Spotted in Tokyo...

This thread in following on from my Keirin pictorial thread http://www.londonfgss.com/thread17491.html
These are photos of what I spotted over a couple of weeks in Tokyo.

I imagined there would be loads of NJS frames around but there were not that many. Here is a nice Samson. No brakes, no straps.

Weirdly, every bike I snapped was a non drive side view if it was parked. Is this a part of Japanese etiquette when parking you bike? Here is an SE Lager lightly locked up in a mall.

Ahhh! Aerospoke and Supreme sticker. Parked outside Tokyo Midtown. You can see the quality of the road surface so it is not too difficult to keep things clean.

White Rando, spok, stickers, etc. Unusual that the saddle is removed.

What to make of this? Not sure of the frame but there is an affinity to Apple macs.

OTP Bianchi. Paint matching frame pad and one of those dainty D locks.

An so to the courier bikes. They have number plates and leave them miles away with out locking up.

Another courier bike, not that interesting but good to see.

This is inside Carnival, lots of high priced Euro and Russian frames. No NJS frames for sale, just a few reserved ones.

Although if you like blue anodization you are in the right place.

Tokyu Hands is a creative hobby store that offers a plethora of Pistou Parts.

Tokyu Hands is also the place to get the little model bikes you may have seen.

Le Coq Sportif and their take on the whole cycle fashion thing. Nice frame, wide bars!

The crew outside W-Base. He's parked the wrong way round.

oh that's better.

and finally if those skinny locks were freaking you out then here is the antidote. £1700 and it is about 2 meters long. That shackle on the end is the thickness of a VHS cassette. It was in a motorcycle shop.

nice post, many thanks.
best bike shop in tokyo ? going there soon so any info appreciated

even though they're stupid i would not have been able to stop myself from buying a pedal id bike as a souvenir. thanks for sharing.

I've never seen those model bikes before, let me guess, are they called "Tech-Fixies"?

nice pics. interesting to see what they ride

when are you coming back Pipwish?
Can bring some parts back?

There are some lovely bikes in Shibuya. I saw tons of people riding fixed around there, virtually everyone was brakeless. Lovely bike shop somewhere inbetween Shibuya and Harajuku station if I remember rightly...

when are you coming back Pipwish?
Can bring some parts back?

I am back already and with the state of the pound buying anything was painful. Thanks for the comments on the thread. Search this forum for info on Tokyo based shops. There's some good info around.

@ Pipwish. If you look in the cold feet thread you'll see a little spoke card you may recognise!! ;)

even though they're stupid i would not have been able to stop myself from buying a pedal id bike as a souvenir. thanks for sharing.

my girlfriend bought me one for valentines day when she said I've got you a new bike i was a little disappointed to find out it was one of them.

@ Pipwish. If you look in the cold feet thread you'll see a little spoke card you may recognise!! ;)

Thanks, I have been collecting such photos.

Another really interesting thread, thanks.

As you say, it is interesting to see the lack of NJS stuff, and the clear interest in Italian frames. They seem to be much more into decals than the English hipsters.

Carnival with its Europhile tastes is something of an exception among the Japanese fixed wheel bicycle stores. Majority have Japanese bikes and accessories in all sorts of shapes sizes AND colours...that's not to say people don't want it, it's just that that it's a little bit easier to source a Vivalo than a Bob Jackson over there

£1700!?!?!?!?!? did you accidentally add that last 0?

ta for the photos mate, it´s nice to see more of Tokyo.

Great reporting, pipwish. Such a brilliant post. Some nice bikes, but, and perhaps that's just me, also some fairly anti-porn bikes?

I'm heading out in April with the bike and I can't wait. I just wish the pound yen rate was as good as this time last year when I was there. I'd be doing some serious shopping if that was the case.

Thanks for the tip on locking up!

£1700!?!?!?!?!? did you accidentally add that last 0?

Nope, 240,000 yen is £1700. This is probably the best lock in the world.

Great reporting, pipwish. Such a brilliant post. Some nice bikes, but, and perhaps that's just me, also some fairly anti-porn bikes?

Thank you very much. The bikes represent the entirety of what I saw, I didn't edit any out. It's just a slice of life. I didn't go to that many hot spots to see anything outrageously nice. :)

Cool post but I thought the Japanese were meant to be uber trend setters. Nothing there really stood out... maybe it's just me?

What are those colourful hubs and how much are they?
My boss is going over in a few weeks and they look right up my alley...

'ta

Unauthorized Eight Spot Track Hubs, I don't know how good they are. Something around the Formula/Grand Compe band of quality I guess.

(Not my photos)

wicked thread. great pics.

is the drive side inwards thing is weirding me out though. i can't think why that would be?

holy. SHIT. i officially NEEEEEEEED 2 go 2 japan. ASAP!

is the drive side inwards thing is weirding me out though. i can't think why that would be?

Well, they ride on the left like us so I guess they just pull up inside the railings that line the streets. The main streets and general urban plans are the same all over the place. Although a lot of stuff in Japan is regimented and organised along lines of etiquette and silently 'doing the right thing', so who knows?

could be just a simple thing chain inwards = no accidental person catching their suit , skirt etc on it whilst walking past and getting grease on it and therefore an issue