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SHIROCHARI wanted

TOM

Maximum Pace
Apr 9, 2007
918
51
WANTED !!!
34xkuix.jpg


Yes, one of those white bicycles used by your neighbourhood omawarisan....

Made by Bridgestone and sporting a real "OTOKO gentleman's frame" & three-speed gearshift...I'm dying to get me one (of course without that rod-or-whatever holder in front).

Not that I'm into police or white things, I simply want a robust and fast (need the 3-speed gears) "papachari" for my daily commutes to the station parking lot. The Bridgestone catalogue does not carry them however (the "Jupiter" is the closest but no gearset) ...where the hell can they be purchased ???? or should I simply steal one and repaint :D ?

But, really, how come they are not producing them ("gentleman's bicycles") in the first place in this country??? Am I the only one wondering?

I checked all other domestic bicycle makers...but they offer nothing coming closely to the good old 3-speed Raleigh I used to ride as a highschool kid....just cutesy mamacharis....

2lup3tj.jpg
 
WANTED !!!

Yes, one of those white bicycles used by your neighbourhood omawarisan....

Made by Bridgestone and sporting a real "OTOKO gentleman's frame" & three-speed gearshift...I'm dying to get me one (of course without that rod-or-whatever holder in front).

Not that I'm into police or white things, I simply want a robust and fast (need the 3-speed gears) "papachari" for my daily commutes to the station parking lot. The Bridgestone catalogue does not carry them however (the "Jupiter" is the closest but no gearset) ...where the hell can they be purchased ???? or should I simply steal one and repaint :D ?

But, really, how come they are not producing them ("gentleman's bicycles") in the first place in this country??? Am I the only one wondering?

I checked all other domestic bicycle makers...but they offer nothing coming closely to the good old 3-speed Raleigh I used to ride as a highschool kid....just cutesy mamacharis....

Hi TOM

Why don't you

1) ask police at KOBAN about it?

2) send mail to POLICE inquiring about it?

https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/anket/anket1.htm

3) paint mamachari with white? :D
 
I could do that

if I really wanted identically the same one but all I need is a sturdy, daimond-framed bicycle with minimum 3 gears, one I can leave outdoor in the rain (therefore not an expensive-looking lightweight flatbar "cross" bike)....


Hi TOM

Why don't you

1) ask police at KOBAN about it?

2) send mail to POLICE inquiring about it?

https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/anket/anket1.htm

3) paint mamachari with white? :D
 
Omarichari

Very cool. If you get one I will take the stick holder off your hands. Bridgestone also makes an Industrial bike. You see tons of them in Yokosuka esp in the ship yard. They are tool room issue. But you see them out in town too. This is as close as I can find online in Bridgestone catalog.
http://www.bscycle.co.jp/root/catalog/jupiter08/lineup.html
 
Jupiter

Thanks Eddy for helping me locate the right one ! I used to ride this Bridgestone "Jupiter" model; in fact, I had it for more than 15 years and liked the sturdiness at lot. It was so sturdy I used it like a cart transporting furniture when I moved to a new house. If this model came with a three-speed gear set, this would be ideal. Only those white police bikes seem to have the gearset it seems...I really want the big gear for cruising and the small one for hills...

Very cool. If you get one I will take the stick holder off your hands. Bridgestone also makes an Industrial bike. You see tons of them in Yokosuka esp in the ship yard. They are tool room issue. But you see them out in town too. This is as close as I can find online in Bridgestone catalog.
http://www.bscycle.co.jp/root/catalog/jupiter08/lineup.html
 
MarkRosa

Thank you Kiwisimon, yes this is the type but it doesn't come with gearshift like the police bike. The more I look at the other Bridgestone, the MarkRosa, you found for me, the more I like it...pricewise it isn't bad either...31,000 yen, for the price of a(n AXLightness) saddle, I could buy two of them :D !

Tom here you are, the police bike is a limited run of these http://www.kyuusyuusyaryou.com/shop/shop/102_006.html
they only have the 26 inch wheels, but maybe your bike shop would be able to get more info'. Do you really want every cop trying to stop you to check the bike isn't hot?
 
My papachari is coming apart at the seams, and the MarkRosa looks lovely - but it seems to have been discontinued.

Any ideas for a similar beast?
 
How about a Raleigh 3 speed? They are all over ebay for about $100. And I saw quite a few in Japan, too , at various 'select' shops. This was/is the original English Racer and a great bike! Many were built with Reynolds 531 and far better quality than the 'water pipe' they use in Bridgestones.
 
Yep, I can vouch for the hardcore-ness of the Raleigh bikes.

My Dad still has his in perfect working order after decades of use. Never serviced it once and keeps it in a leaking shed. Still runs fine.
 

I love the name "Windsor Kensington"!

I am so fed up with papacharis. They used to be rock solid for five years, but the piece of c**p I have now is only two years old, and is always parked in a shelter - but rusting and creaking like the Munsters front door. Junk, and not worth the effort and money to squeeze another year out of it.
 
My papachari is coming apart at the seams, and the MarkRosa looks lovely - but it seems to have been discontinued.

Any ideas for a similar beast?

Lots of them here at Yafu-oku, no?

Of course, searching among them takes some patience, and you might end up getting real junk. I've come to think that one correlate of quality is energy of photography. Certainly the bike I got just a couple of weeks ago from Yafu-oku -- definitely not the kind of thing you're looking for -- was photographed very energetically and turns out to be superb (though rather a ridiculous choice even for me; why does an out-of-shape old geezer want a criterium bike for commuting and shopping?).

PS Here is what looks like a tired but decent bike (for an unusually tall person, too) that has a nasty saddle (I speak from personal experience) stuck in an unphotogenic position. It went for a thousand yen, or under four thousand including delivery. Of course the seller disclaims all responsibility and it might turn out to have a broken chainstay or similar, but surely some of the parts are recyclable.
 
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