wweissborn

According to serial number code, I have a 1986 Pink & Black Miyata 912. The '86 catalog I found online says it comes with, "Shimano's new 600 EX Groupo drive train system". But in cleaning up the rear, I just see "Shimano 600" stamped on the mechanism and on the shift levers. I'm curious now. Do I have a "Franken-bike" (parts have been switched out) or did Miyata only ship the 600 EX on bikes if the customer asked for it?

Bill

Bianchigirll 

I don’t believe the EX parts actually said EX on them, it’s one of those things where you need to know the minor details between styles. Try looking in Velobase.com for a pic of the EX

https://velobase.com/ViewGroup.aspx?...7-e28c90d1ef87

T-Mar

That velobase page isn't s good example as it shows a mix of 600EX and New 600EX components. Here is the New 600EX derailleur page from my 1986 catalogue for reference. There are two different rear derailleurs and lever sets because Shimano had just trickled their indexing system down to this level and were offering these parts in both friction and indexed versions.

Even if it does turn out to be a franken-Miyata (which it likely isn't), it's better than having a Bianchenstein.

wweissborn

Thanks. Some good reference stuff there for my ever-growing collection.

Bianchigirll 

Frankly I never understood why people got all excited about a bike being a “Frankenbike”, because it didn’t have a complete matching group a few parts weren’t an exact match for the catalog. I believe most bikes came with mixed parts for a long time before the cycling magazines and shipmano made all matching bikes a thing. Shipmano helped promote this with SLR brake systems and STI which before the brifters came along had the MTB shifters mounted on the brake levers so if a manufacturer wanted shipmano SiS they had to use shipmano brake levers.

to me a frankenbike would be a decent road frame that someone did a home weld job to add a brake bridge for a 26” rear wheel or a 26” suspension fork.

Pompiere

I wouldn't call it a "frankenbike" for a couple of components not looking exactly like what is in the catalog. Photo shoots are done months in advance of production, so supply issues or minor production changes can affect the final product. Bikes like the 912 that were ridden by racers would have components replaced regularly, either as they wore out, or when something new came along, promising a slight advantage. Had someone cannibalized the Shimano 600 parts and replaced them with crap components from a box store bike, I would call that a frankenbike.

jdawginsc 

To me a Franken-bike is a cool mishmash of modern and vintage parts that don't match, maybe even re-imagined into a drop bar/flat bar potpourri of things.

Like a Trek Multitrack with drop bars and 8 speed brifters, double Campy Chorus crank, Paul Cantilevers with Ultegra RD, but vintage Superbe Pro FD, and Mavic Cosmos wheels with 34mm tyres.

Bianchigirll 

I have that exact bike in my stand right now. I’m having trouble finding 700x20 knobbies for it though.

jdawginsc 

...do they come that thin?

T-Mar

Yes, mixed components from different companies were a common practice before the group concept and even after, until it trickled down the lower price levels. However, having mixed components does make it a frankenbike, provided that is how it came from the factory. A frankenbike is one that has been altered after it left the factory, in the same vein of the film version of Frankenstein, that took a corpse and grafted various organs and parts from other cadavers. Essentially, Frankenstein's creation was not as it left the factory (i.e born) but was altered. Frankenbike has simply become the popular way to say that the bicycle is non-OEM.

As for Shimano's part in proliferating the group concept, they were simply giving the consumer and bike shops what they wanted. A gruppo had become highly desirable in the public eye, ever since Campagnolo created the concept. The average consumer had a really hard time deciding between two different bicycles at the near the same price point with two different component mixes. Sales people were getting really frustartated, trying to constantly educate the consumer on the nuances between component X and component Y. The trickledown of the group concept greratly simplified things for the consumer and LBS salesperson. Now all they had to know was the hierarchy of the groups and not worry about differences between every component.

Let's not forget Camapgnolo's part in this. They created the group concept. They had a mid-range group before Shimano. The two were always very close in the number of road groups they offered, until the very late 1980s when Shimano started offering groups in the lower price ranges where Campagnolo didn't want to compete.

Anf there was beig advantage in having components that were designed to function togetrher, as they provided optimum performance. To this day, the forum is still rife with members having issues with mixed components.

wweissborn

Don't get me wrong folks. If my Miyata is a Franken-bike, that's ok by me. I only asked because I've had experience is the past when looking for replacement parts. For example, my first car was a '68 VW beetle. But it had a number of '69 parts on it. THAT would cause all kinds of frustration when that part broke or wore out. I'd try to fit a '68 replacement and it would not fit.

I realize that a car is not quite the same as a bike. But I have had those same type of experiences when MUCH younger and needed replacement parts for the bike I had at the time. Just good to know what's under the saddle.

Besides, I bought the 912 not really knowing what it was--only that it was a well respected brand in its day. And it was cheap. And it fit me. And it's just for riding around the neighborhood, corner store, etc. MAYBE in a few years (if I live that long) I may try a few long distance rides and show it off to you "young whipper-snappers". 8-)