Tag Archives: Japanese bicycles

Vogue X Cycle Aki Road Bike with Suntour Superbe

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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 →

Restored 3Rensho Super Record Aero

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I put this bike together in 2016, after I completed the restoration of the frame.  The restoration process is documented here.  The smaller of the two Super Record Aero frames sold quickly, but this larger one hung around for a while.  I came into possession of a Lotus Classique bicycle, which I stripped in order to build up this 3Rensho.

In addition to the stock Sugino and Suntour components, I added modern Tektro brake levers, and cork bar tape that was shellacked a dark brown.  I also added a 3Rensho pantographed stem I had at the time, to give it some extra flair.  It was sold soon afterwards.  I realized recently that I’d never published any photos of the built up bike, so click “Read More” to check out the full hi-res gallery after the jump.

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Vivalo Touring, Sportif and Road Bikes

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I’ve always been fascinated by non-Keirin bikes built by Japanese frame builders who are famous for their track bikes. All of the most well-known builders of NJS track bikes began their careers in the late 1960s – early 1970s, when the bicycle touring craze was sweeping the world and Japan in particular. They apprenticed in shops that built road and touring bikes, and many of them built these kinds of bikes early in their careers. Touring and sportif bikes are often custom-made for clients, and are expected to include the kinds of beautiful details and high level of finish common with this kind of luxury item.

Shuichi Kusaka, the master builder behind the Vivalo brand, built a number of road, touring, and sportif customs. In the past 15 years, I have only seen a handful, and in this article I’ll be highlighting a few of these lovely bicycles. Read on to learn more!

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Eddy Merckx Bicycles by Miyata

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In 1973, Miyata launched a new line of bicycles under a special branding & endorsement deal with cycling legend Eddy Merckx. Above is the cover of the first catalog, introducing Merckx to Japanese cyclists as “The world excellent bicyclist Eddy Merckx; Unprecedented 280 victories in competitions; Eddy Merckx who is the fastest man in the world.”

Released only in Japan for a few years between 1973 and 1980, the Miyata Merckx bikes remain a lesser-known but fascinating piece of cycling history. There’s a few scattered articles in English across the web, and I’ve pulled together everything I could find into one place, including hi-res catalog scans from three different years of production. Read on to learn more about the Eddy Merckx Miyatas!

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