1991 Koga Miyata TrailRunner

[Elev12k]

Earlier today I wrote Koga had a tendency to overstock and that this is why at some point a lot -in particucular- smaller left over frames had to go. The frames were bought by shops all around the country. The shops sometimes sold them as frame only, but in other cases they put some -sometimes really crap!- left over parts on them and offered them in that way to the public.

This is how I acquired my TrailRunner.

Click!
Click!

My TrailRunner were sold with some stuff the shop had laying around and that is why there is partially STX and some later era stuff on this bike. Brakes, front mech, headset, post are all the correct XT.

This is how the TrailRunner was specced by Koga in 1991:

Planning to spec mine just like that.

Decent frame? Well, weldquality is way nicer than many could ever imagine such excisted. Makes my other welded alloy frames look like build by the monkeys. Do not know whether the job is done by robots or such, but to me it is hard to believe such flawless, perfect symetric welds can by done by a human creature. The point is it is okay

Forks? Miyata BigChamp

BTW Koga had also the tendency to overstock in Switchblades, Cook Bros E cranks, Machine Tech hubs, Zero Weld & Flex, Zero stuff... Anyway I liked their buying bahaviour

- Melvin

 

[john]

Nice toilet paper holder

If your frame the same year as the one from the catalogue? They have different rear brakes.

 

[Elev12k]

John, thanks for the kind word on my 'Ueberpimp' toilet paper holder

On the U-brake issue: No, both bikes are definately 1991. We saw the same with Erkan's Century before. Erkan's has a U-brake and mine has cantis. I do not have an explanation for this.

 

[user7307]

I guess my Century has a U-brake because it is a 16 inch frame.

I thought it was going to have cantilever mounts so it was a huge disapointment when I unpacked the frame and found out that the bosses sat to high on the seat stays :?

 

[Elev12k]

I guess my Century has a U-brake because it is a 16 inch frame.

Erkan,

Could be, but with the above TrailRunner it is exactly the opposite :roll:

I thought it was going to have cantilever mounts so it was a huge disapointment when I unpacked the frame and found out that the bosses sat to high on the seat stays :?

Too bad. Give it to me

 

[user7307]

Yeah thats weird, some have U-brakes and some frames do not.

Perhaps frames with weaker seatstays had U-brakes since U-brakes came with a booster plate that would prevent the seatstays to flex?

A wild guess perhaps :?

 

[Elev12k]

Nice guess, but I do not think it is likely and for 3 reasons:

1) For me it is very hard to get a bike like the TrailRunner pictured above has flexy stays.

2) The 52cm TrailRunner seems to have the same stays as the 42cm. It is the monostay's length that differs.

...and finally

3) I have seen both setups on identical rearends