Monday Blues via Interbike: The Miyata...

I suppose the name Miyata falls into the category venerable now, as anything surviving for more than 100 years deserves that at least. The company can trace its heritage back to 1892 when Eisuke Miyata built his first bicycle, using tools and equipment at the Miyata Gun Factory. By the mid-1900s the company had built itself into one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in Japan, also producing frames for both Panasonic and National. In the 1970s Miyata formed a cooperative agreement to build frames with the Dutch manufacturer Koga at their factory in the Netherlands. More recently Miyata has reopened their Japanese factory, and begun to manufacture frames under their own name once again.

Miyata's greatest moments may have come during the professional racing seasons of 1981 and 1983 when Dutchman Peter Winnen, racing with the Capri Sonne team, won the Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour de France, both years. Winnen also finished 5th overall and won the Tour's best young rider classification during the 1981 edition of the race. The Miyata, shown here, commemorates those victories, not just on the chainstay, but in the bikes singular name  - The Miyata.

There is little doubt that the combination of steel and chrome recaptures the elegance of the traditional steel frames. From miyatabike, Miyata Chief Development Director, Kazuhiro Toyama, speaks of what he terms Iron Will: "I believe that back to fundamentals leads to overwhelming beauty, said to be the ultimate principle of [the] universe. As I gaze at the fast-changing road bicycle scenery, I feel the impulse, more than ever, to reemphasize such aesthetics, also being the standard for bicycle manufacturing. This is what I called IRON WILL, Miyata's philosophy."

As with all these reviews from Interbike 2013, I have not received any prior compensation, nor promise of later compensation, from the above mentioned company, nor am I connected to them in any way. Views expressed are the result of my observations and subsequent research only.