As a habit, I love to look at the Craigslist bikes for sale section. I’m a person who loves taking an old bike and giving it new life, so sometimes it’s fun to just peruse and imagine what kind of projects I could get up to (read: waste my time on). It was on one such search that I stumbled across a relatively uncommon find – a 1988 Miyata 1000 in absolutely great shape.

Now, at the risk of revealing myself to be whatever the opposite of a modern gear snob is… for those who may not know, Miyata is a company that makes bicycles. In the late 80s and early 90s, they made really tremendously excellent bicycles, built from tubing they designed, pioneered, and manufactured themselves. That allowed them to do some pretty unique things with their frame construction that (in my humble opinion) makes them very worthwhile bikes even today, and not just from a collector’s perspective. If a 60s Corvette Stingray got 100 miles to the gallon, there’d be a certain subset of people who’d want to daily drive it, right? That’s a stupid metaphor. I like this bike!

Unnecessarily long story short: I rode it around a Wal-Mart parking lot, absolutely loved it immediately, and bought it on the spot.

I rode it just as I bought it for winter and spring 2018-2019. I loved that it felt both relaxed and responsive to ride. Flexy, but also stiff. Really a fun ride! With some miles under my belt on it, I decided – this is the one! And I set about my task of refurbishing it. The real retro-heads amongst you may say “but Kevin, a retro frame with modern parts is stupid, either go all retro or all new”, and to that I say “I know, but who doesn’t love a good Frankenbike!”.

To commemorate this bike as an extension of myself and my personal history, I decided to “rebrand” it, in a sense. My grandpa on my Krull side was, among many other things, a truly excellent sign painter and hand letterer. In what is now a relatively infamous family story, he once took orange deck paint, painted my dad’s first guitar ever, and then “rebranded” it the Kruller on the headstock, in careful stylized filigree. I still can’t believe he did that to my dad’s first guitar, but the Kruller is a family legacy now (that hangs on the wall in my folks’ basement, in fact).

So, after I got it powder coated a sunny yellow, I decided to digitize his lettering and have it converted into a custom, laser-cut vinyl decal. This wasn’t a Miyata anymore – it’s a Kruller!

FULL PARTS LIST

Frame: 1988 Miyata 1000 CrMo Frame and Fork, powder coated yellow with Kruller decals

Wheelset: Custom from Peter White Cycles

• Velocity Atlas 700c 40h Rear, with White Industries MI5 Titanium Hub
• Velocity Atlas 700c 36h Front, with Schmidt SON28 Dynamo Hub
• 700x35c Schwalbe Marathon Tires

Saddle: Brooks Flyer (My main saddle since 2010)

Drivetrain:

• Shimano Deore RD-M591 Rear Derailleur
• Shimano Deore FD-M591 Front Derailleur
• Rivendell/Silver Triple Crankset (44x34x24)
• Shimano 8-Speed HG50 11-34 Cassette
• A chain

Luggage/Cargo:

• Pelago Commuter Front Rack
• Tubus Cosmo Rear Rack
• Ortlieb Front/Rear Panniers
• Ortlieb Rack Pack
• Ortlieb Ultimate 6 E Handlebag Bag

Cockpit:

• Nitto Albatross Handlebars
• Nitto Technomic Stem
• Shimano DuraAce “Bar End” Shifters (Mounted on Paul Thumbies)
• Shimano MTB Brake Levers
• Ergon GP1 Grips

Misc/Other:

• Tektro CR720 Canti Brakes, Front/Rear
• MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals (I love these so much)
• KoolStop MTB Dual Compound Brake Pads (no way I’m installing these again… they bbbbarely fit)
• SKS P45 Longboard Fenders w/ Mudflaps
• Two Zefal bottle cages I had already