# Koga Miyata?



## Turbo (3 Apr 2010)

Hello everybody,

I am thinking about purchasing a touring or 'trekking' bike i think they are called and as you can probably tell don't really know what to look for.

I not exactly new to cycling but i am to the touring/trekking scene.

So basically straight to the point im wanting a bike that can carry a fair amount of gear and i saw the bike ridden by Mark Beaumont was a Koga Miyata im just wondering what they are like and if the value for money on them is good and where they can be purchased from etc.

It doesn't necassarily have to be the Koga but if it can go round the world in one piece if must be pretty good right.

So if anyone can tell me a bit about them and what i should be looking for or if anyone knows of some better bikes for carrying quite alot of luggage with the front and back paniers please let me know.


Thanks, Turbo


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## rich p (3 Apr 2010)

As you say, they must be pretty good. I have no experience of them personally. MB had a Rohloff hub which probably isn't standard.
Others to consider would be the Dawes Galaxy range, Ridgeback Horizon or Panorama, Surly Long Haul Trucker, Edinburgh Co-op Country Revolution or custom made Paul Hewitt. To name but a few of the popular ones.


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## HelenD123 (3 Apr 2010)

Rich has listed pretty much all the touring bikes available in the UK. You could also look at Thorns if you have plenty of cash to splash. If you want to have a look at the Kogas Cyclesense in Tadcaster stock them, although there maybe somewhere even closer to you. You're not that far from Paul Hewitts and his bikes are good value and custom fitted for you. Don't forget that there's no substitute for actually riding a bike and seeing whether you like it.


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## jags (3 Apr 2010)

the one thing could be a big problem with koga is the headset ,if it goes wrong your in trouble .i read on other sites how people had major problems with the headset seem's you need a specialist dealer to fix it.
my own bike is the thorn sherpa excellent bike especially loaded solid as a rock really well built ,so take a look at thorn site and check out the top build on the sherpa .


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## Muddyfox (3 Apr 2010)

If i was buying a brand new tourer and money was'nt a big issue i would have a Santos Travelmaster which is available in the UK from MSG Bikes and you can spec the Rohloff hub and belt drive 







Simon


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## rich p (3 Apr 2010)

Muddyfox said:


> If i was buying a brand new tourer and money was'nt a big issue i would have a Santos Travelmaster which is available in the UK from MSG Bikes and you can spec the Rohloff hub and belt drive
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Is that the one James Bowthorpe rode?

£3000 default price

http://www.msgbikes.com/acatalog/Santos Travelmaster 2.8 cromo Rohloff Custombuilt.htm


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## Muddyfox (3 Apr 2010)

rich p said:


> £3000 default price
> 
> http://www.msgbikes.com/acatalog/Santos Travelmaster 2.8 cromo Rohloff Custombuilt.htm



It is a bit pricey is'nt it Rich ... does look nice though does'nt it

Although without the Rohloff and belt drive they start at about £1600 


Simon


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## mcfcbird (3 Apr 2010)

I've never been a great fan of Alu touring bikes to be honest, but If I could afford a KM Traveller I wouldn't hesitate, personally. Especially if I was looking for a quality, reasonably priced expedition bike. A lot of people have ridden these machines all over and all around the world and rave about them and I had a brief ride of one fully loaded and loved it.


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## Muddyfox (3 Apr 2010)

mcfcbird said:


> I've never been a great fan of Alu touring bikes to be honest, .



The Santos is available in steel 

simon


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## jags (4 Apr 2010)

so what's the big deal about them.


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## bauldbairn (4 Apr 2010)

jags said:


> the one thing could be a big problem with koga is the headset ,if it goes wrong your in trouble .i read on other sites how people had major problems with the headset seem's you need a specialist dealer to fix it.



Mark Beaumont had problems with his in last weeks TV docu. 
Although he did manage to get some local bike mech's to bodge a repair for him - to get him back on the road.


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## bauldbairn (4 Apr 2010)

rich p said:


> ...Others to consider would be the Edinburgh Co-op Country Revolution...



...or the EBC Revolution Country Traveller, EBC Revolution Country Explorer(now built with a Reynolds steel frame). 

There's plenty of recent threads on here(CC) about the Explorer and the Traveller. 

Here,
https://www.cyclechat.net/

...and here, particularilly GregCollins review(post #8)
https://www.cyclechat.net/

Both have 15% off in the Easter Sale - till midnight Monday!


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## bauldbairn (4 Apr 2010)

Muddyfox said:


> If i was buying a brand new tourer and money was'nt a big issue i would have a Santos Travelmaster which is available in the UK from MSG Bikes and you can spec the Rohloff hub and belt drive
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That is one very smart(if expensive) bike.


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## Andy in Sig (4 Apr 2010)

You might want to consider the Off Rohler made by Idworx. It's just won the Dutch national cycling organisation's annual award for touring bikes. Idworx is a small German bike make which is known for high quality. Koga Miyata are OK but overpriced IMO.


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## bauldbairn (4 Apr 2010)

Andy in Sig said:


> You might want to consider the Off Rohler made by Idworx.



That's a nice bike too - looks like it's built like a tank. 

There's also the; Ridgeback Voyage, Ridgeback Panorama that are dedicated tourer's and the Genesis Croix de Fer which is a bit of a cyclecross bike that's recomended for touring.  (all available from EBC with 15% off )


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## Muddyfox (4 Apr 2010)

jags said:


> so what's the big deal about them.



Jags i've never ridden one (and probably never likely to) i just think it is a very attractive bicycle especially when loaded for touring 

Shallow ? Mois 

Simon


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## psmiffy (4 Apr 2010)

There are a lot of good heavy duty tourers on the market – I have a Thorn and at the time I bought it 12 years ago my short list was between the Thorn and a Roberts – today I would add the Koga and the Surly with an eye on a few other mainly because I have met other people on the road and they seem to perform as well as my Thorn – In my experience when it comes down to it a good frame may be the base (I like steel and I like a bike that does not flex very much when braking heavily loaded going fast into a corner) However, reliability and ease of ride comes down to what it is equipped with – wheels , drive train, brakes, tyres, racks etc, etc – and there are more opinions and preferences than there are members on this board 

In the end you just have to go with what you fancy (and can afford) its your choice

One of the things that always amuses me is the reviews in magazines that source a frame and then test it as a XXXXXX (insert brand of bike) and then build it up with whatever components they fancy and then proceed to mark the whole bike down on the basis of the performance of the components that they have selected.


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## psmiffy (4 Apr 2010)

As an after-thought my Thorn could never be described as bling or pretty - I am an admirer of substance over style - but over the years the number of people that have gone out of their way to come up to me to compliment me on it (often riding what I would not mind owning myself) is substantial - pretty is nice - performance is the key


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## jags (4 Apr 2010)

i not really into bling on a tourer ok i am on my road bike well why not.
but i want the tourer to appear your run of the mill bike don't want some thief eyeing it up for there next trophy .


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## ColinJ (4 Apr 2010)

bauldbairn said:


> Mark Beaumont had problems with his in last weeks TV docu.
> Although he did manage to get some local bike mech's to bodge a repair for him - to get him back on the road.


I thought that was funny. He looked so worried when they took a hammer and chisel to his bike!


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Apr 2010)

money and practical issue aside I'd go for a Rivendell or practically a Villiers-Velo

Reality bites? Surly LHT from Brixton Cycles; I know of no finer Surly dealer

More sense than dosh? EBC Revolution (but I would say that given what I ride....) 

Fancy your luck? an old Galaxy off eBay, fix it up and sell it on if touring isn't your bag. or riding a bike that handles like a truck doesn't float your boat.

too many bikes.... too many choices


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## bauldbairn (5 Apr 2010)

ColinJ said:


> I thought that was funny. He looked so worried when they took a hammer and chisel to his bike!



Yeah so did I! 

His bottom bracket also packed in - luckily he met an ex pro-cycle mechanic who had one. 
I was surprised at the lack of spares he's carried - and his apparant lack of basic maintenance/knowledge.
I'm shocked at the amount of work that's had to be done to the bike. I'd have thought Koga would have double checked/double sealed everything. I know he's covering a fair few miles in extreme conditions but the Koga's taking a pounding.

Still a good show/great achievement though.


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## ComedyPilot (5 Apr 2010)

It just looked like fork bearings were the problem???

Hardly enough to stop the ride - just have some more sent FedEx to a hotel and pick them up???


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## rich p (5 Apr 2010)

GregCollins said:


> money and practical issue aside I'd go for a Rivendell or practically a *Villiers-Velo*




Well 3 of my touring friends ride a Viliers!

View attachment 6054


And here is my wife with hers!

View attachment 6055


p.m. me if you want some more info Greg!


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## willem (5 Apr 2010)

I think the issue here is what the bike would be used for, and what kind of budget there is. Think about this before thinking about brands. If budget is tight, bikes like a Thorn Sherpa or a Surley Long Haul Trucker are excellent, if budget is unlimited, Idworx is a superb off the peg bike. However, if you are spending that kind of money, a custom tourer would get my vote (that is how I voted with my money). But first, where are you going, what roads, how much luggage, what kind of rider are you? Are you doing fast credit card touring, round the world expedition style touring, or light weight camping holidays in France etc?
Willem


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## P.H (5 Apr 2010)

willem said:


> But first, where are you going, what roads, how much luggage, what kind of rider are you? Are you doing fast credit card touring, round the world expedition style touring, or light weight camping holidays in France etc?
> Willem


...and until you've tried it you won't really know. I like some things I never thought I would and dislike some I was keen to try. In truth you can do most things on a reasonable quality bike. So my advise would be to spend as little as you can get away with on a bike and as much as you can afford on doing some touring. After a few tours, you'll know what you want and have a far better chance of getting it right.

EDIT - Have a look here for an idea of the bikes people choose to tour on and this is only the full luggage tourers;
http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded


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## GrumpyGregry (5 Apr 2010)

rich p said:


> p.m. me if you want some more info Greg!



I aspire to own one, the ones I've seen are stunningly well executed 'old-skool' (aka classic) bikes, but only when domestic arrangements allow. So not for a while yet....


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## friedel (5 Apr 2010)

These pages from our site may help you at least see the different options:

Expedition touring bikes (Koga, Santos, Thorn etc)

Mid Range Touring Bikes

As others have said, it really depends on what you're planning. Almost any mid-range bike will be fine for most people's needs. If you're thinking more an around the world bike that you plan to keep for a lifetime, then go for something in the Expedition price range. You can always get a mid-range bike and upgrade it later into an excellent expedition bike with better quality parts.


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## Penfold (5 Apr 2010)

Well I always wanted one and I finally got one ( a Koga that is) 

Too pricey? Well mine cost £1750 including four panniers and a bar bag. 

Not too bad a price to pay IMHO 

Check it out here.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Penfoldsmith


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## psmiffy (5 Apr 2010)

How long is the stem I need to replace my handlebars and they look just the job - it is just I like to be a bit further forward than that


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## Penfold (14 Apr 2010)

Sorry for the very late reply....Been a busy teddy....

The stem is 3 1/2 inches centre to centre

Does that help? Nice journal by the way


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## psmiffy (14 Apr 2010)

Merci Beucoup - there was no rush - glad you enjoyed the journal -look forward to additions to yours


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## Crankarm (14 Apr 2010)

Penfold said:


> Well I always wanted one and I finally got one ( a Koga that is)
> 
> Too pricey? Well mine cost £1750 including four panniers and a bar bag.
> 
> ...



That's definitely a nice bike, certainly a go anywhere any weather type of bike.


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## Crankarm (14 Apr 2010)

psmiffy said:


> Merci Beucoup - there was no rush - glad you enjoyed the journal -look forward to additions to yours



I'm currently enjoying your journal as well. You are in Germany at the moment .


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## psmiffy (14 Apr 2010)

Crankarm said:


> I'm currently enjoying your journal as well. You are in Germany at the moment .


I am glad you are enjoying it and are recovering from your incident -Germany - Up or across? - I have finished the narrative to home - Just adding a few thoughts of chairman psmiffy section by section


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## Crankarm (15 Apr 2010)

psmiffy said:


> I am glad you are enjoying it and are recovering from your incident -Germany - Up or across? - I have finished the narrative to home - Just adding a few thoughts of chairman psmiffy section by section



I must confess I have not read it for about a week - 10 days as I have been busy, but I left you in Germany at Gartower See to Alte Garde page 95. I had read that far in a couple of evenings. I'm very tempted by the Velo Verts down the west coast of France and the route up from Lake Garda in Northern Italy into Austria which looks stunning and sooooooo traffic free. I worked for 2 years in Northern Italy based in Verona and know the area and up into Austria quite well but sadly not this cycle route. Yeah CGOAB is a tonic for my recent incidents, that there is a whole world to cycle outside the UK that might be more tolerant.


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## jay clock (15 Apr 2010)

I have a Koga Miyata World Traveller. Excellent bike, carries a load in a very stable manner and excellent handling and braking. I only use it for touring but it does that perfectly

my journals have details, starting with the NZ one www.crazyguyonabike.com/julian


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