1989 Miyata Sandstorm

1989 Miyata Sandstorm road bike we refurbished here at Bike Boom. If your'e not familiar, Bike Boom is a used bike shop in Davis square, on the border of Cambridge and Somerville , near Boston MA. where we specialize in restoring and refurbishing used and vintage bikes and offer professional bicycle repair services.

 The 1989 Miyata sandstorm was marketed as a bike path or a light cruiser, basically a bike you can easily ride on the weekend with an upright riding position. It was made to look similar to a mountain bike which at 1989 were starting to be very popular. It has a mountain bike frame and wheels but is equipped with caliper brakes and a 1x6 drive train. It also had a one piece crank and chain guard, similar to a cruiser.

We received the bike with a torn seat and dry tires, installed a nice cushy mattress seat off an american 3 speed columbia and fully refurbished it with thin , semi slick tires, new cables, housings, brake pads and grips. here is the 1989 Miyata catalog, it does show a different crank and handlebar/stem set up

Back in the late 80's and early 90's almost every manufacturer had this kind of bike in their arsenal, some even came with cruiser bars. The 1989 Miyata sandstorm is a cross between a comfort bike and and an old school cruiser with a very similar geometry to the Bridgestone BB-1 even though the Bridgestone BB-1 had more features of a mountain bike with the cantilever brakes and a triple crank. We love bikes like the Miyata sandstorm because they are already set up as upright commuters with the high stem and riser bars and that allows us to sell them cheaper. Very often we get nice rigid mountain bike but the have low stem and flat bars which result in a crouching position and then we have to spend time and replace parts to change them. People around Cambridge and Boston seem to like the relaxed up right riding position which is more suited for the beginner commuter who wants to see the road and cars around him at all times. Sold to a student in tufts university.

1982 miyata six ten 610

Are you looking to repair this bike?
Links below for parts you can buy now on amazon.

Over the years we repaired thousands of these and became experts in finding alternatives to original bike parts. 
Buying parts for older bikes is confusing, as most of the original parts have been discontinued. 
We use these parts everyday and created this list to make it easier for you to repair your bike.

Shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol

Brake cables and housing: https://amzn.to/2DZqPPk

Handlebar Tape: https://amzn.to/2qxHiaf

Rear Wheel: https://amzn.to/2RuAB3X

Front Wheel: https://amzn.to/2PuFaIM

Tires (good): https://amzn.to/2s9eipE (similar look, casual use, choose 27x1 1/4)

Tires (better): https://amzn.to/33YwOyl (super flat resistant and fast rolling, choose 27x1.25 or 27 1 1/4)

Shifters: Front and rear (right and left): https://amzn.to/347vWrv

Rear Derailleur (good): https://amzn.to/2DYUOXF (choose w/ direct attachment)

Rear Derailleur (Better): https://amzn.to/2PupyVA (choose GS type)

Front Derailleur (good): https://amzn.to/3415IXm (choose double)

Front derailleur (better): https://amzn.to/2LAI262 (better quality, fit and finish)

Bottom Bracket: https://amzn.to/2RydlSI (Likely 68x122.5 but must measure spindle length before purchase)

Crank (good): https://amzn.to/2Yw7miQ (better quality fit and finish, will likely need a new bottom bracket)

Crank (better): https://amzn.to/2rg0YQx (lesser quality option, likely will not need a bottom bracket)

Freewheel: https://amzn.to/2qx4c1t

Headset: https://amzn.to/38EkfvQ (Choose 27.0 but it's better to remove crown race and measure inside diameter for sure)
Pedals: https://amzn.to/3593fvC (Modern style)

Pedals: https://amzn.to/2DZbNZP (same style as original)

Chain: https://amzn.to/38ayVCI (fits 5, 6, 7 and 8 speeds)

Brake pads (good): https://amzn.to/36eEldP (casual use)

Brake pads (better): https://amzn.to/38ixNN7 (Improved performance and wet/cold condition)

Brakes (rear): https://amzn.to/2P31N8o

Brakes (front): https://amzn.to/2Prqcn2

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/2LQALz9 (similar to original

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/356h3Hc (modern style)

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/356h3Hc (modern style)

A very nice Miyata 610 ( six ten ) we refurbished at bike boom somerville. the bike has a different triple crank then the original and also the dia comp, aero brake levers are probably not original as well. 

here's the 1982 miyata catalogue  . A classic touring bike, just before they were fitted with cantilever brakes. 

Triple butted chromoly , lugged frame. we replaced the chaim, freewheel, tires, tubes cables, brake pads, handlebar tape, and installed brand new alloy wheels.

Sold to a harvard student. 

Miyata was one of the best japanese manufacturers and fabricated their own tubings. They also put the best parts in comparison to other manufacturers like fuji, univega, etc., even on the low end bicycles.

In general, miyatas are always a good choice. we have come across many miyatas and we will add them to the blog in the future.