Back in July of this year I purchased a serious touring bike called a Koga Miyata Signature. It was a second hand bike virtually like new!
To be honest I wasn’t hundred percent sure if I bought the right bike. What brought the Koga bike to my attention was a talk I went to in mid Wales when I was on contract in Pembrokeshire few years before.
The talk was from a young Scottish guy named Mark Beaumont who’d just completed a around the world bike tour on a Koga Miyata Signature bike. It took him 197 days with over 18,000 miles peddled with all his own gear onboard the bike. He did the trip solo and unsupported all the way around the world.
I thought this would be fantastic bike to ride which it is as I’m riding it each day to work and back which is approximately 6 miles. Not far but it’s getting me bike fit.
Unfortunately it’s not a folding not ideal for a boat but really that’s it’s only disadvantage. What’s also special about the bike it’s made of aluminium by and it has a Rolhoff 14 speed hub gears.
The frame was made by the Japanese Miyata in collaboration with Koga who are Dutch company.
Founded in 1974 Koga Miyata produces a select quantity of these top quality bicycles in their factory in Holland.
Each bicycle is hand assembled by one mechanic from start to finish. Each mechanic has been trained in house at Koga for a minimum of two years.
Koga produce a wide choice of quality touring, comfort, race, mountain, commuting, town and country bicycles. All bicycles are fitted with top quality parts and equipped with all the accessories that you are likely to need and all this included in the price.
Rohloff are German company who manufactured the hub gears. Who are they? What is Rohloff? Rohloff was founded back in 1986 as a small family business determined to enrich the cycle trade with product development reaching far further than a short-lived trend.
Every Rohloff product that exited our premises has been subject to our intensive quality control that ensures you the cyclist, are able to enjoy ten’s if not hundreds of Km’s cycling enjoyment. This quality has not only won us countless fans and loyal customers over the last 30 years, but has also won many international sporting events, world records and taken touring cyclists to the remotest regions on the planet.
Regular, everyday consumers, wishing to enjoy a day cycling rather than repairing their bike, have put their faith in Rohloff products thanks to the low maintenance offered.
Enjoy the 14 speed Rohloff experience yourself with a SPEEDHUB 500/14 equipped bicycle – regardless of E-Bike, MTB, Fatbike, Tandem, Trekking bike, Recumbent, Cargo bike etc. etc. We have something for everybody
To transport my Koga bike on Stella Polaris I’m going to have to strip the bike down remove the wheels and store it away aboard in the forward bunk area. I haven’t worked that out as yet but I will? My plan is to do some bike touring once I arrive wherever continent I arrive at and leave the boat for awhile in a marina.
I have the bike racks and I’ll get more panniers for stuff to carry when touring so I’m self contained again. Rough camping on my cycle tours.
Finally as last word as I mentioned I’ve been cycling back forth to my digs in Stockport approximate round trip of just over 6 miles. Which is up and down the A6 ones side has bus lanes and the other side a bike lane.
Chris Boardman the ex professional pursuit champion now Manchester council cycling Tzar who helped devised the cycle lanes in the greater Manchester area to help promote cycling? For me based upon my own experiences this hasn’t in any way got the general public into cycling. I hardly see more then 3 or 4 cyclist cycling to work each day!
Why are people so wedded to their cars?
