also drilled that out, to work on the other side of the bridge. (Lousy description...it will make a lot more sense when you look at it.) New brakes work great, look great.

Also put on 27" x 1" Panaracer Pasela TG tires, which are also working well but are maybe a bit narrow for city use. They were only $10 at Nashbar for a while.

Son loves the bike, as well he should. It's light, fast, and looks sharp. Only problem with ours is we didn't get it for quite that cheap. Great find!

ps: ours is now single speed, per son's request. Kids...what are you gonna do?

Doohickie

It doesn't have indexed shifting, huh? I think the indexing might work if you put on some indexed levers and put some SIS cable at the rear where the cable goes into the derailleur. I picked up some levers for $5 at a swap meet once. That's on the low end, but I bet you could find some on CL/swap meet/ebay, or even in the C&V Marketplace Forum here.

KonAaron Snake 

I wouldn't waste my time with DT index shifting personally...I don't think it works notably better and it requires more tuning and fidgeting.

Bianchigirll 

I was wondering the same thing. I would like a close up the shifter to see if they are index. I bet they are and for some reason just in friction mode. I believe that type of housing was used before the SIS housing came out a few years later.

I agree it is a pretty nice looking bike and great deal $50 bucks, the rims seem to show the bike has been used very little

Roger M

If these are shifters... Shimano specs non-indexed

https://www.velobase.com/ViewComponen...=104&AbsPos=35

Doohickie

I disagree. I did all that fidgeting and once I got it tuned in, I loved it. (Then I traded the bike, but that's another story.) The secret is using the SIS shift cable housing at the rear derailleur. I think in the early days of indexed shifting, they hadn't figured that out yet and a lot of bikes used normal brake housing which resulted in sloppy indexing. Getting rid of that slop made the shifting quite crisp.

The bike I did that with was a 1987 Schwinn Prelude with the Light Action derailleur. According to catalogs it came with SIS shifters, but when I got this one, a previous owner had put really bad stem shifters on it. I picked up the indexed DT levers, put the SIS housing at the back and bingo- indexed shifting.

KonAaron Snake 

THat might be...I don't remember what I had back there (it was so long ago). I just remember it was a PITA.

Doohickie

Yes it was.... until SIS housing

Wino Ryder

Real nice bike, and you scored it for a song too.

I been riding friction shifters since the 70's, when all road bikes had 'em.

Miyata110

Here are some pics of the shifters - let me know if I should try to take better ones. I was looking for a ring or something on the shifters that would allow me to "activate" the index mode but I've given up. I really don't mind all that much to be honest.

When I bought it I assumed I would upgrade it a bit, but now that I have it and have ridden it a few times, I'm leaning towards just keeping it stock. I figure it has stayed original this long, why ruin a good thing. Plus, it's a ton of fun to ride as is!

squirtdad

I am pretty sure these are indexed...at least for the rear derailler. My son's Panasonic has the same set up and it is indexed. As noted the Light actions were not high end...but there work really well.

Nice bike

and please clean and lube your wheels, headset and bottom bracket ASAP and new brake pads. You will thank yourself for doing so.

Ciufalon

As the others have said, you scored a nice bike. I have had several Miyata bikes and love them, though I currently only have one. As for the light action derailleur and the shifters, one of the bikes I had was a Miyata 615 GT with the light action derailleurs and it functioned so beautifully, I kept the stuff and sold the frame with just the bars, brakes and bb. The shift levers on your bike look a lot like the ones that were on the 615 and they probably just need to be turned to indexed. If not, replacing the levers with some that have the indexed option will work perfectly with that rear derailleur. It is a really good set up. Congrats on that bike. It will serve your purposes well. Enjoy!

rekmeyata

Congrats and welcome to the Miyata club. I have two of them my self, a 87 Team I bought new and a 88 912 I found used at a garage sale. And of all the racing bikes I own those two are the best, so good I would risk to say that back in the day they were the best frames made by anyone, and would probably stack up against the best steel bikes today! While the One Ten was their lowest end bike it was not a shabby bike like other manufactures low end bikes; and yours looks to be in great shape.

I hope the bike fits you and don't turn it for a profit, their difficult to come by and Japanese bikes are starting to become recognized now that Italian bikes have hit their ceiling.

Kingshead

Welcome to the site. For a comparison, check the prices of any new, lugged, steel frame bike and I think it will put a smile on your face. Great bike and enjoy the heck out of it.

T-Mar

That's not an SIS rear derailleur. SIS only came out in 1985 and that year it was only on Dura-Ace. For 1986 it trickled down to New 600EX and Light Action, but it was an option, as many bicycle manufacturers still weren't convinced of its potential. Miyata decided to spec the friction option on their 600 and Light Action models in 1986. The pictured derailleur is the non-indexed RD-L523-SS. The indexed version, which is the RD-L525-SS, looks very similar and it's easy to confuse them.