Sugino Aero Mighty

Was just browsing their blog, Gabe and his people in Japan always got the goodies...

So, the Charge Scissor then...

It seems that the eagerly waited Charge Scissor is finally -almost- out. You surely know all about it already if you follow any blogs or forums but now the question is where to get it, and for the best price? Interested?

The fact is that for anyone here in Europe, the Scissor is currently hands down the best choice for a dedicated trick/700cmx frameset. First the geometry looks pretty nice. Then, ordering Volume Cutter, the Leader trick frame or any other similar frame from the States is just too expensive with the shipping, tax and other hassle. You just don't want to pay too much for a frame you're gonna be bashing around, right? Finally, at least for me, the fact that Scissor is made from very nice Tange Prestige tubing puts a cherry on top of the deal.

So where to get it for a good price? I'd say look HERE. And the fork is here.

Ok, they don't actually have it on stock yet and the sizing info on site is obviously somehow messed up but the price is not bad at all.

Fake Knog Frogs From China

From HERE.

Yeah, and pretty cheap too at $4.73 a pair with free worldwide shipping. But DO NOT come back whining to me if they turn out to be sh*t, mmmkay?

And no, they didn't send me any freebies either.

NJS Export 10% Off Sale

NJS Export is having a spring cleaning sale, all frames and components 10% off, HERE.

All those lovely Keirin frames and components, aaaaaah... 

Nylon Double Straps

More new products for your enjoyment. King Kog is now selling these vegan-friendly nylon double-straps. In many colors, as you can see. They're apparently made in Poland and 'Fair Trade' too, which is all good. 

But, I'm a carnivore and even if I've been publicly complaining the dubious quality of Soma double straps elsewhere, I think I'd still prefer them over these new ones myself. But that's just my personal opinion. 

Nitto B123 Steel NJS Track Dropbars, very cheap...

You like those nice Nitto B123 NJS-certified Steel Track Dropbars? 

I do. 

Well, click on the pic above to make it bigger and look very very carefully, it looks like the Universal Cycles webstore has a very special deal going on, right? Not bad, I'd say. 

EDIT:

The deal is off, they've corrected the price now. Too bad. 

So You Want A Custom Panasonic NJS Keirin Track Frame? With Color & Size Of Your Own Choice?

Yup, you read the title right. A Panasonic NJS certified Keirin / Track frameset made with Tange Double Butted Tubing and most importantly with the sizing & color of your own choice - even a BIG frame, delivered directly from the factory in Japan to your home door, for only 1000USD. 

Deathare & Koteigear have set up a blog shop ('blogshop', did I just invent a new word?) http://www.pistoposeur.blogspot.com/ where you can make your specific order, hand over your hard-earned dough and they'll take care of the rest. Just like that. 

Here's info from the site:

"Here you can order a new, semi-custom NJS Panasonic frameset at a great price. $1000 delivered to your door in the USA from Japan. (For delivery to other countries, please contact for a quote.) Only PayPal payments are accepted. All questions should be directed to pistoposeur@gmail.com

What do you get for your money?
A new Panasonic NJS track frame in the exact size you want. You can choose from 23 different colors, 4 different logo colors and even have your name put on the frame, in a variety of fonts, if you so desire. (Japanese Hiragana is also available.) The frameset includes a Tange Vantage NJS headset and has chromed, forged track and fork ends. All this comes straight from Panasonic in Japan.

Steps for ordering:
1. Choose a frame size from the chart below.
2. Choose a frame color from the color chart below.
3. Choose logo size and color from images below.
4. Choose font for your name on the frame if you desire this option."

So basically they're using the Panasonic's POS (Personal Order System? I don't speak Japanese...) from which anyone can order these frames but ONLY in Japan and ONLY in Japanese. So that's pretty fair deal, I guess. And as an additional bonus the color choices available are super fresh, aaahh!

So if you're ordering from them, tell them where you read about their blog and if there's eventually enough of you coming from here, maybe those guys will give me one for free? The power of teh Interwebz network marketing and all that, right? 

Anyhow, after this it's kind of a matter of opinion whether you should order your frame from these guys or whether you should get a custom Ocean street track frame made to your measures. Ocean offers bit more options, even cooler colors but is also costs a little bit more. It's also a smaller company than the National/Panasonic conglomerate so some could choose to rather support them instead. 

Or, if you are in Europe like me, you could get a Bob Jackson custom frame made for you, or, or, or... well, you know. 

EDIT. 

Here's a low quality scan of the Panasonic color chart to those of you who are interested:

How To Sell Fixed Gear Related Stuff

Ever wondered how you could get rid of those old Campagnolo Super Record Track pedals your uncle gave you long time ago and which you never used? Well, here's how to do it, on Craigslist:

* * * 

Campy Super Record Track Pedals - $75 (SLO)
Reply to: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Date: 2008-04-25, 5:41PM PDT

You're riding down Osos street on the way to Mitchel park, its a cool spring afternoon. You notice all the women aged 21-35 are standing along the sidewalk, all staring at you. As you stop for a red light, one approaches:

HER: Pardon me, are those Campagnolo Record Track Pedals?

YOU: Why yes... They Are.

HER: [blushes] Wow, you must be a man of true discernment... tell me big boy, do they strap on tight?

YOU: Oohhhhh yeah.

HER: [stammers, begins to twitch] Wha.. what era?

YOU: Super Record...

HER: [tearing off clothes] YOU TOTAL HUNK OF A MAN, TAKE ME NOW!!!!

YOU: [under your breath] Thanks, craigslist!!


Seriously dudes, it could happen to you. These pedals are the real deal!

Ocean Custom Keirin / Street Fixed Gear Frames

Last week I wrote about the Kilo TT, a cheap-as-chips yet pretty nice track frame. Now it’s the time for something completely else.
 
I’m personally a big fan of Japanese Keirin track bikes. Hand made pieces of lugged steel art, always custom made by a master of the craft with years of experience in a small workshop. Built for speed and as simple as possible, yet always with super neat details and certain flair, and with respect for Italian tradition of pista bike building tradition. 
 
In Japan there are still today many NJS certified custom frame builders building custom ordered track bikes and sometimes also road bikes in their workshops. Many of these builders have apprenticed with previous generations’ masters before becoming a sensei themselves. Bit like that Samurai swordsmith, Hattori Hanzo, in Tarantino’s Kill Bill.   
 
If you want read more about Keirin bikes, click here to Keirinculture’s site and scroll down a bit to the ‘Why NJS?‘ Section, here’s a quote: 
 
“The (Keirin) frames, no matter what brand, are always of the highest quality. When you’re thinking about a used keirin frame, think about everything that went into it. The racer orders the frame according to his personal preferences, ones that he’s developed after racing for up to 30 years. Even with that status he will pay anywhere from $1000 to $2500 for a frame. There are no sponsorships in keirin racing. He chooses the frame tubing (now usually Kasei or Columbus), lugs, and paint, too. After that he waits, weeks or months for the builder to finish.”
 

Now, while in practice anyone could order a frame from these masters, the waiting times are often long and the language can often be bit of a barrier to a non-Japanese would-be-customer. And many builders will take orders only on personal appointment to discuss the order in person and measure the customer themselves, and accept only cash up front and so on. 
 
But there is an easier option. Rene and his NJS Super Market blog has a distribution deal with Kusaka-san. Mr. Kusaka used to make famous Vivalo keirin frames for more that 30 years in his workshop in Kansai, Japan, before quitting in last november after a nasty freak accident of a-fork-breaking-in-a-race and starting a completely new Ocean brand of street pisuto (read: fixed gear in Japanese) bikes with new business partners. 
 
I guess it suffices to say this about Mr. Kusaka;  it’s been estimated somewhere that during last few years up to a 30% of all Japanese Keirin Pros rode Vivalos. That tells you something about the quality and craftmanship the man possesses. Ok, you might’ve guessed it, I’m bit partial to Vivalo because I have one myself.  
 
Anyhow, now the workshop is busy at work again and the deal with Ocean is that if you want a custom-made frame you can now easily choose between three different and incredibly nice looking models with many special custom options from BB height to paint color and decals, and most importantly your own sizing, of course, with the starting price of meagre 1040 USD + S&H. 
 
Here’s all the infoa bout Ocean framesets.  
 
And I urge you also to look here and drool over the Flickr set of detailed pics of the frames. 
 
One more point is that used Keirin frames, when they pop up for sale in Ebay or in blogs, are often dented, rusty or just generally in bad condition, basically too expensive considering the condition. Keirin frames also tend to be pretty small, usually below 55cm. So if you are a taller guy or a gal, this is might be your only option to get a real handbuilt Keirin track bike. 
 
Keep in mind that Rene also sells some used Japanese frames and has always a nice selection of quite reasonably prices used and new hard-to-get NJS bike parts as well as made-for-order Panasonic keirin frames through his blog. And if you end up ordering something, remember to say Hi! to Rene from Jussi, ok?