Frenzen

This bike has weird cable routing under the chainstay and granny gear, not sure if this is a touring bike but doesn't have the mounts for the fork. Owner is asking $180, think it is overvalued.

juvela

-----

Mikado...

...beginning to remember it now...

...a model of japanese bickup truck sold by chevrolet dealers in the early mcmlxx;s


---

"overvalued" -

detect a faint perfume of parsimony wafting in through me fenestre


-----

T-Mar

Yes, that is a grand touring model. It has the 2nd set of bottle bosses under the down tube, a second set of eyelets on the rear dropouts and rack mounts on the upper set stays. It also has rack mounts on the fork blades, though they are not the typical, single boss, lo-rider mounts. Under the chainstay cable routing strted to become popular in the mid-1980s.

The derailleurs look like Shimano Z-series, which would place it mid-1980s and lower end. Those cantilever brakes might be a bit shy on stopping power, as they don't have much mechanical advantage. At least, this frame looks in the correct size range.

Frenzen

I must be blind because I thought these mounts on fork came from the fender and wasn’t sure how a rack would go there. I think this might be more touring wise unlike that Miyata 600Gt without its real fork! Thanks! Funnily enough I am speaking to another person and he had a similiar bike although with a 90’s Deore DX converted it to 9 speed indexed




Asked the owner for more pictures of the fork and the chainrings (I am not sure how I feel about them, middle chainring being so close to 1st.

noobinsf 

If what you're after is a good touring bike in your size, the Mikado looks solid. Rust looks minor, components are good quality in what appears to be serviceable condition. The chainrings being so close together is usually called "half-step plus granny," in that you would alternate rear and front shifts to achieve smaller jumps in gearing with the few cogs out back, then you have a small chainring for the bailout gear. Nowadays that is accomplished with 10+ cogs out back. I dig the front rack mounts, nice touch.

TugaDude

The rust is a little more than what I would call minor, but YMMV. If I bought it to ride I'd do so with the intent of having it repainted. After a good OA bath.

Frenzen

I should be able to buy it tomorrow! Interesting about half step plus granny, I plan on changing the wheels in the future for 700c because they look like 27 right now. However, main goal right now is to do jump on some light touring! Thanks

What would be the cheapest way or the best way to have a good repaint? Also is it cheaper to keep it the same colour, or I can decide on any colour. I am curious how long do you let your parts soak in OA bath?

TugaDude

There are threads here on using Oxalic Acid to treat rust. Maybe you can glean some tips from there. Personally, if I were going to use that bike as a rider I'd paint it myself. Quality paint is still expensive but you'll save a lot in labor. And I like the idea of using the paints that come in a spray can but are still 2-component paints. Having a hardener in the paint is a big advantage in my opinion. A good primer is key also. And choose whatever color floats your boat. As far as stripping the paint, I have used a stripper that is pretty harsh and it was stupid easy. Spray it on, wait a bit and the paint literally came off with a rag. But wear eye protection, gloves and do it outdoors for ventilation.

ClydeClydeson

If that were in my size I would pay $180 for it all day long. It's a gorgeous real touring bike, made in Canada. And are those Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy tires? Buy this bike NOW.

ClydeClydeson

This.

Half-step-plus-granny was the standard setup for touring BITD.

Frenzen

Hey guys I bought the bike for $170 CAD. There are few issues with it but it might more have to do with how I bike. After biking for a while and or/ little hills, I felt like the chain would move from the chainring. It felt like it was slipping but not completely but it might have to do with the fact I am putting too much force and I am not comfortable using friction shifters (shifting towards me feels smooth but shifting away feels super stiff, not sure if that's how friction shifting works). I biked 20-30 mins without changing gears. I also have no idea how this bike rack works because I have a ortlieb rear pannier style (with the hooks). And it seems like I need to rebuild the the pedals because it seems like they are missing someone, but I am not sure what goes on the opposite side of the reflectors (if anyone could help, let me know or what are they supposed to like). If not I could try to sell these pedals and that rack.

TugaDude

Those MKS pedals are actually very nice. They can be ridden "as-is", or you can add toe clips. Depends on the sort of riding you do. Foot retention is important to some and if that's you, then invest in some toe clips. Just make sure they are compatible with the pedal, most are.



The rear rack is the type people use with a "bike trunk", just a bag which sits on it. It can be used with panniers I guess, but it isn't the best approach.

There are a lot of really interesting "trunk bags" out there to choose from.



If you use pannier bags, I'd definitely use a rack designed specifically for them.

Some of the issues you are having with the shifting might just be from not being comfortable with it yet. I recommend riding some more, shifting often and then make notes about any discrepancies. It might be cable tension adjustment. Or the drive train might be worn out, hard to determine from here.

Good luck!

TugaDude

One last thing. Remember, pedals need love too and should be maintained regularly. They are easy to do. If you need a tutorial there are likely many to find on youtube. Another good resource is the Park Tools website. They have videos on all sorts of maintenance procedures.

T-Mar

+1, the only thing missing on the pedals are the toe clips, straps and front reflector, all of which are optional.

Ditch the rack. Those cantilever mount racks aren't strong and reliable enough for loaded panniers.

It's very hard to say what the shifting issue may be, based on the two symptoms. The most common reason for the front derailleur wanting to ghost shift is adequate tension on the shifter friction plate but stiff action when pushing the lever forward would indicate excess tension. If the percieved tendency to shift is the chain rubbing on the derailleur cage, then it could be pedaling style, frame flex, crankset flex or chainring trueness. Typically, chain rub associated with these causes occurs one or twice every pedal evolution.