[CR]MIYATA: was Japanese in '80s...

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing:Falck)

From: <themaaslands@comcast.net>
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org (Classic Rendezvous)
Subject: [CR]MIYATA: was Japanese in '80s...
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 04:00:40 +0000


I helped out the Canadian importer/agent of Miyata. I also worked at the biggest Miyata dealer in Canada: Ottawa Bikeway (We sold over 1500 Miyata bikes per year from one single location). We received all of our bikes directly from Miyata in Japan, without them passing through the warehouse of any middleman. Virtually all of our bikes came in labeled as Miyata, apart from two particular instances: we had a mid-range bike called 750SR which was labeled Koga-Miyata, and we received a few Team Miyata frames that were labeled as Koga Miyata. The first ones were built specifically for the Dutch market, but Koga ordered more than they could sell, so Miyata was stuck with them. Miyata therefore offered us a special deal on them, they had a hi-ten steel frame with high quality wheels and otherwise somewhat lesser componentry than we were accustomed to. We were told that only Europe and Canada were offered these frames because of the 700C wheels which were still not acceptable in the US. As for the Team Miyata and the Koga-Miyata Team, they were identical except for the adhesive decals. I was also able to observe what was claimed to be Peter Winnen's Tour de France bike and it too was identical. There is no doubt in my mind that in 1982, all Koga Miyata frames were made in Japan. They were speced out by Koga, but the building was 100% Miyata Japan. They were without a doubt the first non-European bikes to be ridden in the Tour de France in the post-1960's period. Does anybody know whether anybody ever rode a non-European bike in the pre-1960's period? What did the North African riders use? Were there perhaps some Aussies or Kiwis riding antipodian bikes?

--
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ, USA