1983 Miyata 210 Touring Bicycle

                               

I've been working on other projects for a while, and it was time to put together a new bike for the spring. I recently found a decent condition Miyata 210, which by its serial number appears to be a 1983 frame.

The Miyata 210 was the entry level touring bike in the Miyata line, with straight gauge cromoly frame tubes and a hi tensile steel fork. After working on bikes that fell much higher on the model hierarchy in the Cromoly, double butted Univega Specialissima and the columbus tubed Italvega last year, I was expecting the 210 to feel very heavy. It doesn't. It's a very similar ride to the Univega Specialissima I rode last year, with possibly a bit more top tube length, although I haven't measured. It's a reminder that the improvements these bikes made were incremental, and the actual reliability and performance differences between many of these frames are probably not as extreme as their advertising materials indicated.

The nice thing about this bike is that I've got a nice riding, decent condition cromoly touring bike with alloy components for a very low price, and it's a low enough model that the low resale value will probably keep me from flipping it, allowing me to finally hold onto one of the bikes I build!

1971 Italvega Nuovo Record - Final Pictures

I'm not sure why this bike took so long to finish - There was a delay after the ebay buyer nightmare with the Specialissima, although the second purchaser ended up being such a nice person I'm sort of glad it happened the way it did.

Then there was the Univega Mixte project in October, which was a lot of fun, but also put this bicycle further down the list...

Then there was the 1971 VW Westy Bus I picked up for a project... then sold.

Anyways, I'd been taking a break from Bicycle projects for a bit, until I came across an ad on craigslist for a 1976 Lambretta LD 150 for which the seller was willing to accept a nice road bike in trade. I contacted the seller, and we struck a deal for a trade for the finished Italvega in exchange for the Lambretta. This gave me an incentive to finish this project and would give me my next project in one swoop, and it would be another Italian bike!

The frame, once again powder coated at Triple - A Powder Coating in El Monte California, was beautiful. I pantographed the edges of the lugs in gold to bring out the pastel green powder, and to accentuate the chrome frame. 

Although this bike originally came equipped with a Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailler, I was unable to use it on this build; I upgraded the bike to a modern 8-speed cassette, and the vintage derailler just wasn't able to stretch far enough to cover the cogs. This wasn't a surprise, but it would be a nice thing to find a convenient supplier of new wheels that are set for 5-6 speed rear hubs. I like using new wheelsets on these builds for safety and reliability, but it does often complicate the use of an original drivetrain to do so.

I found a Campy seatpost, and equipped the bike with a new Brooks B-17 saddle. Cables were switched to aero, and shifting is controlled by period correct Campagnolo friction bar end shifters.

The original Stronglight crank is beautiful, but gave some tuning headaches - the two rings are spaced just widely enough that my modern new chain kept slipping between them. The purchaser wanted to pick the bike up today as he was visiting from out of town, so unfortunately tuning the chainring will fall to him. A proper fit may be achieved by potentially using narrower spacers between the rings, or possibly a wider chain.

I really loved having this bike around throughout the year, and look forward to the next build!

Here's the Lambretta LD 150 I received in trade for the bike. Very little rust or damage to the body. A very cool project, and a nice variation in my usual hobby focus.

Mixte Frame Univega Custom Ten Refurbish Project

   



A few months ago, I posted my 1984 Univega Specialissima on Craigslist, thinking I'd sell it and begin a new project.

Instead, a potential buyer commissioned me to refurbish a Mixte frame Univega Custom Ten she'd purchased, since my Specialissima was not the correct frame size for her.
   



The bike was pretty rough - the brazing for the rear brake support had cracked, most of the drivetrain was old, steel, and rusted.

In the end, the build went relatively quickly, I think because someone was actually waiting for it unlike my usual routine in which I slowly build a bike over several months.

I wish now I'd weighed it, as we ended up replacing almost everything except the frame with alloy parts, and I imagine the weight savings was substantial.
   

DIY 1" Threaded Headset Installation Tool

My 1971 Italvega Nuovo Record build is proceeding, and for headset installation I used a length of threaded rod, washers, and nuts to press the headset bearing races and cups into the head tube. 

The photo shows both regular nuts and wingnuts at each end, however this was just how I assembled the parts before purchase, figuring I could decide later which worked. In the end, the wingnuts look better, but functionally I think the regular nuts worked better, as the cups fit tightly and are difficult to insert simply using hand strength with the wingnuts.

The tool worked well, and allowed me to install my headset without damaging anything.

1971 Italvega Nuovo Record Components

This week I'll be starting the 1971 Italvega Nuovo Record Build. Most of the components have been cleaned, but I might polish a few of the showier alloy parts before final assembly.



I need to decide on a headset. I don't think I want to spend the money it would take to find a period correct Campagnolo Nuovo Record headset, but some of the Stronglight headsets from that time are also quite attractive, and a bit less expensive. This would match the very attractive Stronglight crank, and would be an upgrade for the bike as well.


   










The bike originally came with Campagnolo downtube shifters, but I'll be upgrading the bike to use Campagnolo bar end shifters instead.


   








These vintage Campy parts really are quite beautiful. I usually build 80's period Japanese bikes with Suntour parts, which I actually find quite nicely designed, but building this bike has really given me an appreciation for the jewelry-like beauty of some of the Italian hardware.


   

1971 Italvega Nuovo Record - New Powdercoat and Decals are Finished

On to the next project - the 1971 Italvega Nuovo Record has been waiting for about six months for it's rebirth, and it's time to get started.

I really like the Italvega/Univega story, and despite the fact that Ben Lawee was more of a designer/distributor than a bike builder himself, I find his frames to be some of the prettiest and most graceful of their time period. I suppose if you can't do it yourself, find someone to do a good job for you!

Anyways, after spending the past year or so working on the Specialissima, I thought it would be fun to work on an earlier Lawee product, one of the Columbus tubing/Campy equipped Italvegas. 

Although I didn't keep the original color, I did select a color that Italvega used during this time period for my powdercoating. Like the other bikes I've refurbished, I went with Triple A Powdercoating in El Monte, CA because of their excellent work and fair prices. Once again, they did a great job. Up close, this  frame looks like it's been nicely sprayed with quality paint, despite the fact that the coating is an industrial strength protective coating. The attention to detail they give is really exceptional. In the end, this bike has a beautiful, almost unscratchable period correct finish that I'm very happy with.

The decals are also new - purchased on ebay, they went on easy and have a UV guarantee.