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Help DIY bike shops in Tokyo

austin

austin

Cruising
Dec 16, 2019
4
3
Hi all,

I'm in Tokyo a couple of times a year and I'm thinking about getting a bike to keep and use when I'm here. To keep it in good shape, I'm looking for DIY bike shops/co-ops where I can access tools/cheap gear to work on my own bike, perhaps for a small fee. Anyone know of such a place? I'm in Motoazabu, so places near there would be preferable in case I'm walking there or back with a dysfunctional bicycle.

Thanks, A
 
I've never heard of such a place in Tokyo. It's not really Japanese way of doing things. But I'd be happy to be proven wrong.
 
I'd also be interested, if you find such a place. Might build some wheels but I don't have a truing stand over here :(
 
There is a business chance.
Opening a shop for a DIY maintenance, etc. It might work in Tokyo but LBS will be angry.
I was actually thinking that a privately held LBS might keep a bike for a while, if enough space, upon negotiation, paying a fee with extra service maintenance included. Certainly nothing here without the extra.
Good luck !
 
Opening such a shop would be prohibitive. Maybe something like airBNB to rent out your own tools & space?
 
Never heard of it in Japan and most mechanics I know worldwide would not lend expensive tools.

If you just want to do basic maintenance maybe buying a basic set of tools to keep for your own use?
But for a single bike, periodically, I'd just get a good relationship with a good LBS.

Many basic DIY centers have places you can use tools but nothing specialized for bikes.
 
jdd said:
Opening such a shop would be prohibitive. Maybe something like airBNB to rent out your own tools & space?
Click to expand...
Certainly prohibitive. A LBS could add this kind of service if allowed, but upon attracting new customers, it will also loose money in the same time if not doing directly the maintenance. Difficult to imagine, but not impossible.
 
In Montreal (where I live, I think this is also the case in many cities across North America) there are a number of volunteer-run bike co-ops, often affiliated with student organizations, that allow anyone to come in and use tools/lubricants/etc for free or at the most a $5 fee per visit. Those that charge often also have year-long subscriptions in the $20 range. They'll usually have cheap new and dirt cheap used parts as well.

It's super nice for those of us who like to do the work ourselves, but don't want to have to buy our own cone wrenches, chain whips, other expensive and specific tools.

So that's more what I'm looking for, I wouldn't be surprised if nothing like it exists here - they're not exactly easy to keep going. And if you so much as asked a mechanic if you could "borrow" one of their tools, they'd be more likely to hit you with it than let you use it.
 
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We've got an DIY bike workstation at Uni. It's equipped with Park Tools an run by donations and contributions of the people who are using the place. At the momemt it opens only on two days per week due to lack of volunteers.
I'm totally for the DIY idea and sharing tools, but also for paying for the expertise and skills of the LBS when needed.
My community back in Japan had communal workstation where one can borrow all kind of "special" tools (mostly for gardening).
 
pedalist said:
We've got an DIY bike workstation at Uni. It's equipped with Park Tools an run by donations and contributions of the people who are using the place. At the momemt it opens only on two days per week due to lack of volunteers.
I'm totally for the DIY idea and sharing tools, but also for paying for the expertise and skills of the LBS when needed.
My community back in Japan had communal workstation where one can borrow all kind of "special" tools (mostly for gardening).
Click to expand...

Woohoo! The response I was looking for. Where is the space? I'll come by for a visit just for fun if I can.
 
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