Vintage bike restoration - 10 euro Koga Miyata from trash to treasure

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I believe this 1986 Koga Miyata Adventure I bought was meant for me. It sought me out, somehow knowing I would bring it back from the brink of death and return it to much of its former glory.

After years of service the tired bike’s chain faltered and started skipping. The previous owner didn’t know how to repair it and the bike’s sorry state meant it wasn’t worth the investment at the local bike shop.

And so it was meant for the scrap heap. Luckily for me he changed his mind and put it up for sale for a mere €10 euros as a “fixer upper”. I got flagged with an email and immediately send a message I was willing to buy it. He had already sold it to somebody else. But that guy didn’t show up and I was second in line. Karma, I kid you not.

I had bought a Koga Miyata… well, at least what was left of it.

From the day I bought on August 15th until literally the last day of 2020 I would work on it on and off until it was ready to ride again.

This story is about his journey back to life.

During the eighties a new era in cycling was dawning, which would be known as mountain biking. And 1986 was the first year the Dutch cycling manufacturer Koga Miyata would enter the fray with 2 models: the Koga Miyata Ridgerunner and Terrarunner-E.

They would also introduce the Koga Miyata Adventure that year. The description of this bike is hilarious:

"The Adventure and Adventure-Lady represent the perfect combination between the ideal sit- and user comfort of the Mountain Bike and the positive, light running characteristics of Randonneur cycles. Adventurous bikes for people who prefer a special bike above the more mainstream products. Because the Mountain Bike has limited use in Europe Koga-Miyata felt it needed to build a bike which can still be used by a large audience."

From the 1986 Koga Miyata catalog

Well they got that last part wrong about limited use of mountain bikes. And even though they stated this bike was meant to be used by a large audience I reckon it didn’t sell all that well considering its rarity.

Related videos:
Removing the stuck bottom bracket: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-rep...
Cleaning and detailing the bicycle frame: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Overhauling the bicycle hub: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-mai...
Polishing aluminium headset: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Removing the sprockets from the freewheel hub: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-mai...
Repairing damages hub cones: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-rep...
Polishing bicycle spokes: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Removing stuck freewheel cassette: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-rep...
Bicycle cone adjusting: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-mai...
Installing freewheel cassette: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-rep...
Lengthening bicycle handlebars: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Overhauling vintage Shimano brake levers: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Restoring the bicycle saddle: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Installing rubber handlebar grips: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Installing vintage Shimano cantilever brakes: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Installing vintage road bike fenders: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Fixing bicycle tire wobble: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-rep...
Restoring Shimano Biopace triple crankset: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Installing Sanyo Dynapower bottom bracket generator: https://www.restoration.bike/bikes-an...
Installing bike frame lock: https://www.restoration.bike/bikes-an...
Installing square taper bottom bracket: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Installing square taper crankset: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...
Measuring Shimano chain length: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-rep...
Install Deore XT thumb shifters: https://www.restoration.bike/bike-res...

I've also written about blog post with more information. If you want to read this article go to https://www.restoration.bike/bikes/vi...

Visit my website for more bike restoration tutorials: https://www.restoration.bike/

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