MY FIXIE QUEST (PART ONE) (2)
Even if it is hell to practice road bike in/around Tokyo, one thing cool is the number of bicycle shops.
I already have 2 bikes, the trek for training and a little (but really heavy) bike I bought almost 2 years ago. I use this one everyday to go to the station so it's always outside...Then now it is dying : the derailleur is broken and the front brake also. It was a cheap bike (9000yens) and to fix it, would probably cost as much as its original value ...So I am looking for a new one. But for this one, I want a real bike! I would say an urban bike... And what is the big boom for the last 2/3 years here as well as all the big cities around the world? The track bike, called also single speed bike or fixed gear or fixie or even pist bike (ピストãƒã‚¤ã‚¯) here in Japan.
Spotted in Shinjuku last Year
This one in Ikebukuro
Yes, they are cool, they are beautiful, they are sometimes flashy or old school, anyway I want one! I am sure I could really enjoy some saturdays afternoon in Tokyo with such a bike! The thrill of riding without brakes except my legs!
There are some little shops in Tokyo specialized in these items and Yahoo! auctions is also a good place to find some. But today I just went to one of the Yokohama bicycle shops to check what they had in stock. This shop is huge, to compare with, I don't even think in all the Normandie there is such a shop...
As they are not specialized in track bikes I did not expect to find a lot of them. But still they had some interesting stuff :
From right to left : a really cheap one : 39000yens with no really brand on it, then a Fuji(58000yens), quite common here, then one Specialized and 2 masi.
(Okay the photos are terrible...I used my mobile...)
The masis are really nice but a little bit pricey around 100000yens :
masi saddles :
And one of the specialized bike (I don't like so much their slooping design...not good idea for fixie I think) had some sugino stuff...which is good!
I will visit the little shops in Tokyo next time, and I am also considering the Panasonic that we can order and customize from internet. To be continued!
Posted on : 2008-07-05 19:15:56
By Dave in Paris At 2008-07-14 09:01:07
from Paris et Tokyo
Tu peux voir sur ces Sites pour avoir un bon cadre Japonais;
http://njsframes.blogspot.com/
http://njsframes.blogspot.com/
Voici le mien;
http://item.slide.com/r/1/0/i/6lb6p9zg6j81enPAU6CleSYnEJpA2Vuo/
Maintenant, si tu es patient, je viens à Tokyo vers la mi - Aoà¹t, et j' ai un Bianchi tout neuf à vendre, taille 53, à 800,00 Euros. Je peux l' amener si tu es interessé. Il est neuf.
http://item.slide.com/r/1/0/i/yYM4HM_B4T_AQsn6UPKIZqZlVL1if0qz/
By Jérome At 2008-07-14 19:07:57
from Ikebukuro ,Coding
http://www.jeromesadou.com
merci pour le lien...je connaissais, j'ajouterai quelques liens dans un autre post.
Pour le Bianchi, il est bien beau mais non merci...au cour de l'euro actuellement...
En plus j'ai plutot envie d'acheter local :) (et le cadre est trop petit pour moi, plutot 56/57)
Contacte moi quand tu seras dans le coin!