cogsci

e-framebank overhauled their site.
It appears as though you need a username/pass now, even if you just want to look at the frames

https://translate.google.com/translat...l%3Den%26lr%3D

Now, I know this is inline with their reason for existing in the first place... which is clearly stated on their website;So they can and maybe should do what ever they see fit to fulfill their mission, but...
I don't know that I have a legitimate complaint, but I still feel a bit slighted

at least we can still get these without a username and password



...for now
explained

spud

is it hard to get a username created?

cogsci

I am 99% the username/pass is there to keep gaijin from getting access to and then exporting the frames, as it directly violates their mission statement. They are not in the business of introducing people to (kids especially) and promoting keiren racing in America, rather they are in existence to achieve those goals in Japan.

spud

so its invitation-only to create a username?

pitboss

just go talk to stratton/ichiban

luckycat

It's not just their mission statement, a big part of it is just that they don't want to go through the hassle of dealing with the US, shipping and so on. Worst part is that they finally have a bunch of big frames...

12XU

I registered for a name yesterday, but I still haven't gotten a confirmation e-mail. Me think's my address of Ohio will never permit me access, but it's nice to try.

mattface 

I think they are right on the money. Keirin racing is a part of Japan's national heritage which e-Frame bank exists primarily to promote. All the foreign collectors (not just from the U.S. I think) swallow up the supply of used Keirin frames, and drive up the prices for the young racers who need them to get started in the sport.

NJS cerification is ONLY improtant if you want to go Keirin racing, which you can't do outside of Japan. If the Gaijin posers would lay off the used Keirin frames, maybe more Japanese could afford to go racing.

In all fairness Japanese collectors have been doing the same thing and driving up the prices of other kinds of collectibles in the U.S. for decades. I've sold many cameras to Japanese collectors. but an organization that has an interest in promoting a sport for domestic racers can and I think should do everything in their power to see that their resources don't go to foreign collectors.

Keirin Frames will still get out, but with major sources like e-framebank closed off I imagine the prices of used Keirin frames in the U.S. will only go higher. Perhaps with the increased demand we might see more export of new frames.

chicagoamdream

MF, I think you're a bit off the mark with that one...contact with a friend in Japan has made it pretty apparent that there is no shortage of track frames, and that a comparable amount of money buys way more frame over there than here (see that $700 Miyata frame thread). Prices of track components in Japan do not seem to be going up as a response to relatively small group of Americans infatuated with NJS (myself included). e-Framebank's prices seem pretty in-line with the market rate over there.

The appeal is not just the NJS stamp, but it just so happens that frames and components that carry the mark happen to be some of the highest-quality, elegantly-designed ones that you can buy. You can't, say, just go buy a set of non-NJS Sugino 75s.

As cogsci said, e-framebank seems to exist primarily as a kind of promotional clearinghouse for the sport, so I can't hate them for this policy. They should just go ahead and post something on the main page like, "Go Away, BikeForums," as our threads are way at the top of a google search on the subject.

Leif-fire-eater

I'm bummed I missed this opportunity. Looks like I'm going to really have to get off my ass and go to Japan, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

onetwentyeight 

Meanwhile, vintage french components are going through the roof... Oh well, at least we can get their used electronics cheap soon.

evanyc

if you go here you can still browse: https://www.e-framebank.com/2framelist.htm

dunno if updates will show up on this page though.

Leif-fire-eater

does anybody have the web address for the kierin site that's hosted by the racing assocation?

evanyc

stratton currently has some pretty nice frames, including several Remintons. Including shipping he's selling them for about $200-$300 more than it would cost to get a frame from framebank.


a couple things i'll say about framebank... perusing the site over an extended period of time, you notice that there are many many frames that stay up there for a long time, especially on the taller side of things. it's not like there's a huge rush to compete for these frames and americans are purchasing them before japanese have a chance to. most of the frames currently up have been there for months.

secondly, i understand wanting to promote racing in japan, and it is a noble concept, but it helps keep it in perspective to remember that the ultimate goal is to maintain the gambling industry. i'm not judging that, but it's not just for the pure enjoyment of riding and racing.

fixedude

this? https://www.keirin.go.jp/

fixedude

is it not possible to achieve the "pure enjoyment of riding and racing" with other (non-NJS/-keirin/-japanese) frames?

evanyc

of course it is... that's why i have three frames

shishi

if you want to play your gonna have to pay...pretty simple

donotpanic

yeah a conversion, a CIRCLE A, and an NJS frame. which one is gonna be your beater? the NJS or the Circle A?

$0.00/Gal

Any good consumer knows that just because something is on a website and remains there doesn't mean it's actually available.

moki

yeah, but I think keirin frames are good value. Let's say you were lucky enough to have a shop with track frames and NJS components. How much would it be for an IRO with a Hatta/Sugino BB and headset installed? $450 easy, and that's for an IRO. Granted, keirin frames are used, but they're beautiful, rare, and 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a new American frame from any builder.

shishi

Agreed. I never said that you aren't paying for good frames and components. For some it is a natural progression to a better bike, which means dishing out more cash, thats all.

mattface 

Quite likely. I don't really claim to have any special knowledge about Japan, Japanese frames, or Keirin racing. I do know that in the age of internet sales foreign collectors have sucked up a lot of items that were once plentiful in their native countries, creating higher prices in the original country. It's happened with cameras, musical instruments and other types of antiques and collectibles in this country, and could certainly happen with Keirin frames in Japan. Used Keirin frames will continue to be plentiful in Japan because they are still being produced, but the rare ones will only get rarer as the collector base gets larger.

That's just the nature of collectibles, but you can't blame anyone who wants to try to keep the stuff in the country. A lot of American collectors don't want stuff sold to foreigners either, but when someone in Taiwan wants to pay me $280 for a camera I couldn't sell for $28 in the U.S. Anyway it was a Japanese camera to begin with

sloppy robot

thanks for the hello kitty vibrator link.. i always wondered about that.. i still have a few off them in the box...remind me to sell em onn ebay when they are worth something.

oh.. but you say "at least we can still get these..." reading your linked article.. it doesnt sound like it..no keiren frames.. no hello kitty vibrators? the american need for japan has dwindled to nothing.

evanyc

up until now e-framebank has been good about removing frames from their site once they are sold. they usually seem to do this within one week of a frame being sold, leaving the thumbnail for a bit but making it say "sold out."