We like old bikes that can (almost) do it all. It’s not a mountain bike, but it can do pretty much everything else — roads, trails, bikepacking, commuting or dapper spins around the block. For the past 7 years of owning this bike, it’s done all of the above, with grace. Old bikes, new adventures. You don’t need a new, fancy bike for new adventures! That’s the motto.
Built in 1989 during the Japenese-produced-bike-boom, this bike is still living it’s best years with so many more ahead. 32 down, lots more to go.
During this era, touring bikes were being produced left and right, this amongst them. When we see older touring bikes, we see a bike made for durability, long trips, and hauling gear. Tire clearance for 700x35c tires and relaxed frame geometry make for a super comfy ride.
Steel is real. We’re in the renaissance of bike frames made from steel, lauded for their plush rides and durability. Take a look around a bike shop these days and new, high-quality, steel-tubed bikes are the go to. Great steel bikes were being mass-produced during this era, and with enough online scrolling, can be had for relative bargains. They may not be the lightest bikes in the world, but they can feature extensively developed tubing and build quality.
This bike features Miyata’s popular ‘Spline Triple Butted’ tubing. Basically, tubing that’s thicker in high stress area walls and thinner in non-stress wall areas. This technology is still highly prevalent in modern steel bikes. I told ya, steel is real. Check out this super cool visual from an old Miyata catalogue to show torsional force on bike frames and the design-logic for butted tubing technology.
Touring frames mean great braze-ons and attachment points for racks. In our case, a front rack for baskets! We love a good basket for carrying our gear for the day. Lunch, camera gear, layers and whatever else.
Old cantilever bosses are spaced ~60mm apart, while modern ones are ~80, the the fulcrum and braking force generated makes a good step up. When this bike is loaded with gear, it really helps provide increased confidence. Here’s what the rest of the set up looks like:
- Technomic stems (120mm or 70mm)
- VO Postino bars or Nitto Noodles
- Tektro mini V-brakes
- Shimano Deore LX derailleurs
- Campagnolo compact triple crankset
- Shimano 7 speed downtube shifters or Campagnolo Chorus 8 speed ergo
- VO hammered fenders
- VO Passhunter front rack w/ Wald 137 basket
- Brooks B17 saddle
- MKS Butterfly pedals
- Miche headset
- Campagnolo Nuovo Record Hubs with Mavic MA40 rims
We had some adjustments made by a local frame builder to modernize the brake setup, removing the old posts and adding new ones. This bike came equipped with cantilever brakes so the frame has cantilever brake posts, which are great because the provide great tire and fender clearance. The bike stopped well enough, but we wanted some extra braking power so we had the old posts swapped out for some newer ones providing extra leverage and opening up brake arm options.
In 6 years of ownership, this bike has probably seen 6 different set ups. The two favourites can be seen here — the townie, do-it-all bike and then the drop bar, adventure rig. Both setups sported a MTB drivetrain for durable and wide gear ranges. With the townie version above, here are some shots of it an a more adventurous mode!
Slide between the two set ups:
It does it all.
The Miyata 618gt treks all terrain with us. Click below to check it out on the Toronto Island adventures...
We like old bikes that can (almost) do it all. It’s not a mountain bike, but it can do pretty much everything else — roads, trails, bikepacking, commuting or dapper spins around the block. For the past 7 years of owning this bike, it’s done all of the above, with grace. Old bikes, new adventures. You don’t need a new, fancy bike for new adventures! That’s the motto.
Built in 1989 during the Japenese-produced-bike-boom, this bike is still living it’s best years with so many more ahead. 32 down, lots more to go.
During this era, touring bikes were being produced left and right, this amongst them. When we see older touring bikes, we see a bike made for durability, long trips, and hauling gear. Tire clearance for 700x35c tires and relaxed frame geometry make for a super comfy ride.
Steel is real. We’re in the renaissance of bike frames made from steel, lauded for their plush rides and durability. Take a look around a bike shop these days and new, high-quality, steel-tubed bikes are the go to. Great steel bikes were being mass-produced during this era, and with enough online scrolling, can be had for relative bargains. They may not be the lightest bikes in the world, but they can feature extensively developed tubing and build quality.
This bike features Miyata’s popular ‘Spline Triple Butted’ tubing. Basically, tubing that’s thicker in high stress area walls and thinner in non-stress wall areas. This technology is still highly prevalent in modern steel bikes. I told ya, steel is real. Check out this super cool visual from an old Miyata catalogue to show torsional force on bike frames and the design-logic for butted tubing technology.
Touring frames mean great braze-ons and attachment points for racks. In our case, a front rack for baskets! We love a good basket for carrying our gear for the day. Lunch, camera gear, layers and whatever else.
We had some adjustments made by a local frame builder to modernize the brake setup, removing the old posts and adding new ones. This bike came equipped with cantilever brakes so the frame has cantilever brake posts, which are great because the provide great tire and fender clearance.
The bike stopped well enough, but we wanted some extra braking power so we had the old posts swapped out for some newer ones providing extra leverage and opening up brake arm options.
Old cantilever bosses are spaced ~60mm apart, while modern ones are ~80, the the fulcrum and braking force generated makes a good step up. When this bike is loaded with gear, it really helps provide increased confidence. Here’s what the rest of the set up looks like:
- Technomic stems (120mm or 70mm)
- VO Postino bars or Nitto Noodles
- Tektro mini V-brakes
- Shimano Deore LX derailleurs
- Campagnolo compact triple crankset
- Shimano 7 speed downtube shifters or Campagnolo Chorus 8 speed ergo
- VO hammered fenders
- VO Passhunter front rack w/ Wald 137 basket
- Brooks B17 saddle
- MKS Butterfly pedals
- Miche headset
- Campagnolo Nuovo Record Hubs with Mavic MA40 rims
In 6 years of ownership, this bike has probably seen 6 different set ups. The two favourites can be seen here — the townie, do-it-all bike and then the drop bar, adventure rig. Both setups sported a MTB drivetrain for durable and wide gear ranges. With the townie version above, here are some shots of it an a more adventurous mode!
Slide between the two set ups:
It does it all.
The Miyata 618gt treks all terrain with us. Click below to check it out on the Toronto Island adventures…