TOKYO CYCLE SHOW 2007 - FIXED WHEEL BIKES (see previous post for the rest of the show)

Nitto handlebars and stems I enjoyed talking to the guys at Nitto. My first ever track bike had Nitto bars. It's amazing how slow this company is to adapt to change. Most companies around the world have stopped making quill stems, but Nitto still makes about 15 different types. But they do at least do a 126 gram titanium Ahead stem now. It looks quite nice - if you appreciate the industrial look.










MKS clips, straps, pedals and those things you use to stop your wheel from pulling MKS had an interesting cleat that clips into a standard pedal. I think track sprinters would like this system, you clip in, flick a switch to tighten and you can use it with clips and straps. I know the German team uses the old Shimano version of this system and the cleats are getting hard to find.






Nice pair of Deda bars on Pinarello's top of the range track bike. They put a Miche cog on the bike, paupers.




Pinarello's Mercurio fixed-wheel bike. Should Pinarello really being going down this road. So many manufacturers offered something for "couriers" at this show. But do couriers want off-the-shelf stuff like this?







Testach Now this is more like it. Steel frame, proper components, although the blue anodised Nitto bars and seatpost look awful, but it makes the bike orginal.






Fuji So cheap - just ¥51,000 - that's £250.




Q-lite Great Taiwanese company. The road hubs are excellent, but the track hubs aren't bad either.





Harp Cheap but looks OK.




Kona Paddy wagon






Sugino These are the worst offenders of the "Let's ride the fixie fad wave" companies. They'd be much better off rereleasing the cranks they had in the early 1980s. That's the kind of crank we really want.




Panasonic's track bike I like it. A simple, raceable track bike with brakes. Nice components too - does anyone know if Hatta makes the headset.






OK, now for the mad stuff

First, this crazy looking singlespeed...



But even madder, this guy has invented eliptical pedalling. He was demonstrating it to everyone, but who will buy this? Any enegry saved by a semi-eliptical pedalling action would be cancelled out by the extra weight and friction, not to mention the laughs of all your mates. Still, I laughed at tri-bars when they came out, so maybe he's on to something.





I didn't even ask about this one