Folding Bikes - japanese small bike/folder magazine.

A friend gave me a really nice Japanese magazine (sorry, an't tell you the title - my Japanese is rubish, but maybe when my wife gets home, she can help), thought I'd share links to some of the bits and pieces that I've not really come across before:

http://www.louisgarneausports.com/bike/bike-top-urbanandfitness.htm

Is pretty mainstream, but some of them are pretty.


http://www.cycleworld.jp/page/MZR20U%20.html

seems pretty cool to me!


http://www.smartcog.co.jp/Products/koma.htm

looks ridiculous, and kinda fun.


http://www.gofa.co.jp/fa/index.shtml

a bike made real from a manga - for more pics go down the page and click where it says 'chord liner'


http://www.vikkino.com/

looks really nice to me.


http://www.panabyc.co.jp/products/pos/ocmt2.html

into titanium drool territory.


http://www.loro.co.jp/lrb/gios.html
imagining you're an italian racer on small wheels.


http://www.loro.co.jp/lrs/pist.html

this almost gives me a heart attack, it's too sexy...


http://orange.fem.jp/Kankitu.p/Feminine.p

for those who think their Moulton could be heavier but oddly more stylish.

I am pretty happy none of these bikes showed up a nicer fold than my brompton, because I was about to pass out.

Thank you for the link, some of these bikes seem to be the definition of fast little thing.

Thanks Lecky, great stuff ... much not seen in the west..
Luuurve those tassels on the Moulton (http://orange.fem.jp/Kankitu.p/Feminine.p), :D and the variations of Birdy, Reach and Carry me (http://www.louisgarneausports.com/bike/bike-top-urbanandfitness.htm) - Japan gets all the cool stuff.

this is the magazine (although I've only Mays copy):

http://www.tg-net.co.jp/nyujo/new/book0_main.html

this is the magazine (although I've only Mays copy):

http://www.tg-net.co.jp/nyujo/new/book0_main.html

I think this is the Fall edition of the magazine you're talking about -

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61FNczU8-ML.jpg

It's called 'Folding Bike & Small Bike Life' - It's really an awesome magazine. Here's 3 pages from my copy. Sorry about the quality.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/1873440539_92cd22722c.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2176/1874251772_0e95e7d222.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2327/1874390148_1232919007.jpg?v=0

OMG folder pr0n!!!! *drools*

OMG folder pr0n!!!! *drools*

Yep, that's the real deal - the day I bought it, I couldn't wait to get it home and out of the brown paper bag.

For the Panasonic link above, it's never a good thing if your models are designated as POS.

A couplamore-

9.9k Birdy
http://www.mizutanibike.co.jp/bd-1/bikes/speed10.html

The elusive Birdy Ti. Click on top left purple rectangle to see list.
http://www.cycleshibuya.com/

And if that aint enuf
http://www.real-retail.com/via/b-for_mini/index.html
http://www.mizutanibike.co.jp/brompton/index.html
http://www.you-rin.com/

I reallly like them with a modern, skinny design.

Before this thread I thought Alessandra Ambrosio was the cutest thing on earth. I believe my next trip might not be to Brazil though.

http://images.askmen.com/galleries/model/alessandra-ambrosio/pictures/alessandra-ambrosio-picture-1.jpg

http://www.real-retail.com/via/saishin/bruno/ventura20_black_02.jpg

Where should I go??????

and it only costs about $800 / £400... you can always go to Brazil another time...
I'll be in Japan in a couple of months, look forward to window shopping this stuff.
Thanks for the extra links Clownbike - nice.

14R - If modern and skinny is your bag, Japan is the place.

For folder bicycle crazy, search Bianchi Fretta and BD-1. The shops with these will also have the usual suspects as well as the unusual.

For the Panasonic link above, it's never a good thing if your models are designated as POS.

Yeah. Chevy took a long timeto understand why Nova's didn't sell well south of the border.

In Japan, I think it's Suzuki that has the Alto.

I just returned from Japan with the same magazine, Oritatami Jitensha & Small Bikes Life. It's fun to look at the pictures. I think 15 to 20% of the bikes in Japan are folders or nonfolding small wheel bikes. In the cities most people ride on the sidewalk. This might sound slow, but trying to keep up with a Japanese rider weaving between pedestrians, women riding with umbrellas and teenage girls texting on their mobiles while riding, it's harrowing but fun. We took Dahon Boardwalk 7's, no problem taking them on trains.

I remember the first time I was in Japan in '94 I was really disapointed by the bikes, they're still mainly £50/$100 mamacharis but there're so many more decent bikes around now. I recall being told not to ride in the road in Tokyo as the police would stop me, but now there are a fair few riders of nice bikes on the road.

http://www.loro.co.jp/lrs/pist.html

this almost gives me a heart attack, it's too sexy...

It's been a while since we've had some JPr0n here. And that singlespeed one is sooo nice. It's very similar to a bike I commited to paper a couple of years ago but have never quite got round to having the frame made for. Even down to the single rear seatstay...

I wonder if they'd export one? :)

I reallly like them with a modern, skinny design.

Before this thread I thought Alessandra Ambrosio was the cutest thing on earth. I believe my next trip might not be to Brazil though.

http://images.askmen.com/galleries/model/alessandra-ambrosio/pictures/alessandra-ambrosio-picture-1.jpg

http://www.real-retail.com/via/saishin/bruno/ventura20_black_02.jpg

Where should I go??????

Follow your instincts, 14R - you've already got a bike, haven't you , so why make a sacrifice of that magnitude for another ?

I wonder if they'd export one?

their email address is adl@loro.co.jp.;)

Has anyone tried putting 20inch wheels on a standard size frame (26inch wheel) ? Are there any pictures anyone knows about?

What strikes me about this idea is that the chain stay of small wheel bikes slopes down towards the wheel to make good clearance for the pedals.

Has anyone tried putting 20inch wheels on a standard size frame (26inch wheel) ? Are there any pictures anyone knows about?

I can imagine that would create significant clearance issues. If you're riding with 175 cranks, then all of a sudden you need 145 to get the same clearance on pedal strike. I've seen a kid with a 20 inch rear wheel on an MTB, just for the hell of it (the same week I saw a BMX with a front suspension fork and 26 inch wheel fitted - awesome!)

I can imagine that would create significant clearance issues. If you're riding with 175 cranks, then all of a sudden you need 145 to get the same clearance on pedal strike. I've seen a kid with a 20 inch rear wheel on an MTB, just for the hell of it (the same week I saw a BMX with a front suspension fork and 26 inch wheel fitted - awesome!)


I'd say it'd be fairly similar, with a possibly longer wheel base. Would it be fair to saythat there would be no 20" wheeled bike with the same pedal/road clearence as a 26" wheeled bike.

My guess is that the geometry of 20" wheeled bikes is somewhat different, to allow them to retain at least some of the BB clearance, but also that most are delivered with shorter cranks as well. I am definitely only guessing though.

Follow your instincts, 14R - you've already got a bike, haven't you , so why make a sacrifice of that magnitude for another ?

On my way to Brazil tomorrow night. My Brompton is coming with me. Thank you for the wise advice. :)

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