NJS: What's the point?

Can anyone come up with any justification for spending money on specifically NJS certified parts, seriously whats the point besides being in fashion?

same reason people like to ride completely original 50's bikes.

no need for justification in my books- spend your money on what you want.

There is a fashion/rarity element to it.

But I think for most people, its the fact that its a mark that this component is burly enough to be raced professional by people who take it all very seriously. While there is a degree of protectionism to the NJS mark, it also does mean a component has been really riguorously tested.

Plus Keirin athestics match up to most folks on this board - steel frames, minimal elegant design, bikes stripped to the essential and then ridden 'effing hard.

the stamped 'NJS' on components reduces the overall weight of a bike 0.001%.

Hovis Brown:the stamped 'NJS' on components reduces the overall weight of a bike 0.001%.

wow, thats all the info i need to go splurge!

NJS only means that it's been approved by the Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai or the japanese keirin association. NJS as a trademark was invented way back in the 50's or 60's which is the reason we are still riding 36 hole hubs.....Back then it was to make sure every rider was competing with equal material as not to make the betting unfair.

So hence....nowadays it doesn't really mean anything, not when you're riding your bike on the street anyway. It certainly doesn't mean anything along the lines off superieur quality above other track components.

llnjs?

Duh! It's so that you can go on holiday to Japan, and you only have to take one bike for both pootling around, and keirin!

I can understand restoring a vintage bike with original parts. But with NJS you are taking a standard designed for track racing, and then trying to apply it to a bike to be ridden on the road. Why do you need the strength and durability of NJS standards on a street bike? Especially because you are never going to ride it at the speeds (or put the amount of force through) it reaches on the track, because presumably you won’t have a brake on it.

people who ride brakeless aren't always slower!

This is true. They crash way faster than anyone I know ;)

NJS isn't about strength and durability - it's about a level playing field for gambling and it (was) about protecting the japanese bike industry from foreign competition in the 50s and 60s.

NJs on the street is either for people who want a fully NJS ride (for whatever reason), although most people pussy out of riding NJS tubular tyres brakeless on the street so there's not much point, ot it's for people who want decent quality track parts. Most NJS parts aren't particularly different in quality or price from other track parts and so if you want decent quality track components then some of your options will have the magic stamp.

my mks toe clips have njs stamped on them and they're shit

Blasphemy! Blasphemy! He said Jehovah!

heh!

BUUUURN HIM!!

oops, wrong film :-P

I feel similarly about phil wood, level and a few other hubs people talk about frequently.
Sure they look nice in an overbuilt fashion way, but when a rear Phil costs £130 and a pair of workhorse Surlys cost £107 (or if you want race suitable miche f&R for less than £50 or F&R Dura Ace for £125), what’s the point in spending £200+ for essentially the same thing but with a bit of polishing. Especially on a commuter bike!

To have it last forever (in bike years).

Quality I don't mind paying for, and in things like Chris King headsets the quality is there.

It's paying for what Jos correctly describes as a stamp that does nothing except state that all NJS stamped items do not give the rider an advantage over other riders of NJS stamped items.

I won't pay more for something that is actually stamped "All these things are equal", but for a perceivable or provable difference in quality... yeah, bring it on and when I purchase I'll stretch my purse strings.

Momentum:NJS isn't about strength and durability - it's about a level playing field for gambling and it (was) about protecting the japanese bike industry from foreign competition in the 50s and 60s.

correct.

why do people use all NJS components in the u.k when it is a small meaningless stamp that doesn't have any influence on how a bike performs on the road?
it's not even a guarantee of quality just a standard to ensure a level playing field for a betting vehicle masquerading as a sport (like horse racing).

from wikepedia:

"it should be noted that the NJS standard is to ensure that no rider will have any advantage or disadvantage based on equipment, and does not necessarily relate to quality or standard of manufacture"

i mean some of the stuff is nice kit but most of the hubs are unsealed which seems a bit pointless for riding in the british weather, and a lot of it is overpriced because of the njs stamp.
so what's the attraction? it's certainly not the value for money?

hipster bingo

It's like Keirin frames have much more kudos here than classic English ones (amongst a certain group of riders). No doubt over in Japan a Bob Jackson, even Whitcomb or, dare I say, it a Condor (with 'London' emblazoned down the seat tube) would seem more exotic and therefore cooler than a Nagasawa or 3Rensho...

But I suspect that you know this (or at least have developed ideas on the theme) and you're just trying to get a rise out of the Brick Lane, girls jean wearing, nu rave, brakeless slave bike riders ;o)

but there must be some kind of reason even if it's just an emotional one. i like brooks saddles because of the way they look and how comfortable they are, but the 'heritage' is part of the attraction too. but emotional attraction is nothing without without the performance benefits, if the saddle wasn't comfortable and going to last a lifetime then no matter how good it looks it would be stupid to buy it. i just can't understand the reasoning behind an emotional decision being made to buy something with a small 3 letter stamp on as opposed to a logical decision to buy something that looks good, performs as well but doesn't have the NJS stamp?

it's exclusive, and up until recently , difficult to get hold of.

Keirin racing is glamorous and interesting to those who observe it from overseas, the NJS mark sets the equipment aside from the usual stuff mass produced for the european market, or boutique British frame builders.

I'm sure this all influences some people's decisions to buy NJS stuff, and I'm sure some people don't give a fig or don't know what the mark means and just buy the product for functional reasons (dura ace lockring, mks tugs etc)

as for the frames, well they all pretty much draw attention, due to the comparative rarity and also the often snazzy paintjobs and tight angles.

Now, I don't give a toss and have zero interest in NJS frames because I don't believe they are the best thing for riding on the road, but I'm not everyone.

Sherlock Mouse

But I suspect that you know this (or at least have developed ideas on the theme) and you're just trying to get a rise out of the Brick Lane, girls jean wearing, nu rave, brakeless slave bike riders ;o)