In 1973, Miyata launched a new line of bicycles under a special branding & endorsement deal with cycling legend Eddy Merckx. Above is the cover of the first catalog, introducing Merckx to Japanese cyclists as “The world excellent bicyclist Eddy Merckx; Unprecedented 280 victories in competitions; Eddy Merckx who is the fastest man in the world.”
Released only in Japan for a few years between 1973 and 1980, the Miyata Merckx bikes remain a lesser-known but fascinating piece of cycling history. There’s a few scattered articles in English across the web, and I’ve pulled together everything I could find into one place, including hi-res catalog scans from three different years of production. Read on to learn more about the Eddy Merckx Miyatas!
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It was quite an undertaking, and definitely the most expensive and technically complex restoration I have ever embarked on. The results were spectacular!
It was in truly impressive condition; the previous owner had it in dry storage for several decades after his brother’s untimely death. It still had a faded Italian flag tied around the brake cables. There were a few small scratches in the paint and some of the Bianchi decal on the downtube had come off.