The latest vintage restoration from my shop is this stunning Vogue road bike, built up with its original Suntour Superbe components.  It was a surprise find on Yahoo Japan Auctions, sold complete except for wheels and cranks. It was coated in layers of grease, grime and dust.  Once I removed the parts and began to clean the frame, a masterpiece of a bicycle came into focus.

Vogue is a true connoisseur’s brand, rarely seen outside of Japan.  In the USA, the marque is more often associated with Keirin track bikes.  Road versions of Vogue bicycles are very rare. This particular one is a collaboration between Vogue and a Japanese bicycle store called “I Love Cycle Aki” which had a contract with Oriental Kogyo (“Industries”), the formal name for the frame builder behind Vogue, Hiroshi Takahira. Takahira-San made these bikes as one-off customs for Aki customers. It has Vogue and Aki engravings on the seat stays and fork crown.  Read on to learn all about Vogue and this bike! Continue reading →