Hi there,
i’m a long-time lurker, first-time caller, just wanted to say i’m a big fan of your show.
So, i’m going to japan in a few months and interested in going frame shopping. i’ve read a few other threads here on this topic, but was wondering about a few things.
Has anyone done this, and more importantly, what is the pricing like? I’ve read somewhere taht buying in japan is a bit cheaper than buying from ebay, njsframes.blogspot etc.
Will my socks be blown off by the awesome value for money of a used keirin frame?
cos i’m poor.
also, any idea if i’ll even be able to find a frame my size (59/60cm) ?
Funny that you posted this, because I’m planning on doing exactly the same thing in 5 or so weeks and was goign to star a topic. I know on this forum somewhere there’s a list of shops in Japan, which is a link from www.londonfgss.com. I have the linked bookmarked… at home. Punch is one of the stores that sell ex-Keirin frames in Tokyo. Also, there’s a discussion of how much frames are etc, but I’m terrible with the search function.
Also… Has anyone bought a frame back from Japan (or overseas)?
I go to Tokyo for 16 days in about 5 weeks and I’m looking at getting a frame (at the very least) whilst there.
What’s my best bet getting it back? Trying to get a second hand bike box and packing it with clothes and other padded goods? I’m taking a couple of those plastic things for the drop outs, but I’m not about to take an empty box over to Japan to get a frame home.
And suggestion would be helpful!
Thanks!
(I already posted this in Gypsy’s European travelling thread, but I think it’s more suited here.)
there is little chance you will find a 58-60cm keirin frame in Japan.
I bought a couple of frames at a good price when i was there last year, it took a LOT of hunting to find them.
the bigger name fixed shops, in Tokyo and Osaka are very pricey and generally more interested in European frames and gear rather than Jap ones. A lot of the Jap kids buy their frames on Yahoo Auctions which is Japanese only.
The place i bought my frames is called Punch Cycles, and is in Tokyo.
The guy that owns Punch has a crazy collection of Bikes in his tiny loft, and if your nice he will sell you one if your not he will just ignore you until you go away
His shop is only open Tuesday to Friday, from 7pm – 12am and he speaks zero english. but his prices a far more realistic and he has a bigger variety of stuff.
The guy that runs “njs.blogspot” is Aussie (Rene) and a really nice guy, he helped us out with transating the Keirin site so we could go catch some races and other stuff like that
His prices are about average of what you will find in Japan.
His shop; Ocean bicycle Factory is in Osaka.
Regarding bringing frames back, its pretty easy if you travel light(ish)
luggage weight limit on Qantas and Jetstar is 20kg so if you only take 13-15kg of stuff it wont cost you any more. The important thing is packing it get a bike box and go to “TokyoHands” and get some Puchi-Puchi (bubblewrap) and pack that shit good.
Awesome. Thanks for the hints and tips. I don’t mind spending a bit on a frame, anything is going to be cheaper than buying it online. Hopefully getting a 54cm square frame won’t be an issue. My lack of Japanese (except for yes, no, hello and thank you) might be an issue though.
As for getting it back, we’re flying Jetstar, and because it’s going to be warmer weather over there, I won’t have to worry about packing warmer, heavier clothes like I did when I went to London / NY last year, so hopefully I won’t have to pay excess baggage fees.
to save on weight, don’t bring any clothing with you. you end up buying all your stuff from there anyway. head straight to uniqlo for socks, jocks and basics. its like the japanese american apparel but way cheaper. then just throw it all away before you fly home.
If you find yourself over the weight limit, do something about it before you get to narita… or osaka airport. I had a very bad moment when bringing my roadie back. i thought i’d try some turbo charm and get bike to come with me for free eventhough it was all over the allowance. suffice to say, i’m not the charmer that i thought i was, and my pocket was $900 lighter by the time i got it on the plane.
bringing a bike back from Korea i used CJS international couriers… and it was CHEAP! 35kgs of bikes (two tourers) for $560AU… i guess they go all over the place too.
And i dont know what size you are, but yeah, its very rare to see big bikes in japan. up to 56 is kind of normal, but 58, 60 is prob a custom job. but you might get lucky.
I used to use a kick arse store in kita-senju (line branches for there from ueno) named Fitte. They are nice dudes who did anything they could for me.
I’d try to get on to Makino or one of those guys to build you something and pick it up when youre there… they aresomewhere in Chiba, which even at its most remote is not more than a couple of hours from the yamanote line.
But, not to be a dick about it, I wouldnt be spending too much time looking for bike stuff in japan. aussie dudes do it just as well, and if you are thinking used, then its a no brainer. theres a lot cooler stuff going on over there than skids and road NJS riders
But, not to be a dick about it, I wouldnt be spending too much time looking for bike stuff in japan. aussie dudes do it just as well, and if you are thinking used, then its a no brainer. theres a lot cooler stuff going on over there than skids and road NJS riders
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True that. I think japanese gear is sweet and would love to go over a shop around for sure… but when I brought my aussie frame to the states people were trippin on it, loved it. Not too much stuff there like that, especially the vintage stuff. I don’t think aussies appreciate the good stuff here. But the grass is always greener on the other side.
heard punch is pretty good. and yes uniqlo is heavenly. but abcmart seem to have gone downhill last few years, last couple of times ive been in japan they seem to be getting a little more expensive…
That’s not too bad. As I said (well bragged) in another thread, I converted some AUD to Yen back when our dollar was stronger. If I spend around that much on a frame, I’ll be happy.
she has a bike, but she refuses to ride it any further than about 1km. she won’t even let me adjust the seat into a more appropriate position. a few weeks back we rode to a cafe about 2.5kms away. it took about half an hour! because of the massive incline between brunswick st and lygon st…
