In 2014, I acquired two San Rensho (also written as 3Rensho; “san” is Japanese for “three”) road frames. One, pictured above, was a 53cm and the other 58cm. While they came from different sources, they were both Super Record Export versions. 3Rensho, which translates to “triple victory,” was a highly regarded bicycle manufacturer from Japan in the 1970’s-90’s.
Founded by Yoshi Konno in 1974, 3Rensho bikes were made by a team of Konno, Koichi Yamaguchi, and Masahiko Makino. While 3Rensho made both road and track bikes, they are most widely known for their track bikes which were custom made for Japan’s Keirin racing sport. Tragically, in 1995 Konno was responsible for a drunken car crash that killed five people and left him paralyzed from the neck down. 3Rensho closed down shortly thereafter.
Despite this ignoble end for one of Japan’s most prestigious bicycle brands, Yamaguchi and Makino went on to great success building frames under their own names. Yamaguchi has made frames for the U.S. Olympic Team, and continues to make custom frames as well as running his own frame building school in Colorado. In addition, Cherubim Bicycles, founded by Yoshi’s brother Hitoshi, continues to create amazing bicycles under his nephew Shinichi Konno.
Read more to learn about these frames and the restoration process!