Boys (and Girls) and their bikes: Mongoose edition..

I spent some time on BMX bikes back in the day, I even recently bought and tricked out a Durcus One in an effort to reconnect with those days, but after meeting these guys I realized I wasn't even close. Dude-san's bike is an early 80's mongoose, completely decked out with vintage parts (sans the headstem), and he rides it as proudly as a 12 year old in the semi-finals at the Aussie titles. The girl was riding a much more contemporary model, which had been given to her by the bloke. Awesome..

Kyuu Yamate and 246: The trap..

This intersection is a bit of a trap for motorists heading into (or through) Shibuya as bike cops often sit there waiting for motorists to go through a stop sign before pouncing, and on this sleepy Sunday afternoon it also became somewhat of a hazard to one cyclists health. While walking to Daikainyama we chanced upon the aftermath of an accident between a bike and a car, all were fine, but for a bent up bike seat and an obviously rattled salaryman's composure..

Mean machines..

Not sure what else you might call them, but one thing's for certain, these tricked-out bikes most cdertainly stuck out amongst the others parked at Yoyogi today..

Windy city..

Yes, this post is dedicated to bikes falling down. The icy wind on a Tokyo Winter day is merciless, like the wall..









Disclaimer: No bikes were harmed during the taking of these photos.

Hotwheels..

This near perfect example of complete radness is often parked just up the road, and is, in my completely unbiased opinion, right up there with the Durcus One. Can't be too comfortable to ride though..

Random cuteness: the baby and the bicycle..

Sadly the sunny afternoons at Yoyogi park will have to remain a memory for the moment, as the dreary days of yet another winter become an inescapable reality. Not but a month ago it was all sunshine and happiness at the park for one and all. The bicycle baby, for me, certainly represented all that is Yoyogi happiness and wonder, and with a shared enthusiasm for all things shiny, the kid made my day..

Yoyogi park freestylers

Taken from my compact camera and hastily put together, these guys were rockin nonetheless. Music is from a new project I'm workin on..

Boys and their bikes.. 05

These guys were getting their bike on down at the Kyushu festival on Saturday evening. Useless peice of information #346: the bike on the right is a Durcus!

Boys and their bikes.. 04

This fully decked out lookin bike dude was spotted on Dogenzaka on Monday night, not exactly the most obvious street to go for a ride, but a great place to be seen..

Boys and their bikes.. 03

This awesome machine was spotted which taking cover from the rain in an alleyway of Koen Dori on Sunday evening. Seems Dude-san had the same idea as us (getting out of the rain), and was kind enough to let me shoot him while waiting for the storm to abate..

Parking..

Parking in Shibuya is generally a nightmare, especially if you aren't lucky enough to have a designated space. Parking spaces can range in cost, anything from 2000 to (up to) 60,000 yen per month, and if you don't have a space the dreaded parking inspectors will most likely find you soon enough. Unfortunately some buildings have absolutely NO spaces, and so tenants (or employees) are forced to find something on the street. This creative Shibuya bike owner solved his parking problem with a set of carpentry tools and a positive attitude towards problem solving!

Boys and their bikes.. 02

It's great to be back in summer, and Shibuya! Caught this guy outside the Koban near Quattro. Am noticing a lot of mag front/spoke rear wheelybobs rolling around. This guy was HAPPY for me to take his pic (thanks Koenji Calling), and I got a little なつかしい when I noticed his 'cards in the spokes' arrangement. Now if got some pegs and attached the cards to the rear mainstay, and pointed the cards into the spokes..

Boys and their bikes..

Maybe it's like when you get a green car and then you see them everywhere, I am noticing more and more the amount of customized bikes that are getting around the city. From your totally color co-ordinated narrow bar go-ped (fixed wheel), to your more elaborate (and expensive) professional road bikes. This guy was happy for me to take his pic, but after he told me that his bike cost him just under 100万円 (about $10,000), I wasn't going to ask him if I could take it for a spin..



I was quite happy however to let "Dancing Oji-san" take the Durcus for a quick lap around the food table area.

The Durcus One

My new pride and joy was finally put together by the guys around the corner at Triple Rock Bicycles Shibuya. W-Base is the local distributor for Durcus bikes here in Japan, and I got loads of cool parts from a huge shop in the states called Dan's Comp. I surely be enjoying being back on the bike!

I also added a little blast from the past, from back when lake jumping wasn't thought of as being insane, and the Shepparton lake wasn't full of crap..

Cops on bikes

These guys are the last people you wanna see when riding around Tokyo, they seem to be constantly on the lookout for scooter riders breaking some ridiculous law. Tokyo road laws are laden with inconsistencies, things that don't make sense, and regulations that are often ignored. One such example is that scooters are speed limited to 35 kmph, and if you've ever followed this law on one of the larger road such as 246, you'll soon realize just how dangerous it is to be travelling at half the speed of traffic that is constantly zooming past you in the the same lane..