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Cycling Shops both online and physical locations in Japan

DevInJapan

Warming-Up
Sep 20, 2021
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Hey guys,
I'm trying to get information on some bike parts I'm looking to get and find in stock.
I currently only know of:
Y's Road
Asahi
Amazon
ChainReactionCycles(Import)

I would like to create a list.
What other options are available for people in Japan? All things cycling including bikes, parts, accessories and snackbars/gels.

I recall there were some used bike shops in Tokyo as well but I can't remember the names.
 
Wiggle ships to Japan

Used shops that i know about are Buy Chari and Cycly (both are available online too)
 
There are dozens, probably hundreds of bike shops in Japan. Where are you, and what do you want?

As for cyclists' junk food snack bars and energy gels, try a supermarket or convenience store.
 
The question is not very specific. For example, there are import restrictions on Shimano and SRAM parts, because the MRSP in Japan is higher than abroad. That's why Wiggle no longer sells Shimano and SRAM parts, and bike24.com doesn't ship many things to Japan any longer either. Another point is that in my experience some bike shops in Japan get really pissy when you don't buy all things in their shop. So what is it exactly that you are looking for? Bike parts are back-ordered right now, I have had to wait over 4 months for all parts to arrive — two months longer if I had wanted Red cranks.
 
The question is not very specific. For example, there are import restrictions on Shimano and SRAM parts, because the MRSP in Japan is higher than abroad. That's why Wiggle no longer sells Shimano and SRAM parts, and bike24.com doesn't ship many things to Japan any longer either. Another point is that in my experience some bike shops in Japan get really pissy when you don't buy all things in their shop. So what is it exactly that you are looking for? Bike parts are back-ordered right now, I have had to wait over 4 months for all parts to arrive — two months longer if I had wanted Red cranks.
That's quite informative. I'm not looking for something specific but just this kind of information as in the last few months I've spent more than I needed to and only realized after the fact.
Like I bought 18000yen set of tires from y's road that were just 9500yen on sale at chainreactioncycles with free shipping.
Y's road can have some good deals but often for accessories it's a massive ripoff.

I've recently discovered this website that ships to Japan.
 
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Prices in Japan are higher, AFAIK the prices bike shops pay for their distributors can be higher than the prices at e. g. Chain Reaction Cycles. It isn't that Y's Road is ripping you off, it's the manufacturers if you wish. As usual, the Japanese market adapts more slowly than other markets, and they demand higher prices, because Japan is a wealthy country — ignoring that the competition is international.

However, consider the value of having a LBS. They can only survive if they make a margin big enough. True, I can do a lot of maintenance myself these days and the like, but having a qualified bike mechanic who knows other riders is also worth something. Whether this is worth paying this high a premium for things, I don't know, you need to judge this for yourself.

But if you go for the LBS-less life style, be prepared of having to jump through some hoops, especially if you want to get Shimano or SRAM parts at a discount.
 
One of the HUGE reasons CRC and others can no longer offer SRAM and Shimano parts so cheap....
Shimano and SRAM wised up to their BS games they were playing.

CRC orders 20,000 OEM groups for their in-house bikes... Whoops, we only sold 5,000 this year, so now we will sell brand new OEM parts for 35% less than retail. (still a mark up for profit and still cheaper than Retail cost for other dealers)
Shimano & SRAM closed the contractual loophole that was allowing this and hurting LBS's.
 
Just for full disclosure: I think I do what most people do, I order quite a bit online (all of my nutrition and I used to order consumables for my bikes, too, but like @bloaker said, this is no longer as easy and prices on e. g. Amazon are usually comparable to those in my LBS), but I have an unreasonable love for my LBS. I got super lucky, the owner of my current LBS was a former world tour pro team mechanic and he is pretty connected. So if you need something, even if it is esoteric, he usually knows someone who knows someone …
 
Prices in Japan are higher, AFAIK the prices bike shops pay for their distributors can be higher than the prices at e. g. Chain Reaction Cycles. It isn't that Y's Road is ripping you off, it's the manufacturers if you wish. As usual, the Japanese market adapts more slowly than other markets, and they demand higher prices, because Japan is a wealthy country — ignoring that the competition is international.

However, consider the value of having a LBS. They can only survive if they make a margin big enough. True, I can do a lot of maintenance myself these days and the like, but having a qualified bike mechanic who knows other riders is also worth something. Whether this is worth paying this high a premium for things, I don't know, you need to judge this for yourself.

But if you go for the LBS-less life style, be prepared of having to jump through some hoops, especially if you want to get Shimano or SRAM parts at a discount.
True LBS was great for getting me started but now I have ParkTool and GCN on YT to get me through all repairs. The higher costs can add up to a new bikes cost quite fast so I do most of my shopping online now.
Not to mention I can hardly find clothes/shoes in my size in Japanese shops.
 
My blue bike likes a particular style of tyre whose price at Amazon, the last time I looked, was creeping up to 8,000 yen.

There's a tiny LBS -- actually not so local for me -- that I like a lot and that I noticed had these very tyres. I didn't have any pressing need for a second spare but I thought I'd buy it anyway. (I was sure to need it eventually.) It cost me under 5,000 yen.
 
You can also add https://www.excelsports.com/ to your list. I ordered some clothes from them and they were really good and fast when I had to change sizes.

As others have mentioned, wiggle is excellent and free shipping helps.

As others have mentioned Amazon/Rakuten. For 2nd hand parts mercari and yahoo auctions are good too, I got practically unused parts from both of them at a massive discount.
 
@Nuff
Yes, Wiggle is great, I order nutrition and a few consumables. However, since they stopped selling Shimano and SRAM stuff, I need to look elsewhere for that. Also, I haven't had much luck buying gloves that fit (sizing is all over the place) and I wouldn't even attempt to buy shoes online (I have wide feet, so most cycling shoes won't fit).
 
I use Wiggle and Amazon mostly. A couple bike shops for the steel frame lovers are: 1) Blue Lug and 2) Above. Above has some cool stuff and does great paint jobs if you have the time and $$.
 
@Nuff
Yes, Wiggle is great, I order nutrition and a few consumables. However, since they stopped selling Shimano and SRAM stuff, I need to look elsewhere for that. Also, I haven't had much luck buying gloves that fit (sizing is all over the place) and I wouldn't even attempt to buy shoes online (I have wide feet, so most cycling shoes won't fit).
For bike parts I had to settle on 2nd hand parts, since I've stacked my bike recently and I needed some quick to get it back up and running instead of waiting for 6 months. Mercari and yahoo auctions have been great, might not be best option if you are searching for latest and greatest. But I managed to score integrated handlebar for my bike that was sold out everywhere.

I went through the gloves and shoes as well. I do have winter gloves which are too big for me that I need to sell. As for shoes my feet are standard width, but I need large toe box, the only shoe that I could find that fits me was rc901. rc902 doesn't fit me as well as any other shimano/fizik/etc shoes. I'm seriously thinking about taking a gamble and ordering Bonts, since they seem to be exactly what I'm looking for, although I've read they can be pretty unforgiving fit wise.
 
I'm seriously thinking about taking a gamble and ordering Bonts, since they seem to be exactly what I'm looking for, although I've read they can be pretty unforgiving fit wise.
I recommend you have a look at Velokicks. These are very affordable shoes from Australia, designed by a podiatrist. They feature a very wide toebox, and for sizing you can email the owner a trace of your feet with measurements and he'll give a size recommendation. In my case, he was spot-on. I got their offroad shoes, and they are amazing. They are super comfy to walk in even though they are very stiff and the quality of the materials is that of a significantly more expensive shoe from a big brand. They only cost me 16,000 ¥ and feature a carbon composite sole (on purpose so that they aren't too hard and you can walk in them).

For sure I'll get a pair of road shoes (with a full stiff carbon sole) from them eventually. Their laced road shoes are on sale for 17,000 ¥, but if you are a believer in boa dials like I am, that model costs 26,000 ¥. They have custom paint options, too, but then you are talking 60,000 ¥ or so.
 
One of the HUGE reasons CRC and others can no longer offer SRAM and Shimano parts so cheap....
Shimano and SRAM wised up to their BS games they were playing.

CRC orders 20,000 OEM groups for their in-house bikes... Whoops, we only sold 5,000 this year, so now we will sell brand new OEM parts for 35% less than retail. (still a mark up for profit and still cheaper than Retail cost for other dealers)
Shimano & SRAM closed the contractual loophole that was allowing this and hurting LBS's.

Just not true though is it? They stopped international selling, not selling period. If you are in the US you can still buy the for normal prices, it's just here in Japan and some other places that you need to pay far, far more. I am not sure you even thought about what you typed out. They are protecting local bike shops by stopping customers paying postage on top and waiting?.. Ok. If you are in the US you can still buy at the normal price, nothing changes if overseas customers are screwed over. They only argument you could make is that they are protecting bikes shops only in regions where they charge a lot more than other regions, which is bizarre, do they want US bike shops to die? And why not just charge the same everywhere? That would stop the international buying and dramatically help local shops as they can now sell at far lower prices.

Also what about all the places with no access to OEM parts that also sell far more cheaply? For example I got my sram red crankset for 30,000yen from america, here it is 80,000yen. Nothing OEM, all retail and with retail boxes. How does that work in your world?
 
Just not true though is it? They stopped international selling, not selling period. If you are in the US you can still buy the for normal prices, it's just here in Japan and some other places that you need to pay far, far more. I am not sure you even thought about what you typed out. They are protecting local bike shops by stopping customers paying postage on top and waiting?.. Ok. If you are in the US you can still buy at the normal price, nothing changes if overseas customers are screwed over. They only argument you could make is that they are protecting bikes shops only in regions where they charge a lot more than other regions, which is bizarre, do they want US bike shops to die? And why not just charge the same everywhere? That would stop the international buying and dramatically help local shops as they can now sell at far lower prices.

Also what about all the places with no access to OEM parts that also sell far more cheaply? For example I got my sram red crankset for 30,000yen from america, here it is 80,000yen. Nothing OEM, all retail and with retail boxes. How does that work in your world?
Interesting response as I take this as you intending to be condescending...

I mostly was speaking of CRC. You are aware CRC is in the UK, right? So USA is internaitonal and so cannot buy it there.
But lets go somewhere CRC can ship shimano... I am in Germany right now, so let me stock up on the DEALS since you are sure I am wrong!
I bought my last set of XT M8000 Brakes before CRC stopped selling to Japan for 6400yen.
Today as I sit in Germany - the brakes - 164.99EU.

Seems like those "great deals" are not not so great anymore. Kinda like I said.

Please share the site you got your deal on, I would love to check it out.
 
Interesting response as I take this as you intending to be condescending...

I mostly was speaking of CRC. You are aware CRC is in the UK, right? So USA is internaitonal and so cannot buy it there.
But lets go somewhere CRC can ship shimano... I am in Germany right now, so let me stock up on the DEALS since you are sure I am wrong!
I bought my last set of XT M8000 Brakes before CRC stopped selling to Japan for 6400yen.
Today as I sit in Germany - the brakes - 164.99EU.

Seems like those "great deals" are not not so great anymore. Kinda like I said.

Please share the site you got your deal on, I would love to check it out.
I have no idea what you are trying to say. It seems you are trying to say that online shopping is more expensive?
Also I don't know what you are saying about the brakes. Prices fluctuate, especially in covid times, you cannot compare time separated prices.

For example the deal you asked to see, it cost me about 30,000yen way back whenever I bought it, now its 39000yen. https://www.bikeinn.com/bike/sram-red-d1-dub-axs-8-bolts-crank/137388168/p (I think its a spanish company but the cranks shipped from the us, so...). Compared to Japan's 80,000yen: https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/cyclick/sram-i-0022.html

Even though prices have gone up its still double the price to buy locally. Both retail BTW, still have the box somewhere.

At the end of the day I cant see how stopping shops from international selling is good for consumers or even bike shops. If Shimano and Sram would just allow the bike shops to sell at competitive prices online shops would have no leg to stand on. They are killing local shops buy carving out region restrictions for max profit, don't try to spin it like they are bike shop saviours.
 
Did you read my first post? I know you read the second because youshared the link I asked for...
At no point did I mention buying anything in japan, but I did mentioned "lbs" - but this is because when I think of bike shops, I am thinking of more than one country since I am in more than one country a year.
With that in mind, I said CRC cannot give the deals they once gave because Shimano/SRAM stopped letting them sell the OEM stuff.
This is why their prices went up abruptly a couple years ago - even in the UK.
 
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