abeabe

where can I pick up a box in tokyo? It doesn't necessarily have to be a bike box, but I don't know where one buys shipping material here.

fixedude

any bike shop--even the mamachari-only retailers--should have old ones.

nateintokyo

+1 on the bike shop

usually there are a few sitting around. the neighborhood place may be cooler than Y's or the big shops since they are sometimes anal about stuff.
they might have shipping stuff too.

there is a big kuroneko yamato distributor on yamate douri just below koshukaido too.
and Tokyu Hands should have a wide variety of packing material to protect babies in transit.

good luck!

deathhare

I bought a frame box once from Kalavinka. Cheap and pretty.

abeabe

im gonna try Y's in shibuya tomorrow if they wont give up the goods then ill just CREATIVE LIFE myself some bike boxes at tokyu hands

deathhare

I would suggest getting plastic shipping axles too to in case the gorillas throw 19 suitcases on top of your bike.
I got a bunch for free from Ys.

seaneee

slight hijack. What's cheaper, taking the frame on the plane back with you or sending back by mail?

nateintokyo

oh yeah---and as fara s Y's being anal--in my experiene the shop in Akasaka had always been more thn awesome, the Shinjuku shops have been hit and miss. good luck on the search!

I haven't shipped a bike by mail, but I shipped a 24" iMac in January--I think it was well under $200 or so with the massive amount of insurance i put on it. a bike box would be a lot bigger.

On the plane is cheaper if you don't get charged extra for size/piece limits. I've always been fine but though once got asked to cut the edges of the bike box down and tape it to a smaller size to stay within the free-zone.

jodypolk

ok, i'm starting to think i should leave my bikes here (in the states) and pick something up in tokyo when i arrive. Seems like it's going to cost at least a few hundred (a friend said 80-100 bucks a leg) to get on the plane, and a decent travel case will run me another couple/few hundred. i've also heard a couple of horror stories of destroyed frames and ****ed wheels when shipping in regular boxes, so i don't think i want to go that route.

How difficult/costly/time consuming will it be to track down a decent-ish already built up FG or get a keirin frame and parts (i don't think i'll have space to do the build myself- so factor in labor costs).

also, if it's not some crazy dream bike i'll probably want to sell it before coming back to the states. how difficult would that be?

abeabe

Y's in akasaka gave me two free boxes and the dude even taught me some japanese bike phrases. I am going to miss it here so much.

nateintokyo

great! I am glad they've stayed consistently awesome!!

I am always speaking Japanese when I am there, a couple times a foreigner has walked in and asked their questions in English and both time the staff guy didn't miss a beat and responded totally well. Go Akasaka! I should have mentioned this before you went--the best pita/falafel place in Tokyo is like 30 seconds from there. "Pita the Great" --run by a wacky Israeli, all vegan, lots of sandwich options, bread baked on premises. It is on the second floor (from an outdoor staircase) in the middle of the Akasaka Twin Towers building--the one closer to Roppongi Douri.

nateintokyo

not too hard. You can get new Cannondales, Surleys, Fuji, Schwinn, Kona, etc fairly readily at most "real" bike shops (not chari shops). You might have to search a bit for the proper size, but you might get lucky. The new Fuji are pretty cool looking (FSA cranks and battleship grey)(crappy internet address logo on the top tube though). My local dude has the new Cannondale city models (Chicago already, Seattle and Boston on the way).

Depending on how long you will be here finding a used frame and parts and building up can be fast and pricier, or slow and cheaper. Yahoo Auctions just added more bureaucratic hoops but the prices are not bad at all. Lots of options.

deathhare

I ate at that Pita the Great once. About 20 minutes later i puked my guts out for no reason whatsoever. I think i got a bad pita.

nateintokyo

Oh that sucks!

I have been making pilgrimages there since 2002. I used to work across the street and got in the habit.
David's Deli down near Shirokane has good falafel and kosher foodstuffs too.