Chicago Al 

And how do you like it?

I'm going to look at one with an eye toward it replacing my completely updated 1200, which is a bit small. It's supposedly mid 80s and original, I hope.

toytech

It should ride identically to your 1200, but fit better they are basically the same but with even nicer components and a chrome fork as far as I can see, the 914/912 also uses the same tubing.

cudak888 

Pro or Team? The Team Miyata carried seatstay caps cast with stylized "PRO" lettering, which has sometimes caused confusion amongst sellers:



-Kurt

KonAaron Snake 

The thing about Miyata is that their upper mid-range stuff is pretty much the same as their top end stuff. There might be some more panto and better parts, but it's pretty much the same tubing and geometry.

miamijim

A 1200 will ride nicer than a mid-80's Pro or Team.....Miyata was continuously updating their frames via 'trickle down' technology. Miyata 'triple butted' tubing wasn't the same for every model versus say an SLX, TSX or 531 bike...SLX is SLX regardless of the make and model. But, your 1200 is the wrong size.....

miamijim

I strongly disagree. Because Miyata made their own tubing it allowed them to create different wall thicknesses and different but lengths for each model and each size whereas other manufacturers used 'out of the box' tube sets and cut them to fit....48cm frames would have the same tubes as 64cm frames except the ends (butts) would be cut off.

A 54cm Miyata uses tubes drawn to specific butt lengths optimized for a 54cm versus using a cut down 'stock; length tube.
A 54cm 'Pro' model tube is different than a '54' cm 'Team' tube which is different than a 54cm '1200' frame tube. Wall thicknesses and butt lengths are all different.

Fred Smedley

+1 , having ridden a 914 and then the top tier frames I assure you a 914 is not in the same league.

KonAaron Snake 

I will bow to my more knowledgeable betters

I think it's hard for me to properly judge the Team Miyatas because the one I had was really not the right size.

Chicago Al 

We'll see about this one. It's supposedly a 53cm, though the catalog shows a jump from 50 to 54 so it may well be 54, possibly too big for my stubby-legged self. Then again there's one maker's '54' vs another's '54.'

MJ, why would you expect the 1200 to ride better? Would the Pro be more race oriented and therefore 'twitchy'? Catalog indicates the Pro is aimed at the Tri market, like the 1200. My 1200 is I think an 86...it would originally have had Sante; the Pro I'm to look at is 85 or 86.

oggypop

I just finished my Miyata 1200 re-vamp project. And as for steel, I find it to be quality stuff. I've ridden a few dozen steel bikes of various geometries and setups and this is fast steel for sure. I'll post a full build report etc soon.

oggypop

https://flic.kr/p/bfPVj6

FrenchFit 

If you are talking about the '82 1200 and Pro, it appears they shared the same frame...geometry is dead match. The fork rake on the 1200 is slightly more relaxed. The Pro had 'racer' components.

Essentially, same bike in '82. I ride the 1200.

In '88 I think the 1200 matched the geometry of the 912, and there was no Pro. Team yes, Pro no.

I could be wrong but I think Miyata built the Pro and 1200 interchangably, the Pro looking more 'race', the 1200 looking more 'gentleman rider'.

oggypop

Mine is an 83' 1200 and it does have a bit of rake ... which I like.

I had to build it all the way up to discover the slightly sloping top tube.

oggypop

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_whtVpXkKwl...600/img039.jpg

Chicago Al 

The Pro I'm going to look at is 85 or 86 supposedly. Red/yellow. 85 would be Superbe Pro, 86 Suntour Sprint...if it's still original.

The 1200 I own now is '88, I just checked.

BTW, in that same 1988 catalog I noticed, in the description of the 712: 'The specifications on the 712 frame read like the Team Miyata of a few years ago.' No surprise there!

Collin2424

Al,

I rode a 55cm 1985 Pro for a while and constantly referred to it as my favorite riding bicycle of all time. It was, however, just a tad too small and it's with another forum-member now. It came with 6-speed Superbe drivetrain, but I upgraded it to a later Superbe Pro groupset with the lovely hidden-sprint calipers. Anyway, while this was a "race bike," I love the riding position. It had a 130mm stem on it that I would have liked to change, but I never got around to it. Other than that, it's a fantastic ride and rivals the quality of any bike I've ever been on. I should mention, however, that mine was one or two years before they started with the splined tubing. So, mine may have been a bit more plush. Something to think about.

Oops, just saw that yours will be 85 or 86. So it's the same as what mine was. Here's a photo for you:



-Collin-

RobbieTunes

There was also a Miyata Team Carbon. Ace bike.

miamijim

I got a little ahead of myself and was thinking '1400' versus '1200' but.....any of the high end triple butted bikes like the '88 1200 will ride better than an early 80's double butted Team or Pro.

wtgrantham

I have in the neighborhood of 20 Road bikes. My 1983 is one of my very favorites.

Chicago Al 

Well, I finally saw the bike tonight, and though I liked it, I passed. It turned out to be a 1986 looking just like Collin's, a 52cm frame, measured CtC, which is just right for me. This was a surprise as the Miyata catalog seemed to indicate it went from 50-54cm. The paint had some chips and scratches, some of which revealed that the seat stays are apparently fully chromed with only the 'socks' extending from the paint. Anyway cosmetically there was nothing wrong that a clean and polish and a bit of red nail polish couldn't fix. There seemed nothing wrong with the bike either; I rode it around a few blocks and liked it, actually quite a bit.

The only problems were that the original Suntour Sprint group had largely been replaced (brakes, shifters, RD) with Shimano 600 and 105, and the price was a firm $325. Unreasonable of me perhaps, but at that price I would want it largely original. The original stuff or something comparable (Superbe Pro?) would not be hard to find but would drive the cost up, and the value just didn't seem to be there. I am kinda having second thoughts though due to the fit, not so easy to find, and the evident quality of the frame. It is apparently not selling at the asking price and who knows, maybe it'll be less firm as time goes on.

jar351

Wow. Around here a Miyata Pro in decent shape for $325 would get snapped up in a heartbeat, replacement parts or not.

Chicago Al 

Well, that's Berkeley. Chicago is a great bike town but I suspect that the 'cult of Miyata' is more established on the W Coast, so more appreciation for a top-end one like this. I am thinking about it still, believe me. The Miyata 1200 I would sell is an argument FOR it, the Peugeot PX-10 disassembled in my basement at present a strong argument AGAINST.

jar351

You may be right about the cult of Miyata out here. Things are a bit out of hand when every owner of a Miyata 1000 expects to get a grand for it, regardless of the year or condition. There's been a spate of those lately.

If that PX-10 is your size, that's a powerful argument (from what I understand).

Chicago Al 

Oh the Peugeot itself isn't the problem...it's the fact that it's apart in the basement, taking up space, rather than hanging neatly in the garage. I kind of feel I should 'eat my peas' before indulging in another project. My ideal collection has just 2-3 bikes in it and a Pro Miyata would fill the Japanese slot there admirably. Just as well as the Centurion...hmmm.

miamijim

Link to slide show of 2 Pro's I've owned. One of them I sold to a C&V member.....