Mar 31, 2020

Gaijin size bike

With the quarantine going on the cities, I’m thinking to heading to hills. I’m looking to buy (online) a cycle or mountain bike but they all look short in stature. What the average size we use in the west? I’m now thinking they probably have weight limits too. These are things that we never had to worried about. Any help would be appreciated.

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ConeHead

8 Answers

Sanrio

on Mar 31

I'd try to look at facebook groups talking about them or even look at 2nd hand bikes that people are selling online. Approval by the previous owner :)

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TonetoEdo

on Mar 31

I'm not very big, and I did well enough with a bicycle in the 51 to 54 cm range. I've gone through a number of Louis Garneau bikes. My favorite bike was a Giant no frills that was a bit tight fit. Check out https://tokyocycle.com/ for advice on bicycle frame sizes and sources. It looks like a lot of taller cyclists in Japan bring their own bikes or order online to get frame sizes in their range.

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JapanRamen

on Mar 31

There are some shops you can visit to check out in person, and possibly even go on a test ride? Since many bike brands are international, you can probably try to look up information on the particular models in English afterwards.

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ConeHead

on Apr 1

Thank you all. I visited a used store last night to them but just standing next to them shows how tiny they are.

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TonetoEdo

on Apr 2

@ConeHead You haven’t mentioned how tall you are. If you’re 180-190 cm, you’d need a 60 cm frame. Please update us when you find a suitable bike. And where! I’m also looking for both a road bike and shopping bike right now.

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ConeHead

on Apr 3

I’m 180cm. I’m currently on amazonjp looking because I went to a recycle shop and they were 20-40,000 used. On amazon there’re that price new, plus you can’t beat amazon’s customer service. I took some pics of the ones I saw but I don’t know how to add pictures here to show you. I’m still lost when it comes to sizing though. @TonetoEdo

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TonetoEdo

on Apr 4

@ConeHead Depending on what kind of bike you're looking for, and what kind of riding you intend to do, you might be able to tolerate a smaller bike. I've often lent mamachari to people your height and they could raise the seats to accommodate longer legs. Most of the mamacharis I got from recycle shops and bike shops that carry reconditioned bikes. The prices range from 5000-10,000 yen. If you're after a road bike and need more advice, check out that link for Tokyo Cycling Club - https://tokyocycle.com/ That forum is active, with the latest message from April 4/2020.

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ConeHead

on Apr 28

Just to update you guys, I visited a few Yorozuya and Second Street in the bigger cities and I got a Giant Escape bike for 10,000¥ in pretty decent shape and another ‘Shimano?’ Bike brand new for 18,000¥ with 3 yrs warranty. I think Donki has this brand selling for a bit less too.

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Gaijin size bike

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