The problem is that also for the dutch market 58 cm is the most popular frame size.
Many frames or bikes offered in that size.
A lot of people are looking for the same frame size as you so.
You beter be size 52/53/54, then it's easier to find a good deal.
If you have a gourgeous Japanese frame to trade, it would be a piece of cake to find a nice Gazelle.
Gazelle frames can be found here on every street corner, but nice Japanese frames are rare as hens' teeth.
Ha ha, so I have the same problem as I have in Japan! Here I'm too tall to find any bikes in my size, and there I'm too similar to everyone else.
Actually 60cm frames technically fit me better (I'm 6'00") but I'm hoping for a 56cm top tube, as that is the perfect size for my torso.
The bad thing about buying frames in Japan is that the site everyone uses, Yahoo Auctions, is full of sellers who price things with incredible starting prices. Occasionally you'll find something priced normally, but often you'll see things which have been listed over a year at double their value.
Another issue is that of the "mama-chari". Sorry I'm dragging this thread off topic. Anyway, mama-charis are the ubiquitous shopping bicycles of Japan. Their introduction led to the situation where 99.99% of cyclists in Japan use the pavement instead of riding on the road, and road bikes became almost obsolete. Most of the mass-production frame makers in the mid 80s (Bridgestone, Panasonic, Miyata, Nishiki to some extent) exported far, far more than they sold domestically. Things picked up in Japan when aluminium frames became popular, but steel most often went overseas.
The end result is that it's often easier and cheaper to find Japanese frames in the USA than in Japan. Of course there are many exceptions (Bridgestone Radac frames are ten a penny over here) but for the most part, it's fairly tricky.
That said, if you want a new frame, there are some incredible, incredible builders. This one is quite under-the-radar but one of the best. Also, one of the worst websites ever http://496elan.com/
Ha ha, so I have the same problem as I have in Japan! Here I'm too tall to find any bikes in my size, and there I'm too similar to everyone else.
Actually 60cm frames technically fit me better (I'm 6'00") but I'm hoping for a 56cm top tube, as that is the perfect size for my torso.
The bad thing about buying frames in Japan is that the site everyone uses, Yahoo Auctions, is full of sellers who price things with incredible starting prices. Occasionally you'll find something priced normally, but often you'll see things which have been listed over a year at double their value.
Another issue is that of the "mama-chari". Sorry I'm dragging this thread off topic. Anyway, mama-charis are the ubiquitous shopping bicycles of Japan. Their introduction led to the situation where 99.99% of cyclists in Japan use the pavement instead of riding on the road, and road bikes became almost obsolete. Most of the mass-production frame makers in the mid 80s (Bridgestone, Panasonic, Miyata, Nishiki to some extent) exported far, far more than they sold domestically. Things picked up in Japan when aluminium frames became popular, but steel most often went overseas.
The end result is that it's often easier and cheaper to find Japanese frames in the USA than in Japan. Of course there are many exceptions (Bridgestone Radac frames are ten a penny over here) but for the most part, it's fairly tricky.
That said, if you want a new frame, there are some incredible, incredible builders. This one is quite under-the-radar but one of the best. Also, one of the worst websites ever http://496elan.com/