Koga Miyata XT | Retro MTB

Square Wheels

It's always good to remind yourself how bikes of today got to where they are, how incredibly light, strong and stiff they are, how well they shift - and STOP and an all round pleasure to ride.   The industry might suggest that 26" is obsolete but it doesn't mean a quick spurt on a classic isn't a pleasurable one.    It's just different.

From the bobbing sensation of the BIOPACE chainrings, the mostly effective cantilever brakes and Shimano  MOTO styled brake levers, the silky smooth shifting on friction and audible CLICK, CLICK, CLICK of the Indexed S.I.S. shifter, it's a real treat.

For me, they pull me back to bombing down a fire road at Blue Lake on my clunker MTB, unable to slow let alone stop and the earliest experiences and thrills on two wheels.

This Koga Miyata nearly was mine at the last BICYCLE SWAP MEET but alas someone wanted it more.  Actually a few people wanted it more.

For a few months it was used for the 'daycare dash' where my kid would instruct me of the turns to make and speed to take them.   Looked pretty sweet with a kiddie seat on the back, matching in a yellow and grew aesthetic by pure chance.

This classic, with a complete Shimano Deore XT groupset down to the pedals is in fantastic used condition.  Beautiful pearl black anodised Nitto bar and stem with few marks and score.  The paint / decals are far from perfect and the original rubber was past the point of enjoyment with its wide aggressive knobs making handling 'interesting'.   Yet, when they were the pinnacle of components and race bikes, pilots absolutely ripped around on these bikes, with the future of Mountain biking a distant unknown.

Next time you squeeze the levers on your hydraulic brakes and stop on a dime, or float through a corrugated rock garden, or micro-adjust your saddle height on the fly,  think back to when it wasn't always so easy and breezy.

Float over the photo below to view the full gallery of this icon.