It's a 1992 Team Titanium Miyata. Miyatas are a casual cult bike. They were a Japanese bicycle manufacturer from the 80's and 90's that produced some very well regarded touring cycles. I saw this titanium frame on philadelphia craigslist, and could not resist. Look at that Titanium! Look at that red fork! Had my better judgment prevailed, I never would have bought it. I paid $200, which is sizable compared to my current salary, and I knew well in advance that although these frames were top of the line in their day, there's a good bit of evidence online that the bonded lugs are a weak point of the design.The upshot is that if it does fail, the one person in the country who specializes in their repair is Harry Havnoonian, who currently runs his shop outside of Philly in Media, PA. I'm trying to carefully follow his instructions for treating the bonds well - 1. keep away from saltwater (not a problem right now) 2. don't mash down on the pedals 3. Make sure to use a rear wheel with a cassette, and not a freewheel. This last item I heard him say on a podcast interview. It makes sense - since the bearings on a freewheel are located further away from the ends of the axle, they put more stress on the bonded dropouts.
But anyway, the ride is beautiful. Titanium certainly has a different feel compared to steel, light and springy. The bike is lighter and more beautiful than any of my previous bicycles to date, except of course, for my strida.
Alright, here's a photograph from my bike ride today - Up to Penn Treaty park and back down via Fishtown and 2nd Street.
