A steel mystery koga miyata skyrunner?

[vincenth]

This is currently for sale in my area and caught my interest not only because of brand and model but mostly because it has a steel lugged frame.
Koga introduced the skyrunner in 89 with an alloy frame and later models had carbon/alloy tubes and where lugged.
I recently got a 88 ridgerunner and it looks almost identical to this skyrunner.
It has to be an 89 model: it matches that years colour scheme and the parts and u-brake suggest that as well.

Could anyone shed some light on this mystery skyrunner?

 

[Elev12k]

I've seen it too. Very interesting. I don't know this issue.

 

[Jourian]

Could it be a repainted bike in the color scheme of a KM SkyRunner 1989? I think I might see some air bubbles at the steerer tube. Picture added below.

 

[Elev12k]

I think it is water.

 

[RetroDavy]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Koga Miyata catalogue pictures didn't always match the colours available. I've seen a 1987 Ridgerunner in 1986 colours but with a U brake (1986 had cantilevers), for example. Having a steel frame badged as a Skyrunner does seem a bigger jump away from catalogue, however. Could it have been a test bike/frame, built and painted before the alloy frames were available? The chainset looks different to the 1989 catalogue Skyrunner specification, for example, as it's silver not black.

 

[vincenth]

I think we can only speculate about the mysteries of life
I dont think it was a test bike as it has a dealer sticker on the down tube.

 

[RetroDavy]

Yeah. I like the idea of these frames being sprayed and stickered as other models by a rogue group of Koga employees, just for the fun of it. They're all excellent bikes, that's for sure. And a lesson in not taking anything at face value.

 

[LeonL]

Maybe a late order. I worked at a Koga dealer and when you orderd a model at the end of the year (october-december) It sometimes came the next year in that years colours but with the older tech. Mostly because the had thad paint in the shop at that time

 

[Erin0110]

Has anyone figured out what the problem is?

 

[Jourian]

Hi,

I bought the bike about a week ago and stripped the bike. Pictures are added below. The serial number is QB62987, which I think indicates that the frame is produced in 1988. However I don't know whether it is possible to figure out the model based on the serial number?

Kind regards,

Jourian