TrekJapan

Given my situation which way would you go?

I live on mainland Japan and maybe what I'm doing is "touring" and maybe not. I basically pick a direction, and ride for anywhere from 2-6 hours. No real desire to spend the night anywhere. Just pick a spot or attraction (or not) and ride and back.

Two of my bikes fit the bill pretty well.

Dahon Speed TR folding bike
MASI Speciale

The version of the Speciale I have is an Asian variant and has no braze ons. I have a Rixen Kaul seatpost bag which is big but maybe not big enough to support a 6 hour ride (and you have to factor in that I will almost always carry a DSLR camera with me in addition to tools, tubes, snacks, etc.)

My Dahon Speed TR fits the bill nicely. It carries everything and has the distinct advantage of folding meaning I can take it on a train (for free) if need be. If I get 50 miles from home and the bike crashes and burns beyond my ability to fix it I can fold it, throw it in a taxi and head for the nearest train station.

No harm, no foul. Not stuck anywhere.

Here's my problem. There are two real fine LBS's here and I'm pretty sure I can order a Trek 520 or Jamis Aurora. I can go even further away on the web south a little and get a Surly Cross check or get JensonUSA to ship me a Cross Check or LHT.

I'd kind of like to have a real life dedicated touring bike but I may have all I need in the Dahon and it may work best to my advantage where I am surrounded by public transportation where folding bikes are free cargo.

Thoughts?

John

Dave Nault

Sounds to me like your looking for an excuse to buy a new bike. From your post it sounds like your riding the distances you feel comfortable with and frankly any bike can be riden any distance it just depends on the comfort level. I didn't see that you mentioned your Dahon being uncomfortable after 6 hours so why change? Are you looking to carry more stuff? If your current bike isn't fitting the bill then I would consider a change, however if it's doing what you want it too then keep it. Perhaps all you need is an upgrade of the wheels or add panniers. Like I said, it sounds like your looking for a problem to fix when there really isn't one.

njkayaker

Not touring. Just normal day riding. Touring is basically travelling by bike for more than one day. This generally includes carrying the stuff you need.

It's not clear whether your question is whether to get a touring bike or what touring bike to get. It might help to be specific about what you want to do with those braze-ons!

It seems that you could do something with the bike you have to be able to carry a bit more stuff (a seat-post rack or a special rear rack).

Anyway, both these bikes are fine choices if those are what are convenient to get at a reasonable price in Japan (I have no idea!).

The Trek is a bit more intended for carrying a load (ie, in panniers) and the Aurora is a bit more intended for day riding. Either would work for you but the Aurora might be a bit more appropriate for the riding you appear to be doing.

clayface

What about a saddle bag attached to your Speciale?

njkayaker

You mean like this one?

TrekJapan

Sounds to me like your looking for an excuse to buy a new bike.

Right on the money, sir. I recently had a Trek SU 2.0 that I loved dearly and sold. It was my commuter and handled panniers and a load well. And I used to load the heck out of it with work gear. No doubt it would have supported me on one of my "tours" as well.

My Dahon is remarkably comfortable. I did a 90 km. ride with it last weekend to Hiroshima. I had a topeak DXP bag on it to hold my DSLR and tools, etc. and I would have preferred using my panniers. When they are full on the Dahon I can get heel strike so there are some limitations.

I think I want a bike I know I can load down and do whatever I want to do. I'm not overnighting now but I can see me riding somewhere and wanting to explore the area a little better and spending the night in a hotel or something. Then in addition to all the junk I carry I'll need to carry a little more.

To me I just want to have the right tool for the right job, even if I never do that job. Heck I've got 9 bikes now. What's one more?

John

clayface

No. Just like this:

Dave Nault

"I think I want a bike I know I can load down and do whatever I want to do. I'm not overnighting now but I can see me riding somewhere and wanting to explore the area a little better and spending the night in a hotel or something. Then in addition to all the junk I carry I'll need to carry a little more."



I ride a LHT so I can only speak first hand about that particular bike. The nice part about the LHT is that it is a proven hauler. It will handle anything you can imagine on a tour and there is also a HUGE community of Trucker riders on the internet that can answer or have tried just about anything on the bike so if you ever want to make changes to it, it's nice to have some people to bounce the idea off of to see how well it might work before you spend the cash.

Mine is a custom and I've been riding for over 35 years now and I'd have to say that as far as a bike you can ride everyday, the LHT is hard to beat. I know it's not the only bike on the market that handles touring duty but you won't be disapointed.

njkayaker

I stand corrected! That sucker is huge! It scares me!

If you want a touring bike, there are an amazing number of very good ones.

What you need to do is provide something that narrows the question.

Do you have a budget?
If so, what is available in Japan that meets it?
(If you don't have a budget, the LHT is a completely boring choice!)

The LHT is a proven tourer. The Trek 520 is too. The Jamis Aurora is too but it's not quite a touring bike in the classic sense (but it would appear to be completely appropriate for what you describe).

TrekJapan

No budget.
Surprisingly I get most everything here in Japan although I'm probably going to pay $500 more for it. For example I think an LHT goes for $1100 in the US and here it's going to cost over $1600 probably with no shipping.

There are really only 2 LBS's here within striking distance and to my surprise the closest one has an owner who speaks perfect English. He told me he cannot get Surly, but he is a Trek and Jamis dealer.

JensonUSA will ship Surly to an FPO address for like $100 I think. I can also get a Surly out of town delivered.

I'm going to go ask the LBS if he can get a 520 although I have my doubts. I recall that those are hard to come by. Pretty sure he can get the Jamis but now I see the 2010 has disk brakes. Worth waiting for in my opinion.

I have too many bikes now but I want to pare down to 3 or 4 and I have several for sale now. It's a storage issue more than anything now. Not as much space now that I've moved to mainland Japan.

1 mountain bike
1 touring bike
2 folding bikes

That should be about the right mix to support my biking habits.

John

clayface

Huge. Yes, sure. Fifteen litre capacity. I can put my Yorkshire mutt , food , a tube and some tools inside mine and set off for a day ride.

late

That looks like a Carradice Barley. I have one, in real life it's not big. I think mine shrank some after I washed it, but I distinctly remember being disappointed at how small it was when I pulled it out of the box. But it is big enough to hold a Road Morph, inner tube, snacks, a cell phone, a lock, and still strap a jacket to the top. It turned out to be bloody close to perfect for my needs.

There are a number of superb bike makers in Japan. There are some small shops that follow the traditional French style and Vintage Bike Quarterly thinks some of those bikes are just wonderful.

late

The only bag that Wall bike lists as 15 liters is the Lowsaddle Longflap. Is that what that is?

clayface

The one in the photo is the regular Nelson.

BengeBoy 

If I lived in Japan, I'd stick with a folder for getting off and on trains easily. If you're not happy with the Dahon, consider a Bike Friday (I think there is a pretty large group of Bike Friday enthusiasts in Japan...you can check their website).

The rail system in Japan is so terrific, I think the combination of rail + bike is the perfect combination for quick day trips or weekend trips around the country.

If I were going to save up my pennies for a conventional (non-folding) bike, I'd save up for:

https://www.cyclesgrandbois.com/

I visited the shop (outside Kyoto) in July; it's fantastic. Or get a Toei - I don't know where you get them, though.

late

Thanks. How does it handle with a lot (15-20 pounds) of weight in it? I do lite touring
once a year, and I might save a few pounds by losing the rack and panniers.

TrekJapan

Thanks for the link. I plan on going to Kyoto pretty soon and can maybe run it down and check it out. I'm pretty sure if I can get my mitts on a 520 that's how I'm going to go. Given my language constraints here I'd probably be best served by buying from an LBS for any potential warranty support.

My wife is a local so I can overcome the language barrier if need be.

John

njkayaker

If you can spend a little more, there are more interesting options beyond the LHT.

Ahh, it looks like you are just trying to get opinions from other addicts to justify your habit!

late

+100

It's a good bike, but if you aren't touring there are many choices that would be vastly better.

TrekJapan

Once again, you've nailed me.

I may wait and see what that Jamis Aurora 2010 looks like as well. I live in the land of 4 seasons again and winter is slowly approaching so I've got some time.

If my LBS can get a 520 that's how I'm going, if not I have plenty of time to look around. My evil plan all along was to tour on the Dahon folder but I'm the kind of guy who likes a well thought out back up plan.

Like Dr. Evil said in the movie "Goldmember" - "Preparation A through G were a complete failure.
But now ladies and gentlemen, we finally have a working tractorbeam.
Which we shall call "Preparation H".

John

BengeBoy 

I think the only way to cure your addiction is to buy a Japanese-made bike.

Like a Toei...

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/resou...ce_id=1584&v=5

https://www.generalworks.com/toeisha/..._t5002_eg.html

..or a Panasonic:

https://www.japancycling.org/v2/info/.../tusbasa.shtml

...or a Bridgestone Moulton...

https://www.bscycle.co.jp/bs_moulton/bsm_index.html

BengeBoy 

Just ask your wife to teach you how to say, "I dunno, I was Just Riding Around and it started making this funny noise..."

There isn't a wrench in the world who listens to anything anyone says after that...

TrekJapan

Thanks for the links. I like the looks of the first bike but I smell big dollars. Tokyo is about 800 miles from where I am as well, although I do get around that area every once in a while.

John

TrekJapan

By the way, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Bridgestone bike shop or bike repair shop in this area of Japan. My favorite LBS in Okinawa was a Bridgestone shop as well. In fact right out the gate here are at least 5 Bridgestone shops within a 5 mile radius, two right across the street from each other. Most are tiny Mom and Pops but fun to look around as well.

John

BengeBoy 

Some photos of Japanese bikes from a recent trip I took there:

Another interesting folder idea - badged Bianchi but I'm guessing made in China...



A Raleigh in the (wonderful) Tokyu Hands hardware/housewares store. I thought these 20-inch wheel bikes were interesting if you are pressed for space.



Tokyu Hands house-brand bike:



My visit to Grand Bois:



A customer rode up on a beautiful Grand Bois, and there was a Toei already in the rack next to it:



Inside, there were a couple of new Grand Bois bikes, which (after asking permission) I shot from outside (by the way, the light blue bike behind the green one is a 60's-vintage Rene Herse).