What to buy?

I'm after some advice/guidance. I'm British, living in Tokyo and currently use a fixed Pearson Touche as my commuter and a Cinelli road bike. The Pearson is a great ride, stands out nicely from the crowd and is big enough, which is more than can be said for many of the keirin bikes I've spotted knocking around. I also like the fact I don't look like I'm trying too hard.

However, the more I like the Pearson, the more I'm thinking about getting a custom built bike. With this in mind, the next question is do I get something local and, if so, what?

I'm tempted by Level frame or a Panasonic using its frame order system--both would be about 130,000 yen for the frames. My Japanese friend tells me Kavalinka are too popular and I should think about a Cherubim, which is based in outer Tokyo.

On top of that, I'm in the UK in September and am thinking of visiting Mercian. And my friend in London says I should get a Condor.

I also really like the Cinelli Supercorsa Pista frame but it's too much (isn't it?).

So, do I go British or Japanese or Italian?

Oh, on top of that, is their much difference in quality between Japanese steel and Reynolds and Italian?

Get a Bob Jackson when you're here from Cavendish. They love them over there.

Is there a website for the Panasonic frame order system?
I'd take a couple of vintage British track frames back with me, I hear they go for a fortune out there...

Seems like good advice. I just searched for pista frames on sale on Yahoo Japan auctions and a Bob Jackson came up.

As for Panasonic, there is but it's all in Japanese. As far I can work out there's two systems: Custom Order and Frame Full Order. With the former, you can get a built bike or frame and make a lot of choices regarding options. Frames go up to 61cms in 1cm increments.

But with the Frame Full Order, which is a bit more pricey, the options are far more varied. This is the link:
http://www.panabyc.co.jp/products/pos/index.html

A friend of mine recently got a Panasonic steel road bike made and it looks superb.

OK if I had all the money in the world to get bikes built for every use by any builder:

Fixed freestyle: One of these trendy ones from brooklyn or somewhere, in some clownish colors (sic)
Fixed track: Ummm I don't know much about track ... Chas Roberts perhaps? Or a lovely Japanese thing. With sparkles.
Fixed road: Maybe a BJ? Or a Whitcomb if I was feeling flush.
SS Off road: Robin Mather
Audax: Dave Yates
Tourer: Mercian or even just a nice Thorn would do.
Roadie weenie: Serotta? Condor? Some fascisti-looking black and red and white shit anyway, with big writing all over it on every available surface.

Then there's the vintage shiznit I'd want to be rocking on weekends...

i.e. what kind of bike do you want?

Fixed freestyle: Steamroller. Bombproof.
Fixed road & Track: My soon to be finished Affinity
Mountain Bike SS & Fixed: DMR Trailstar
BMX: Sunday (In progress)
Roadie weenie: Still to be decided. Something silly and carbon most likely, or maybe oldschool steel and vintage. Decisions decisions.

Looks like I'm doing pretty well on my wants list :]

Panasonic NJS frame for just over 400 notes! Mmmm...
Wish I could figure out how to order the damn thing, who reads Japanese?

http://www.panabyc.co.jp/products/pos/fp29.html

If you go full custom, no matter where you go, you'll have a long time to wait. If you order a british frame now (email them your measurements), it would probably be ready by the time you come to the UK to visit in September (definitely true for Bob Jackson, maybe at a push true for the likes of Mercian).

Condors are nice, but I'd rather go for Bob jackson or Mercian if you want a full custom job. It might be a thrifty idea to buy a couple of off the peg NJS frames, bring them over with you to the UK, sell them to us (for a fairly decent profit I'd imagine), then use the cash from the sales to buy off the peg bob jackson frames, take them back to japan in the boxes you brought the NJS frames, and sell them to the Japanese for even more profit!

And of course get yourself one somewhere in between. :)

Sounds like a plan.

Have you eaten yet? ;-)

i.e. what kind of bike do you want?

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I'm still trying to figure this out. This is the Level one I keep think about:
g

Have you eaten yet? ;-)

Yup, yaki-soba noodles and cake.

Condors are nice, but I'd rather go for Bob jackson or Mercian if you want a full custom job. It might be a thrifty idea to buy a couple of off the peg NJS frames, bring them over with you to the UK, sell them to us (for a fairly decent profit I'd imagine), then use the cash from the sales to buy off the peg bob jackson frames, take them back to japan in the boxes you brought the NJS frames, and sell them to the Japanese for even more profit!

And of course get yourself one somewhere in between. :)

Just what I was going to say.

Look into my eyes not around the eyes look into my eyes

You will become a bike frame import export magnate but sell me things really cheap

three two one

You're back in the room

Look into my eyes not around the eyes look into my eyes

You will become a bike frame import export magnate but sell me things really cheap

three two one

You're back in the room

I've no idea how much it costs to post frames to the UK, but between us we (me and the other half) could quite possibly get hold of frames and help with things like custom ordering Panasonic frames, for example, or attempting to get second hand keirin frames, although that might be more tricky. I'll look into it, although I guess it depends on how much hassle it is and the costs of posting etc. I just mentioned it to her and she seemed kind of interested.

yeah platini I ate a classic british track-path racer, was tasty as fuck :)

God_zuki.
Do level do OTP? And how much would you be forking out over there? Perhaps some BJ/Mercian trading in the off? Arigato.

There should definitely be a section here dedicated to buying advice, cos these questions repeat themselves on a weekly basis.

No offence, but it would be good.

God_zuki.
Do level do OTP? And how much would you be forking out over there? Perhaps some BJ/Mercian trading in the off? Arigato.

I think they're all made to order with frames starting about 130,000 yen. When I get chance, I might head down to there shop, which is not that far from here.

That Level's gorgeous! I'm totally nabbing a custom Panasonic once I'm solvent again...

Bugger, now I'll have to learn another language and the alphabet as well!!!

Open the Panasonic page with Google's language tools, works OK... :)
http://www.google.co.uk/language_tools?hl=en

If you re in tokyo, go japanese. i just picked up a vivalo for £250. max from tokyo fixed gear (google it) was awesome in helping me out although he's moving back to london in 3 weeks so be quick.
another way to do it is to get one off yahoo auction (the japanese e bay) strait from a kerin rider. if you re lucky you can get a complete bike for about £400 although you ll have to change the 16:50 ratio i received to something more sensible.
you ll need someone who can read japanese. to have a peek copy and paste ' 競輪　'the kanji for keirin, into the box on the left of this page: http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/

warning, njs frames have gone up in price ridiculously over the past year so buying one straight from a tokyo fixy shop is bloody expensive.

if you wanted a custom frame built from new then max is definately the person to speak to as he s down with most of the major frame builders. you should see the frame the guys at 3rensho GAVE him!

one more quick thing, selling uk/ european frames to the japanese is very hard and from what i ve heard takes a loooooong time, so dont think of it as a quick buck easy option.

thanks for the tips. Tempting to get a Jpz one if I can find one for my size (which is tough as I'm 6'1:) so it's likely I'll have to get one made. Maybe a Panasonic or Level. I speak some Japanese, though, so I should be okay with ordering etc.

The only downside is that keirin bikes on the road are two a penny. Tonight, when I cycled through Shibuya, someone photographed my Pearson Touche--I guess it's different. Maybe I'll get one here and one more from the UK.