JAPAN09

General Fixed Street
1

Hey guys,

I’m heading to Japan in 3 weeks, for 18 days, skiing for a bit, but i want to spend a fair bit of time in Tokyo and then Kyoto and Osaka, with a few other stopovers. Looking forward mainly to Tokyo.

-Just wondering does anyone know of any good stores over there for parts and gear?
-Also we are thinking of hiring bikes to tour most of Tokyo, what better way than fixed, know of anywhere that might do these, or just a good place to hire normal bikes.

Done a fair bit of research, but I would love to hear any tips or stories to help us out, would be greatful with any info.

-In Tokyo looks like we will be spending 7 nights at the Khaosan Tokyo Ninja(also looking at K’s and Ace inn), has anyone been there?
-Also is there any keirin racing on this time of year?

2

Good bike shops in Tokyo. Punch is an experience.

3

Hey i got my bike from Punch!! nice guy, doesnt so much sell bike, as let go of some of his personal collection. good stuff there, reasonable prices too.
dude has a 24karot gold Dura Ace set in his cabinet

make sure you’re nice to him or he wont have a bar of you.

4

I have stayed at the Khaosan smile and khaosan annex, they were awesome, but the annex was definately better, the smile is tiny and if you are over 5 foot tall you will end up with a bruised head after your stay.
When i was there the Ninja wasn’t running yet, but should be worth a try

5

Stay here>>>>>

Its even cheaper than a capsule hotel and Asakusa is a great part of town. Real grungy.
Also don’t underestimate Osaka. Think of Melbourne and Sydney. Well Tokyo is like Sydney, its bigger and the one everyone knows about, but Osaka is like Melbourne, It does everything a bit better.

6

so stoked i found this. four weeks and im in japan too yewyewyewewewew

7

i love Asakusa, fave part of Tokyo, we always stay at Ks House in Asakusa, best hostel ive ever been too.

8

Hey I just got back from Tokyo today! Based myself in Shinjuku, Hotel Tateshina pretty cheap rates. There are bikes everywhere, parked along the footpath. I’ll have to post up the photos of all the fixed gears I saw too.
As for bike shops I found one in Yoyogi which sold secondhand bikes, really nice retro roadies and a bunch of track frames got some photos of that place too. Also stumbled into a shop in the Harajuku backstreets, they had a black gios fixie for about $1700 i was so tempted!

But don’t think about taking a bike off the street i got busted by the police for riding a bike that was stolen. They took me to the police box, then off to the main police station. They hardly spoke english. At one point the officer drew stick figures to communcate :-D.
But they were really polite and understood that I was just a tourist and made a stupid mistake.

Gomen Nasai!! (I am sorry!!) :cry:

9

Ditto. I’m going there in June.

10

Hi,

Here is a list of shops a mate forwarded onto me (thanks Rod!)

Try the Cerulean Hotel it’s very nice and central, but a little pricey.

Below is a list of Tokyo Fixed gear L33T NJS shopping bliss. I’ll be there from Sunday too. Hope this helps Htay. Get printing those maps!!!

PUNCH CYCLE Google maps
1-5-10 Kaminari-mon, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
TEL 03-3841-5080
Open 18:00-23:00 (Tue to Fri), 13:00-21:00 (Sat,Sun)

If your looking for a Keirin frame in Tokyo, then this should be number 1 on your list. No new skool fancy hipster stuff. Just a shop for ex Keirin gear. All the brands can be found here. Nagasawa, Level, Samson, Bridgestone etc. All frames were 56 and under. Frames are always coming and going, pure luck as to which ones you will find there on the day. Good place to go on a weekday night. a lot of fixedgear bike guys meetup, drink in front of the store and stuff. Don’t forget to take your shoes off upstairs, Japan style. Go there!!

JAN Google maps
6-2-1 Horikiri, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo.
TEL 03-3604-1019
Open 12:00-20:00 (Closed on Tue)

A bit out of town. Again frame sizes all seem to around 55 or under. There wasn’t much in the way of frames on my last visit. Pure luck as to what he will have. The JAN crew always come to the shop near close hours. so you might want to meet up with them if you’re looking for someone to ride with. The JAN crew really kicks it on their bikes. especially “hakushaku”, check his wheelies out while you’re in tokyo.

CARNIVAL Google maps
J-SIX BLDGS 2F. 6-23-11 Jinguu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
TEL 03-5485-8581
Open 13:00-21:00

If your looking for NJS frames, this is not the shop for you. They are above WBASE in Shibuya. They stock mostly high end European frames, as Keirin bikes are a common site in Tokyo. Kinda opposite from the U.K & U.S were Keirin bikes are pretty much all the rave. Carnival also offers their limited edition blue Nitto Bar and Stem as well as special colorway Carnival x Grand Compe Hubs and Rims in 3 special Carnival colorways. They also have some Carnival branded T-shirts etc.

DEPOT CYCLE & RECYCLE Google maps
2-32-5 Ichikawa, Ichikawa-si, Chiba.
TEL 047-322-2210
Open 12:00-20:00 (Sat 11:00-19:00)

Really nice guys. Again a bit out of town, and pure chance as to what frames they will have. They are a small shop, but did have a few 3 Rensho’s hanging of the walls when I last visited. always has interesting bike parts. They are also the main distributor of reload bags in japan.

KALAVINKA Google maps
1-16-21 Meguro-honmachi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 03-3710-1435
Open 13:30-18:30 (Sat 10:00-17:30, Closed on Sun)

Need I say more. NJS builder Kalavinka’s workshop. They also have some parts for sale.

**Updated 11/07

Sexon Super Peace Google maps
New store 01/11/07
22-5 Kamiizumi Cho Tokyo Shibuya Ku
Tel 03-3485-5506
OPEN 12:30 - 20:30

Very central and easy to find. Most frames were Vivalo’s when I was there. Lots of bling bling coloured anodized parts locks etc.

Blue Lug Google maps
New Store 03/11/07
1-58-7 Down town Shibuya Ku
Tel: 03-6662-5042
Open from 14:00 - 22:00

Up near Shinjuku. Lots of nice bling bling parts/bags/rims etc. Not a place to come if your looking for a frame.

11

saw rad bikes everywhere when i was there in august. going back in feb for 3 weeks of powder. can’t wait!

checkout this site. japanican.com i used this to book all my accomo. best rates i could find on the net. stayed at some really nice places for not much more than having own room at backpackers. mind you the exchange rate was kickass then.
stayed at cross hotel in osaka. highly recommend this joint. 10 button control panel just for the toilet and 42inch lcd in the room. legit! stayed at sunroute plaza in shinjuku. also very nice.

12

How much are frames (roughly) in Japan? I know they get pretty expensive online, but buying them directly from stores would be cheaper… right?

13

It varies heaps, last year it would have been a lot cheaper as our dollar was nearly 1-1 but now it starts to hurt a little, basically the prices will be the same as Australia eg, NJS duraace cranks roughly $350-$400au if you do buy in Japan it will be because its stuff you cant get here like frames.

I bought a Peloton road frame from Punch for 45,000yen ($630au roughly, and my girl got a Stratos Keirin frame (needs new paint badly) for 35,000yen, and they were reasonable prices.

If you go somewhere like Carnival or WBase in Shibuya you’ll be paying upwards of 90,000yen and up for european and japnaese frames.

Ocean Bicycle Factory (Rene) is quite pricey too but you can’t blame him rent is crazy up there.

my advice if you want cheaper Jap stuff is learn Japanese and try to use Yahoo Auctions
a lot of fixed kids in japan seemed to have got their frames off there.

best country in the world

14

I just got back from japan and i loved it, i totally recommend bringing your bike with you if it’s possible. roads are largely flat, drivers are decent.

Other than the already listed stores i would also check out “tokyu hands” which is just like a regular department store but surprisingly enough they sell track bike parts. the selection is small but i find that the prices were better than other stores like carnival when you’re trying to find simple parts such as pedals and handlebars.

15

tokyu hands is the best department store ever

16

$1.10 chain tensioners FTW!

and $7 lockring spanners!

so yeah… it is pretty alright :wink:

17

Wow, guys thanks for the info, tokyo is incredible, but pretty expensive atm with the exchange, everything is about the same as home maybe a little more expensive, but some of the bike gear is really cheap. Mind you that is when we are getting 58 yen to a dollar, this place would have been ridiculously cheap when the dollar was around 1000yen. 8% 500ml vodka cans at 7/11, 201 yen, amazing. As for fixed gear, loads getting round, took plenty of shots, porn for all. Found a few more stores for the list, gonna check a few more today like blue lug and carniva and WBASE over near harajuku. Supersexonpeace, was a hard find, but the dude was sweet, got a few little things in there for a good price, he was very keen for a chat about Japanese fixed gear, in the limited japanese and english that we shared. Another one to check out is DEPT, clothing and a fixie corner, good gear. Also check F.I.G Bikes in Harajuku. Just round the corner from United Arrows. Ridiculous bike shop. As for clothes, 2nd hand is pretty cool here, up in the top part of Shibuya around, Manhattan records and Tokyu hands, there are some awesome stores, a lot on levels up. 10Tow, a designer 2nd hand store, and then there are a few really cool American based vintage stores, wicked watches, which were quite cheap, and a lot of pretty unique items, got a scarf, sewn together out of different pieces of material, looks rad, but bout $50aud. The jap fixie stores have some pretty cool fashion though.
Anyways, back to it right now…

18

don’t forget to go to Undercover in Harajuku and checkout this beast of a bike http://slamxhype.com/art-design/undercover-track-bike/

also down the road is Original Fake. has a giant Kaws doll inside and a couple of fixies out front. oh and Loveless just around the corner, an amazing store. fuck i love Japan.

19

^ you mean omotesando. UC diddn’t have the bike when i was there earlier this month

20

anyone going to the CMWC?