Hi guys,

New to the site, which is to say been lurking for a bit. I know there's some japan hands here, so I hope nobody minds if I drop a few idiot questions into the mix:

1) I'm having trouble finding good domestic entry-level fixed/ss bikes. Rakuten, for instance, lists a bunch of shady-looking stuff (more on that below), the bike shop in the area carries british Charge bikes at a crazy markup, the bike shop in nakameguro with the awesome-looking frames is way out of my price range.

2) Rakuten Rider'z Cafe PIST, ie http://en.item.rakuten.com/black-m/10002009/; looks cheap? Hard to tell given that my Japanese isn't good enough yet and my general knowledge of Japanese domestic bike terms is worse.

3) Kuromori steel? My research says this can be anywhere from decent steel to high-end stuff that's as good or better than CrMo. Am I way off base?

Since I'm new here, you guys tell me what I do in return for the info.