Does anybody have any info on Ebisu bikes?

I was checking out Jitensha studio in Berkeley today, and the guy there told me they could custom design a bike for me and have it made in Japan by a NJS certified framebuilder (brand Ebisu). The cost is $1100, and the turn around is approx 6 weeks.

I feel like this is a really good price and short turn-around time, plus, I love the idea of supporting this amazing shop right here in my neighborhood.

So I'm wondering if any of you have experience/info on these bikes. They seem to me to be a really clean, simple design, and really well made, but I am not an expert on Japanese bikes.

Jitensha Studio

there's one that's parked at rainbow all the time, done up in full nitto touring gear. it's freakin' gorgeous!

Yeah, they know me at Jitensha as the guy who drools on the windows...I'd say go for it if you've got the money (I'm even considering it, and I don't have the money). I like the idea of them as liaison w/ the builder because they have a great attention to detail, an amazing aesthetic, and they speak Japanese! Sounds like a winning combination.

you're not the only one, i'm that guy as well-

Another one here.

I went to high school with Hiroshi's daughter. She had a pretty awesome bike, but never seemed to ride it. Oh well.

EVISU?

when i was a kid i went in there. a nice young tall guy and a nice older shorter guy. the taller guy had an orange eisentraut track bike, disc in back. woooo. the bikes they make are gorgeous. they had all sorts of lugs in display cases and neat diagrams and casts and things like that. i remember too the guy said "you can get a cinelli for $900, but why? for $200 you can have one of those" and pointed to the track frame on the wall. he was totally right, too.

ah, ok, not a track bike though, for $1100

they make track frames too.

Yeah, I'm considering it and I don't have the money either

that's not a track bike

No, they'll make track bikes, although it's not what they advertise. But the guy there knows his stuff and will make track bikes tailored for specific riders and specific track events.

If you tell Hiroshi you want a track bike, you'll get a track bike.

What's wrong with the bike in the picture, too practical?

Hiroshi seems like a very nice guy. His Shula bikes are pretty sweet--my roomate raced one back in the mid-80's-- with an excellent level of finish as you might expect from a japanese builder. I'm sure he'd produce a great track bike if that's what you wanted.

nothing at all. it's not a track bike though, isn't advertised as such on the site either (singlespeed road bike).

IMHO one of the reasons to go custom is to be able to talk directly with the frame builder himself. That way they can design for all of the idiosyncracies that you may desire in a frame. Why not go with a local frame builder who actually builds their own track frames, rather than farms it out elsewhere? I am not trying to dis Ebisu, as they do have some very droolable stuff there, rather just putting in a word for local frame builders here in the bay area or in the USA for that matter. Unless of course you need to have equipment that is NJS certified so that you can do Keirn racing...or just be the shiznit.

Just looked at the Jitensha site... two prototypes of the fixed gear/ss road frame are on sale. A red 54cm and a molteni 52cm, both marked down to $875 from $1100.

Link!