I’d been looking for a Koga Miyata mountain bike for about 9 months before this one popped up on my local craigslist.
It’s a 1991 Koga Miyata Skyrunner Carbolite and it’s a very special bike indeed.
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€500 is a considerable amount of money for a rigid mountain bike. For that kind of money you can buy a very decent second-hand full-suspension mountain bike.
But to put things in perspective, this bike belonged to a former bike mechanic who’d sadly passed away since. And only 7 of these bikes were sold in the Netherlands at the time, which makes this Koga Miyata Skyrunner Carbolite extremely rare.
I have seen thousands of Koga Miyata road bikes pass during the time I was looking for a mountain bike of this brand. For each 50 road bikes a single mountain bike would come along and usually a low-tier one like a Burner or Explosion.
So obviously I immediately jumped at the opportunity of getting my hands on this rather large gem and offered the asking price. The bike had already been sold to someone else who luckily flaked out.
Carbolite tubing: a little history
So what’s so special about a rigid mountain bike you might ask?
All top models of Koga Miyata since 1989 had frames with Carbolite tubing, starting with road bikes.
Since the use of carbon in the bike industry was still in the early stages, it meant it wasn’t until 1994 that Koga Miyata would introduce their first monocoque frame, which was a mountain bike.
But earlier models using Carbolite tubing had them made from carbon, which was reinforced from the inside with a 0.7mm. aluminium tube. This was glued into aluminium lugs, which give the frame its unique look.
Only the top-, steerer-, and down tube were made from Carbolite. The seat- and chain stays were still made from aluminium.
1991 would be the only year Koga Miyata mountain bikes would feature the massive “Big Champ” steel rigid forks. It kind of marks a turning point in MTB history because rigid mountain bikes and steel frames would loose favor in this decade, especially for high-end mountain bikes.
Koga Miyata Skyrunner Carbolite Models
1990 1991 1992 1993
From 1990 to 1993 four rigid Skyrunner Carbolite models were made. The unpainted naked carbon and elaborate bolted frames make the first two the best-looking ones by far if you ask me. They would also offer the more classic-looking frame geometry, with an almost horizontal top tube.
Distinctive features
But the 1991 version has several features that make it stand out from the rest of the pack. It has a bigger 1.125″ headset and 73mm. bottom bracket shell with anti-chain-suck-teeth part of the frame itself.
Both the 1990 and 1991 have 1st-generation Carbolite frames, which means they have aluminium seat- and chain stays.
The 1991 version has all of its cables visibly routed along the top tube.
It features the Miyata CO2 cartridges underneath the down tube, which were only installed on the Koya Miyata lineup MTB lineup of 1991. Later version did have the mounting point.
The fork is the aforementioned “Big Champ” chromoly one, with bolted on brake bosses.
It’s the last 7-speed version, which feels kinda outdated and almost cute considering the futuristic look-and-feel of the rest of the bike. 8-speed STI shifters would be introduced in 1992.
It’s the last mountain bike with the fitted Deore XT groupset being top-of-the-line before the XTR M900 groupset would be the new king of the hill.
Koga Miyata Skyrunner Carbolite Costs
Bike | Koga Miyata Skyrunner Carbolite | €500 |
tires | René Herse Humptulips Ridge Extralight 26X2.3″ (2x) | €184 |
shifter cables (2x) | €7.98 | |
chain deflector | Deore XT Shark Fin | €20.95 |
Total excl. shipping costs | €712.93 |
Koga Miyata Skyrunner Carbolite Specifications
Year | 1991 |
MSRP | |
Frame | Oversized Carbolite 3 tubing w. Alfrex Alloy 6000 seat- and chain stays |
Fork | Koga Miyata Big Champ Hardlite FM-1 chroommolybdeen |
Headset | Shimano Deore XT HP-M736 1 1/8″ |
Hubs | Shimano Deore XT FH-M732 |
Rims | Wolber AT-18 |
Spokes | Hoshi Starbrite 14/15G stainless |
Tires | René Herse Humptulips Ridge Extralight 26X2.3″ |
Pedals | Shimano Deore XT PD-M730 |
Crank | Shimano Deore XT FC-M730 46-36-26 |
Chain | Shimano CN-HG90 |
Cassette | Shimano Deore XT CS-HG90 13-14-15-16-17-19-21 |
Bottom Bracket | Shimano Deore XT BB-M730 |
Front derailleur | Shimano Deore DX FD-M650 |
Rear derailleur | Shimano Deore XT RD-M735 |
Shifters | Shimano Deore XT ST-M092 |
Handlebars | Syncros Flatbar |
Bar ends | Syncros Steerhorns |
Grips | Velo Ergo 125 |
Stem | Syncros Cattleprod 25.4mm. 130mm. 0° |
Brakes | Shimano Deore XT BR-M734 |
Brake Levers | Shimano Deore XT ST-M092 |
Saddle | AX Lightness Phoenix |
Seatpost | Deore XT SP-M730 |
Size | 57 (XL) |
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