Japan Tour 2023

Very envious. I've wanted to this same bike trip for a very long time but, with a new born, it's going to be a few more years until I have the chance. Very keen on reading more about your experience and living vicariously through it.

Forgetting Saddle + Forgetting wheels have been added to the anxiety dream database.

went to a specialized store bought an expensive saddle and then five different stores to find a seatpost.

didnt have to think about cooking cause kombinis are everywhere and onigiris take you long way, 38 x 46 wasnt enough for few hills so guess you have low enough gearing as few hills were +23 degrees and long as hell.

we went from tokyo to lake yamanaka, and from there we were supposed to go to mt fuji but we got weather warning as an typhoon was incoming straight there so we headed to numazu for few days, it was sunny weather there and we were thinking maybe the typhoon didnt come but when we headed to west izu skyline it was total chaos there so yeah good thing we didnt go riding up mt fuji.

we did around 570km and +10000m climbing and it was fantastic, best trip of my life.

and ofc camping there, you can sleep anywhere. we slept on a helicopter landing pad on the 2020 olympic road race route and some other parking lot next to a bigger kombini and nobody cared.

Packing the bike packing the bike. Think I'm just going to check my rear Carradice panniers as hold luggage? I assume the hooks ETC are tough enough to cope.

Last night's anxiety dream was that I got back home and my house had cracked in half and there was an extra dimensional new room in it.

That sounds cool and will be something to look forward to on the journey home.

I tested what it would be like having to reseat my tubeless tyres on the roadside. Rear tyre goes up with a frame pump, but the front needed co2. Mucoff sealant is apparently co2 safe so... I guess we'll see.

I'm resisting the urge to buy new wheels but honestly I'll never buy non tubeless compatible rims again. The anxiety isn't worth it.

you have tubeless but not compatible rims :')

bigger city roads might be bit shitty but otherwise the roads are perfect so is you have any problems with tubeless i would go just with tubes.

Tubes? Get out of my thread.

:DDD

Took me all evening and part of this morning to pack stuff and honestly I'm still not packed packed.

Should I remove this rear rack or just yolo it.

1 Attachment

structural bracing when a suitcase gets thrown on it innit

cannot wait to hear updates from this

.

I'm one hour early for my three course coffee tasting at koffee mameya so I can bang down some quick thoughts.

Bike built fine on the tarmac except I have a disc that's rubbing and a split ferrule that's making the rear shifts pretty flaky. I'll need to sort that before I need the big gears. I would recommend flying BA instead of Japan airlines like I did. BA has a much better bike policy and it's a code share flight anyway.

Cycling in Tokyo itself is kind of hit and miss, it looks a bit like a Terry b video except the drivers are more polite (a taxi let me pull out if you can believe that). At least with google routing there's a lot of hammering down the side of 6 lane arterials, continually moving into and out of the door zone of cars that are parked in the "bike lane".

Blue lug yoyogi park has a lot of blue lug branded tat that ends up costing you about 40 bucks by the time you take it to the desk. It's full of bored girlfriends being lectured about "Grant Peterson" and boyfriends who keep saying "I've only ever seen these online, they're meant to be really nice." It's worth a visit to get a reflector and some stickers but you could otherwise miss it.

4 Attachments

It's full of bored girlfriends being lectured about "Grant Peterson" and boyfriends who keep saying "I've only ever seen these online, they're meant to be really nice."

Ha! Keep the updates coming, have a great trip

Oh also the paid for bike parking is pretty great. You just roll your bike into the thing, it locks your front wheel, then you pay when you get back.

Just need a theft free society

First day of the tour today, riding through Ebisu, got a 7000micron gash in the rear tyre.

The bike is in blue lug getting fixed and I'm in Tokyo for another two days.

1 Attachment

tubeless useless

Tough luck Bro. I'm in Asakusa for the next few days and then off to Tachikawa on Friday... I would have liked to meet up with a fellow forum'ger for a ride. Unfortunately I didn't bring any parts to build the keirin frame I bought earlier in the year. Plus I didn't have the heart to borrow from my cousin in case I do damage.. Safe Journeys on the rest of the tour and hopefully your luck takes a turn for the better...

It's taking them two days to fix a puncture or you had already scheduled two further days in Tokyo :o ?

Maybe I missed it up-thread but did you fix on a route you're taking? a nice way out of Tokyo at least?

Two days for the new tyre. Mess champs is in town so they're apparently very busy and closed on Thursdays. Have been worrying that I didn't do the right thing but am just trying to let it go. On a train to Nikko right now which should basically catch me up in all things except fitness.

Rinkoing a bike with 4 panniers is pretty brutal. Might try and do a luggage transfer on the way back.

5 Attachments

Also I seem to have caught what I hope is a cold, not the flu. Let's see.

damn

Looooove Super C's - must get some. Thanks for this interesting stuff.