Help with Bike Rental in Tokyo( fixed gear if possible)

[jeffmazziotta]

Hey guys, new to the forum; will be arriving in Japan on Wedneday( the 19th) and staying for roughly 2 and a half weeks, Plan was to stay at a variety of Hostels ( currently found one in Asakusa i beleive) and wanted to know the possibilities of renting a bicycle and using it as my main form of transportation around Tokyo. Is it feasible to ride a bike from one district to another? like riding from asakusa to places like akihabara or harujuku or rappongi or any other cool place i might want to see?

Also has anyone heard of any way to rent a fixed gear bike? or a road bike of any type? be it geared or single speed? I am unsure if i fancy riding around on a grandma bike as I am afraid most rentals might turn out to be.

Either that or is there a cheap used bike market in japan? in the states it is quite easy to get an old road bike and just swap the gearing/wheels out and make your own fixie if you wanted or just to ride around on the old road bike.

My other main issue is i am quite small- especially united states standards Im a guy who is only 5'2 inches tall ( 62 inches) (about 158 CM) so finding a road bike or fixie that small is probably going to be brutal right ?

any help?

thanks for taking the time to read my post!

 

[StuInTokyo]

Welcome!

Your size is most likely an advantage here, compared to tall guys who come for a visit.

I do not know about rentals, sorry.

I know about a chain of shops called >> Cycly << You could buy a used bike there, ride if for the two weeks and sell it back to them. They will take a large chunk of change for the service but it is an option....

Riding around Tokyo is very easy, I'd suggest getting a good bilingual map, this one is good >> The Tokyo City Atlas << and you should be able to pick it up in most any book store near a large station.

I hope this helps.

 

[kiwisimon]

try here: http://www.a-extremo.com/rental/rentmtb.html MTB rentals in Tokyo

all day rentals run from 1,000 yen for city bikes, grandma'ish to 3,000 for something more sporty. Have you tried googling and going from there. used bike is a good option. Rest assured getting a bike won't be a big problem.

Maybe the regular city bike is a good option, it comes with a lock and stand attatched so that something less to worry about and they will do the job for two weeks.

 

[GSAstuto]

Hmmm ...

1) Pretty easy to knock together a cheap fixie for about 25,000 from used stuff.
2) You can't just swap wheels cause most road bikes will have vertical drops - so you won't be able to adjust chain tension unless you use a Eno hub wheel or fiddle with half-linking.
3) I can get brand new single speeds for about 30,000yen - about 9kg 4130 frame, etc. Japan 'legal' . Size is either 46cm or 50cm and will buy it back for half.
4) Decent citybikes are easy to get new for around 20,000yen at Donki
5) Consider folding bike, too, it makes very easy to train-hop.

 

[patrick.yodar]

for touristy stuff you're probably best off with a city/grandma type bike. you'd need to be careful with a fixed gear or road bike as they get stolen sometimes. I've even had parts stolen off of my nicer bikes. crappy bikes are fine for getting around as there aren't many hills, give you a better view of the city because of the limited speed and tall riding position, and you don't need to worry about them getting stolen.

you will get lost and i've found it much easier to be on a grandma bike while constantly looking at maps and trying to find landmarks.

 

[StuInTokyo]

Hmmm ...

1) Pretty easy to knock together a cheap fixie for about 25,000 from used stuff.
2) You can't just swap wheels cause most road bikes will have vertical drops - so you won't be able to adjust chain tension unless you use a Eno hub wheel or fiddle with half-linking.
3) I can get brand new single speeds for about 30,000yen - about 9kg 4130 frame, etc. Japan 'legal' . Size is either 46cm or 50cm and will buy it back for half.
4) Decent citybikes are easy to get new for around 20,000yen at Donki
5) Consider folding bike, too, it makes very easy to train-hop.

That is a very generous offer Tim

 

[Sikochi]

Some hostels/hotels have bikes to rent (obviously, standard is anybody`s guess) but it might be worth checking the hostel/hotel sites when you are booking as a more expensive abode that includes free rental might actually work out cheaper. Plus, if you change your base, then a bike that you only have to return to the place you are staying at is much more convenient.

Some grandma bikes are actually of a high standard, I have one that I use in wet weather and also for hill repeats on some of the more convenient hills in town when I am pushed for time. They really are fine, provided they have been properly maintained, just heavy...but once they are rolling, no probs. PS: bring a helmet!