InfiniteMiles

I'm in the market for an 80s Japanese tourer or road bike. Sheldon's article on Japanese bikes states that the 85~86 was the best year for a good tourer. What models should I keep an eye out for?

KonAaron Snake 

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...0s-frames.html

My opinion dovetails with balindamoods. There are plenty of post-86 quality tourers, that cut off is totally arbitrary.

A quality 80s tourer typically isn't cheap by c/v standars, but they're a bargain compared to a modern one.

AZORCH

+1

greg3rd48 

I have picked up a few Fuji's so far and I really enjoy their performance and feel. However I do not have any from the years 85-86. The 1981 Fuji Royale is a great feeling and looking bike and is in the high middle range in that year's selection of Fuji's. I also have an Espree and a Del Rey from '84. I love the Del Rey. The Espree feels great but I only recently acquired it and only rode it once so far. It still needs to be cleaned up. You really can't go wrong with a Fuji IMHO. Even an '83 Supreme which I built up for a friend as an appreciation gift felt great and he loves it and that model is toward the lower end of the spectrum. The only think I really did to improve it was to add new dual caliper brakes. I hope this helps.

mstateglfr 

Schwinn Voyageur from 83 thru 87(later too) are excellent. They have great frames and components.

Miyata 1000 and the 610 are both excellent, though I have only come across the 610.

Fuji touring series IV and series V are both excellent, especially the later models around 87 or 88. Each was only made for about 4 years in the mid 80s, I think. These have 40 spoke rear wheels, Canti brakes, etc etc.

Tons more too- univega had a tourer that was made by Miyata and was essentially a 1000.

KonAaron Snake 

+1.

I dare you to try and find a better production tourer than what Koga Miyata put out in the early 90s.

I think sheldon brown's comment had more to do with 85/86 being the golden period of sales. They flooded the market because they were profitable, and they sold fewer bikes in the following years. That doesn't mean the bikes were of lower quality.

gomango

Agreed.

My Bruce Gordon was a fantastic Pacific Basin built tourer that was partially equipped with XT.

[IMG]DSCN2851 by gomango1849, on Flickr[/IMG]



I never should have sold it and I corrected that mistake by buying my Bilenky.

I would trade the Campy Triple groupset on my Bilenky for XT in a heartbeat.

Deore XT never stopped improving.

I have it on my 2014 Niner and I wouldn't spend the extra for XTR.

XT is truly bulletproof and the performance speaks for itself.

KonAaron Snake 

Not exactly production machines

When I think Shimano, I think deore DX and Xt. Stuff is fantastic. Love the aesthetics too.

nlerner

One key advantage of early 90s Japanese tourers is that most will come with 700c wheels. Lots of good wide tire options.

ramzilla

Mid level from Centurion & Univega are very nice. But, if you're looking for really high end Shogun & Miyata bikes good luck hunting. They don't show up on CL very often. Make sure whatever you buy has threaded eyelets for mounting bike rack to chain stays & brazed on threaded fasteners for a water bottle holder. Fuji DelRay is a repectable mid range tourer. In unrestored rough shape you can find one of these for as little as $50. Something ready to ride will probably be around $250. Develop a little knowledge before shopping and be ready to provide cash immediately for something nice. (Always keep a few $100 bills handy). There was a lot of collaboration between manufacturers back then in Japan. The big two frame makers were Fuji & Miyata. These two companies made bikes for everybody from K-Mart to the U.S. Olympic team.

dddd

Seems there are an almost-infinite number of GOOD choices, mainly centered around the early 1980's.

In the earlier thread, Nishiki Seral and Novara were briefly mentioned, I have both (the Novara is the Randonee model). Both came stock with AT cranks, and the Novara had M700 stuff on it mostly.

I find both of these tourers to have just-short-enough chainstays to climb capably on dirt surfaces, it helps out here that I have rack/trunk weight out back.
A CX bike has yet an extra measure of steering stability for dirty work, and will be a lot lighter in most cases.

I've put the most mileage on my Miyata Six-Ten, very solid if rather heavy. My earlier late-1970's Miyata tourer oddly had both high bottom bracket and steep angles, yet I used it offroad with "arc" bars and it proved very durable.

Narhay

Maybe he meant that by 84-85 the touring bikes had become even more touring specific as compared to earlier models and sports touring bikes became more purpose built. I take my 1985 and 1982 Miyata 610s as an example. The 82 had caliber brakes, few braze-ons, 5 speed, etc.

The 85 had cantilever brakes, front rack braze-ons, more braze-ons in general, 6 speed, nicer fitting rack, more fender clearance, and as the years went on they moved from 27" to 700c. Maybes he geometry changed as well. I'm not saying all touring bikes were like this but maybe there were more within the manufacturer lineups and they became more useable as tourers.

ramzilla

Bought a new Shogun Ninja back in 1986. It was probably the best over all bike I ever owned. Wish I still had it. Can't remember if it had eyelets for mounting a touring rack. Now, I hunt for 80's Shoguns, Miyatas, Fujis, & Univegas on CraigsList. Have a mental block against Japanese made Schwinns, Peugeots, Bianchis. Good Schwinns are readily available at reasonable prices in my market. They just don't seem to have the same swag factor as a bike with a Japanese label.

rccardr 

1) Cannondale ST's from 83 through 88 (my personal fave) are excellent tourers. Many of them also came with half step plus granny gearing. Easily converted from 27inch to 700c and also make very good all-around commuter/tourer/gravel grinders. Imron paint is often not so great 30 years later, so expect to repaint/powder coat while refurbishing. The end result is totally worth it.


2) Really, really like the Schwinn Voyageur series. Mine is an '87 with Deore, awesome bike.

gomango

This one was a small batch that was sourced from the PB.

Forget which shop/factory he ordered these from.....

I'll see if I can find the link, but someone on PL had its sister bike.

Anywho, it was a great bike.

KonAaron Snake 

Aren't all of the Schwinn Voyageurs 27 inch wheels?

dweenk 

Nishiki made a couple of nice touring bikes as well. I picked up a Riviera GT in great condition a year ago for $70.

tmh657 

How about a Trek 520? 1990 had 700c wheels, bar end indexed shifting, good components. As mentioned it won't be cheap compared to a 1990 similar road bike but it's almost modern and can be had for about $600 in VGC. As long as you don't mind the look of the fork.

tarwheel 

I searched for a nice Miyata 1000 or comparable Japanese touring frame for a long, long time and never found one. Miyata 1000s, in particular, seem to command top dollar and go quickly. I eventually bought a Bob Jackson World Tour and a Soma Saga, both new, for about the same price that an old Miyata would have cost me. In other words, don't rule out new touring bikes. There are some great options nowadays and prices are not unreasonably, particularly if buying used.

daf1009

I have a 1981 Miyata 1000...it is a GREAT riding bike...but...came before becoming "full touring"...i.e. not the right sets of braze-ons...plenty for racks, both front and rear...but...no bottle braze on's!...a good tourer should probably have three sets of bottle braze on's.

That being said...I LOVE THIS BIKE...it rides and rides and rides...so I am sure that a bit later model...with the full braze on set...would be even better. But, M3 (Mile Munching Miyata) and I are quite happy with one another!

Find a good touring bike...and the world gets a tiny bit smaller!

mstateglfr 

Yes, even the 91 voyageur rolled on 27s.

KonAaron Snake 

I think I'd rather go for something else...better tire selection.

old's'cool

FWIW, here is a list of touring bikes I made when I was shopping. I ended up with a Ross Gran Tour, which is the subject of a thread I made a few months ago.

mstateglfr 

If I were touring off road , I could see wanting more selection to accomodate the local terrain.
But I stick to paved roads and trails, so I have never been without solid options.

I have panaracer paselas, schwable marathons, and even a spare folding 27" origin8 just in case but never needed so far.

Gatorskins and something good by Vittoria are available too.
I understand there are more options out for 700c, but I haven't yet felt like I am missing out.

On a related note, it's funny that 27" is seen as limiting because options are less plentiful than 700c, yet 650 is seen as a beloved touring wheel size. Always seemed odd to me.

On another related note, I've actually been thinking about picking up some 700c rims and using my current hubs on a 27" wheel with some new spokes. I have so far resisted because I kinda like the idea of using 27s until they can't be used any longer. Keep em going and whatnot.

KonAaron Snake 

I wouldn't refuse to use a bike with 27 inch wheels - like you said, there are options out there - but, all things being equal, I'd pick the 700s. Another consideration is that if/when you need to change rims, your options are better in a 700c.

I think the 650b mania is tied into getting more tire clearance...so I get why that change is happening. I'm sure a lot of this is also just plain marketing/trends. My triplet has 650bs and I do like how it rolls.