Fixed gear bikes in Tokyo

It's been awhile since I loaded up some pics of bikes spotted on the streets of Tokyo. Enjoy...


This is one of the best looking Level's I've ever seen. The Tokyo-based atelier run by Shiko Matsuda has been building frames since 1975 and has been an NJS-approved frame-builder since 1980. He's a nice guy too.



This frame is a smoked grey over chrome, finished off with Sugino 75 cranks, a pretty nazzy Shimano 1/8th inch oval plate chain and, of course, Matsuda-san's signature.

The bars are Nitto RB-021 matched to the very rare Nitto badged stem from 1983 (?)


The Level had an Araya ADX-1 rim on the front. A great rim. Very narrow - just 19mm wide, it weighs 330 grams. This was the rim used by Koichi Nakano for some of his world championship wins.






And on the rear, a Wolber Profil 20. A rare rim in that it's made of a magnesium alloy. These weigh somewhere around the 300 gram mark. They were released in 1985.




This bike is a bit of a mess, but the frame is a killer - a Katakura Silk, handbuilt by Tadashi Arai, one of the gods of the frame-building world.


Sugino Super Mighty cranks - nothing wrong with them.



An old Bridgestone frame, obviously an ex-racer's bike, it's sporting Araya 16B rims laced to Dura-Ace hubs, a drop stem and tubs, but...




It's got a pair of mad Nitto B617AA "moustache" handlebars on it.



Don't know much about this bike - I just liked the chainring


What's this frame? An old San Rensho? A lugged Makino?




Nice chain too - hollow pins?

Keirin rider Keisuke Tejima dead at 33

Top keirin rider Keisuke Tejima has died. Tejima was ranked among the top 18 riders in the nation. Some websites are hinting that he commited suicide.
Tejima won the SS Cup Minori in 2008 and raced for Japan in Copenhagen.

I'm Tweeting

I've begun Twittering on art, architecture, design and travel in Japan. I'll be posting on bicycle design a lot as well as some running oriented stuff such as buildings used in the '64 Olympics and new shoe designs from Japanese brands.

You can find me here:

www.twitter.com/KankiKnight

MASH SF

I see I was recently added to the MASH blog roll. Does that mean I'm a hipster now?

www.mashsf.com

Cycle Mode Tokyo part 3 - Road bikes and TT rigs

Tom Boonen's bike













Oscar Freire's bike






Great hidden rear caliper on this Cherubim






Interesting lug on this Anchor





Something for the trackies
The best looking frame of all?

Nice Bomber Pro

Of all the keirin frames made in Japan there are three that I like the most - Makino, Cherubim and this one - a Bomber Pro. Try to ignore the awful saddle and rims.

Japan's track cycling team for Beijing

Japan is sending 12 track riders to Beijing, with some good prospects among them.

Top medal contender is Masashi Ishii who managed to do an almost unheard of double when he won gold in the kilometre time trial and road race at the 2007 UCI Para-Cycling World Championships. (For runners among you, that's like winning the 1,500m then winning the marathon). Oh, and just incase you think these guys are slow - Ishii has ridden a 3min 41.3sec three kilometer and a 1.09 kilometre. He's quick. In Beijing, the medals will almost certainly be split between Ishii and Chris Scott from Australia.

Masashi Ishii training hard for a swag of gold medals

A dark horse for a medal is Satomi Wadami. The 21 year old from Tottori Prefecture has been improving very fast this year, winning both the Devonport Wheelrace in Tasmania against a strong international field and taking gold at the World "B" Championships.

Satomi Wadami in her Tottori racing strip

The two guys with the most weight of expectation on their shoulders, however, are Tomohiro Nagatsuka and Toshiaki Fushimi. When they won silver in the Athens Games people were surprised. But this time, with the help of new coach Frédéric Mangé, a 3-time world champion, they should be even faster.

Nagatsuka and Fushimi in the team sprint event

Makoto Iijima is going to struggle, but he'll be up there. He's ridden a long European season, so he's put in as many miles as anyone else he'll be up against.

Makoto Iijima - has been putting in the miles in Europe

Like Wadami, Kazunari Watanabe travelled to Tasmania to race in a tough series of races and performed well. I am presuming he will team up with Nagatsuka and Fushimi in the team sprint. A medal is a real possibility.

Kazunari Watanabe wins in Tasmania

Other riders in the team are Tsubasa Kitasuru and Kiyofumi Nagai (both sprint squad); and Tatsuyuki Oshiro, Mutsuhiko Ogawa and Masaki Fujita (all Paralympics) and one more, who I think will do well: Sakie Tsukuda.

Sakie Tsukuda (centre)

Fixie event in Osaka

If you're in Osaka around mid-August, head to this: http://trackheads.exblog.jp/m2008-07-01

One thing to note, it's at a club called Noon, but racing and the event itself is to be held around midnight.

More roadies and fixies in Tokyo

Bridgestone with a Brooks











Sorry for the grainy images of this Gan Well Pro. I took it late at night with my cell phone. But check it out. An old Gan Well Pro tourer in mint condition.






A brand spanking new Panasonic, almost all NJS with new Dura-Ace. Someone's doing well.





















This Levant is pretty badly looked after, but it's got a carbon Corima front rim. A $350 front rim!















This bike was parked near the Dolan. An average looking road bike - but look at that front wheel. Araya Tita-Ace NJS rim.