Greetings,
I'm a road cyclist from the States who will be spending 3 months (early May-early August) at the University of Tokyo. I very much want to ride while I'm there, but I have a few questions.
1. It will cost me US$400 to take a bike with me on the plane. And if I were to fly with it, somehow I can't see dealing with all my luggage+ a boxed up bike on the Narita Express. It seems like a better plan to buy a modest (steel or Al road) bike (<$US1000) while I'm there and sell it before I leave. Any advice about where to buy a bike and how to sell it before I go – particularly for someone who speaks no Japanese?
(I'm 5'10" (178 cm) tall and I normally ride 56 cm frames. It shouldn't be a problem finding the right sized frame, should it?)
2. I won't have a car – is it possible to get on the street in central Tokyo and ride oneself out of town to some rideable roads or trails? From reading the BBS, it sounds like people get on the subways/trains with their bikes?
3. I'd love to find some group rides on weekends, weekday early mornings, or evenings. Ideal rides would be anything between 50 and 150 km, average speeds of ~25-32 km/hour (on a flat course). Significant, but not extreme climbing would also be great.
4. Any other advice would be most welcome. Including warnings about how hot it's going to be.
I'll be living in a U. Tokyo guest house near the Bunkyo-ku campus
I'm a road cyclist from the States who will be spending 3 months (early May-early August) at the University of Tokyo. I very much want to ride while I'm there, but I have a few questions.
1. It will cost me US$400 to take a bike with me on the plane. And if I were to fly with it, somehow I can't see dealing with all my luggage+ a boxed up bike on the Narita Express. It seems like a better plan to buy a modest (steel or Al road) bike (<$US1000) while I'm there and sell it before I leave. Any advice about where to buy a bike and how to sell it before I go – particularly for someone who speaks no Japanese?
(I'm 5'10" (178 cm) tall and I normally ride 56 cm frames. It shouldn't be a problem finding the right sized frame, should it?)
2. I won't have a car – is it possible to get on the street in central Tokyo and ride oneself out of town to some rideable roads or trails? From reading the BBS, it sounds like people get on the subways/trains with their bikes?
3. I'd love to find some group rides on weekends, weekday early mornings, or evenings. Ideal rides would be anything between 50 and 150 km, average speeds of ~25-32 km/hour (on a flat course). Significant, but not extreme climbing would also be great.
4. Any other advice would be most welcome. Including warnings about how hot it's going to be.
I'll be living in a U. Tokyo guest house near the Bunkyo-ku campus