Us Versus Them Welcomes to RSK to the Family

Us Versus Them Welcomes to RSK to the Family from 清原綾介 on Vimeo.

9 STATES JAM

9 STATES JAM from DEVOURFILMS on Vimeo.

Scrapyard, Nara

Our good buddy Brad sent us this photo he took of a scrap yard while he was out riding in Nara.  As we have mentioned before, bicycle parking can be a bit of problem in Japan and there are always many abandoned bikes for the authorities here to deal with but it's still sad to see so many mama-chari's stacked up ready for scrapping like this...

RingoRoad, Osaka

Considering that Japan is over 70% mountains it was about time we featured something for the 26ers out there (and the 29ers and the 27.5ers too!) We took a trip out to Toyonaka, Osaka yesterday to check out the MTB store RingoRoad...

RingRoad, Osaka.

The place is packed full of bikes, frames and parts with one side of shop given over to a large, busy workshop and a BMX and road bike display...

The workshop side of the store...

While the other side of the shop is where the serious MTB kit is housed...

...And the MTB side

Everywhere you look there are some pretty serious frames just waiting to be built up....

Yeti, Foes, Santa Cruz, Intense...

A niner Hardtail...

Another Yeti and a Santa Cruz...

A Devinci Wilson Carbon...

Yet another Yeti...

A carbon Intense Hardtail..

SBC, Niner, etc etc etc...

Of course these frames will need forks and wheels....

Just a few of the forks on display in store...

And then there are the parts, so many lovely parts...

Anyone need a chain device?...

...Or some risers?...

...And a stem to go with them?...

How about a chainring?....

Don't forget the pedals!

There are so many full bouncers on display in the shop that is was hard to get a decent photo of some of them, here's a few that we could manage to get in frame...

A really decent specialist shop, the staff were very friendly and welcoming, the workshop was busy (always a good sign) and the stock is amazing. If you like getting muddy and you are in the Osaka area head for RingoRoad.

Weekly Pictures

A selection of random shots as the season changes slowly into Autumn...

Nara Uneme Matsuri

We have prepared ourselves for the forthcoming winter already, the Surly Cross Check, now with added monsterness, 29x1.9 Kenda Karma tyres supplied by Guell...

Sunset at Heijo Palace, Nara.

Saturday night, Ame-Mura, Osaka.

Late afternoon ride around Nara.

Kyocera Dome, home of the Orix Buffaloes.

Shadow shot, Heijo Palace, Nara.

Sunset over Nara.

Susuki, Heijo Palace, Nara.

Harvest full moon behind Kofuku-ji, Nara.

And now the shika shot, another great photo taken by our dear friend Hiroshi up on Mount Wakakusa...

Shinya Summer Edit 2013

A bit old maybe but still a great little video from the mighty Bob Woods...


Shinya Summer Edit 2013 from BOB_woods on Vimeo.

You wait all week for a new post and then three come along in one day! ; )

Classic Fuji Olympic

Spotted out in Osaka last week, this classic Fuji Olympic road bike...

Good to see what would now be called a "vintage" cycle still being used as a daily bike.

Osaka Fixed Bike Festival 2013

We picked up this flyer in Osaka yesterday for the fourth Osaka Fixed Bike Festival that takes place in October...

The event will be held at the Namba River Place and as the young people say, we are so there dude!

We will report back here after the event with news and pictures of the day's happenings.

Custom Cycroc Flat-1

Spotted out in Nara last week, these two custom Cycroc Flat-1 mini-velo bikes. We are seeing more and more of these bikes around, usually locked up when we are out in Osaka but it's quite rare to see them in Nara.

Digging the Skyway wheels and the Panaracer skinwall tyres for that old school BMX look...

Step Up of ROOTS

We got a typhoon hitting us here in Nara. Video time. This one from the super cool Froots crew down in Fukuoka.

Step Up of ROOTS from FROOTS CREW on Vimeo.

Weekly Pictures

A selection of shots from the past week...

Ready to ride in Osaka with Brad, that's his rather nice Nagasawa fixie.

Osaka Public Hall

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka.

Bike "parking", Umeda, Osaka.

Rush hour, Osaka station.

Osaka backstreet.

Night riding with the Guell crew, photo by Toshio-san

And now the shika shot, they don't get much better than this one, taken by our very good friend Hiroshi up on Mount Wakakusa...

Zebra Crossing

Spotted out in Umeda, Osaka this week. A custom hand painted Louis Garneau MTB...

...It blended into the surroundings so well we almost missed it!

Back At The Track

We were back at Nara Keirin yesterday for the last day of a three day meeting. We even placed a couple of bets, sadly our system of choosing random numbers just doesn't cut it in the complex world of keirin betting. We left the track ¥400 poorer. We will have to work out a better system for future visits. Here's the photos...