Miyata 914se worth anything?

[P3t3rxp4n]

I got a miyata 914 se for my bday but i dont know anything about bikes from what i can tell it it has shimano 105 brakes gears wheels schwable tires the shifter seem to be right under the brake handle i counted the cassette and im assuming its a 9x2 so 18 speed i cant find any info on the shimano 18 speed

Whats a bike like this cost these day?

 

[oldbobcat]

Miyata was one of the better Japanese bike brands of the '80s and '90s. Your midrange 914 is probably worth what any similar 25 year-old bike equipped with Shimano 105 components would be worth, about $100-200, depending on condition.

You won't find anything on Shimano 18-speed. Drivetrain is designated by the number of cogs on the rear wheel, 9 in your case, or the number of cogs in back time the number of cogs in front--9x3, 9x2, or 9-speed triple, 9-speed double.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

http://www.miyatacatalogs.com/2007/12/miyata-catalog-1992.html

1992 was the last year I could find the Nine 14 cataloged.

A Miyata of that vintage in average condition would sell for around $50-$100 on my local Craigslist. In absolute drop dead gorgeous, mint all-original condition with perfect NOS tires, cables, brake pads, etc. it would be for sale for around $250-$350 in a bike shop.

The approximate equivalent replacement bicycle available today would be a shimaNO 105 equipped aluminum or carbon fiber frame sportive type bike that would retail anywhere from a $1,100 Bike Nashbar or European sourced model to $2,000 for a 'name brand' version.

There are steel frame versions available, from lugless brazed and welded types to fully lugged. The offerings will be fewer, but they can be found at competitive prices for the cheaper builds to maybe in the $2,000-$3,000 for a higher end steel frame/bike.

As usual, comparing apples to apples is difficult.

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

It weighs 17lbs as it sits like this
I think it can get to the 15.99 lb mark easilly but should i keep this frame or go with something more modern

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

Its only worth $100-200?

 

[alfeng]

WHY are you worried about what the bike is "worth"?!?

FYI. 9-speed Shimano wasn't available until c1998 ...

So, a part of your bike's drivetrain was apparently updated at some point in time ...
​

OTHERS may disagree, but you were given a pretty nice bike which someone took the time to update at some point in time in the past ...

The wheels are probably relatively new ... if not brand new ... their value, alone, when new was $200+ ... those tires are another $100+ ...​

And, if YOU wanted to update it to the 21st Century, YOU only need to replace those old 9-speed 105 shifters (nothing wrong with those, BTW) with some 10-or-11-speed Campagnolo shifters (mostly, depending on YOUR aesthetic sensibilities) which are pretty-much compatible with the rest of the Shimano drivetrain ... the cost of the Campagnolo shifters will depend on the model you choose AND where you buy them from (very few walk-in bike shops carry Campagnolo components ... Velomine is one shop in Illinois from which you can order Campagnolo parts either via eBay or directly) ...

If you live in a hilly area and you find ANY problems with the shifting, then you will find that the Campagnolo shifters will be a great improvement.​

The crank appears to be from the pre-1998 era 105 group (i.e., a square spindle BB with Shimano's "8-speed" crankset) ... there is nothing wrong with that ... it can be easily updated if your aesthetic sensibilities deem it to be necessary OR if you want a different crankarm length (e.g., they may be 170mm and you may-or-may want a crank with 175mm arms).

If the fork is what I think it may be, then it may be worth as much as the frame ... which is not to diminish the frame's value, but rather to double the value of the underlying bike.

With THAT wordy preamble, depending on the condition, the bike is worth between $450-to-$800 (i.e., replacement cost for the parts OR if parted-out & sold to the "right" buyer).

So, IMO, whoever gave you the bike is a VERY GOOD friend-or-relative.

Go & THANK them, again ... and, again!​

 

[alfeng]

BTW. The quality of the picture of your bike makes it difficult to ascertain some-if-not-almost-all details about the components AND their condition ...

For example, the reflection off of the brake surface on the rims suggest that the wheels may be brand new ...​

The hub brand will determine the actual value of the wheels ...

For example, those could be DT SWISS wheels which would easily cost more than the $400, alone.

​

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

BTW. The quality of the picture of your bike makes it difficult to ascertain some-if-not-almost-all details about the components AND their condition ...

For example, the reflection off of the brake surface on the rims suggest that the wheels may be brand new ...​

The hub brand will determine the actual value of the wheels ...

For example, those could be DT SWISS wheels which would easily cost more than the $400, alone.

​

170 arm

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

It shifts quick and when i want it too,i want to switch the parts over to a full carbon fiber frame because im assuming it will be in the 12-14lb range rite now with no post seat and pedals its at 16lbs

 

[alfeng]

Thanks for posting the additional pictures ...

I don't know about everyone else, but I have to tell you that the quality makes it difficult (for me) to discern anything which wasn't apparent before other than the size of the outer chainring & the likelihood that it probably has 9-speed Shimano front-and-rear derailleurs instead of 8-speed Shimano front-and-rear derailleurs.​

FWIW. It certainly isn't for ME to tell YOU how you should spend your money ...

BUT, you will be opening a can-of-worms if you want to move the components over to a carbon fiber frame ...

BECAUSE, while many components CAN be move from one frame to another ....

YOU will find that many components CANNOT be moved to most CF frames ...

seatpost ... maybe IF the new frame uses the same size

bottom bracket ... no, unless the BB shell is threaded
crankset ... only if you can use a threaded BB
front derailleur ... no ... your FD has a 28.6mm clamp​

fork/headset ... no

saddle ... OK
rear derailleur ... OK
brake calipers ... OK
wheels-and-tires ... OK
shifters-and-cassette ... OK

stem/handlebars ... probably

pedals ... eventually, you'll probably want clipless pedals​

Essentially, I believe that you would be making a HUGE mistake if you set about to move the components over to a carbon frame before you log at least 1000 miles on that particular bike ...

After THAT many miles, you will know what shape handlebars you may prefer ...

And, you will have a sense of whether or not you want a crankset with different length arms

You may even want a different saddle (you don't need to put 1000 miles on a saddle to know if it does-or-doesn't work for you).​

If the components on the Miyata are working well (and, it seems that whomever you received the bike from made sure that they were), the benefit which you will accrue from moving the components over to a carbon fiber frame will be much less than you are anticipating ...

First of all, you should anticipate that any seatpost, saddle, and pedals weigh about 3 lbs +/- ...

You WILL save about 3 lbs from a steel frame & fork and a plebeian carbon fiber frame ... so, allowing that your bike weighs between 19-and-20 lbs when it is ready to ride (which would be REALLY light for a steel framed bike with steel fork), you should anticipate a ~17 lb. (+/-) bike when you have moved things over ....

THAT weight certainly means something for weight weenies ...

It matters if you are geriatric and need to lug your bike up to a third floor walk-up apartment ...

Or, if you have a shoulder problem and a roof rack ...

OR, if comparing the weight with your buddies' bikes matter (hey, that CAN be a valid reason for about 5 minutes) ...

OR, if you are racing ...​

BTW. Your fork is NOT viable on most CF frames because it has a 1" steerer .... you can spend ~$40 for a PROBLEM SOLVERS shim (if available) so that it can be used with one of the current fork/headset sizes ...

So, what budget did you have in mind?

If you wait until July 1st, most 2016 bikes at most shops will go on sale because they become NOS at the beginning of the 3rd Quarter AND existing inventory has to be cleared away to make space for 2017 bikes.

A 2016 bike shouldn't cost more than ~70%-to-80% of MSRP, IMO ...

A 2015 bike should cost less (probably ~60%-to-65%) ...

et cetera.​

You can buy a pretty nice, ready-to-ride carbon fiber bike from places like PERFORMANCE BICYCLE (just to name ONE walk-in shop ... TREK & SPECIALIZED shops should also have some bikes "on sale") for less than the cost of a name-brand Carbon Fiber frame you may be able to buy separately unless your plan is to buy a generic "Chinese" frame (which are supposed to be a pretty good value; but, there are loads of caveats).

Again, WHAT is your budget?

And, how skilled are you with regard to bicycle maintenance?

If YOU cannot do 99% of the work yourself, then you can probably expect to pay a shop between $50-and-$250 to move stuff over.from the one bike to another frame.
​

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

I might test the waters if i can get around 600 for this one my budget will be around 1k

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

I had someone offer me 250 but i think its worth more than that

 

[cyclenthusias44]

It weighs 17lbs as it sits like this
I think it can get to the 15.99 lb mark easilly but should i keep this frame or go with something more modern

Thanks for sharing the image.

 

[cyclenthusias44]

I had someone offer me 250 but i think its worth more than that

Yes, I also think that it should be way more than that (at least 400).

 

[cyclenthusias44]

View attachment 1689 View attachment 1688 View attachment 1687
170 arm

Thank you very much for sharing the images.

 

[alfeng]

I might test the waters if i can get around 600 for this one my budget will be around 1k

GEEZ ...

WHY not ride the bike the way it is for at least one Summer?

WHAT makes you think that you will be happier with a bike which has a Carbon Fiber frame?
​

Did the person who gave you the bike die AND/OR will you never see them again?!?

Whoever gave you the bike went to a lot of trouble to give you a pretty nice bike ...

Consequently, I recommend that you NOT be an ingrate by stripping it or selling it for at least one year.​

 

[Froze]

If that bike is a 914 SE then it's suppose to have mostly Ultegra components, the 914 without the SE designation had mostly 105. The only reference I could find for this bike with the SE ending was 1991, but my time to research this more is severely limited tonight so if someone can correct me please do. The SE version came only in black (called black sable) and not white, the SE version had Miyata Splined double butted tubing which was the best tubing ever made and later copied by Columbus. This was Miyata's top of the line steel bike, that SE bike is worth a lot more than just $200.

Personally, and again if someone can tell me differently that would be great, but I don't think this bike is a 914SE, in fact I don't think it's even a 914 since all references I could find showed that all 914's were black.

Either way, Miyata's were the best Japanese bikes made and more than rivaled anything Italy or America put out price point to price point. It's not a bike I would take lightly and just regard it as low end junk.

 

[oldbobcat]

Its only worth $100-200?

That was before the pics. It appears to be in nice condition and it may have had some upgrades. Maybe $300.

Look, it was a free bike. If you sell it, you will still have to go to work on Monday.

List it for 6 and see what happens. I've been wrong before.

By the way, this does not constitute an offer to buy it.

 

[Froze]

Anyone have any thoughts on whether or not this is a 914 or a 914 SE?

 

[P3t3rxp4n]

Maybe its a miyata pro frame ? What is the difference between a 914 and 914se ive ridden the bike about 200 miles so far and i cant seem to get use to the riding position it offers feels a little too race like or i always have to be leaning forward like im on a supersport motorcycle also this bike looks to wrap in white rubber wrap im kinda nervouse to peel it off