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Not going to dig it out to confirm, but for a few years now I think I've been using Plan E, from here:
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pedalist
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adventurous cyclist
turtle speed cyclist
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7-11 insurance here. Make sure you wear your helmet. There's a clause in the policy that pays more if you wear a helmet and have an accident. I think my current cost is 4500 yen for one year.
Hello everyone!
I'll be visiting the country (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) for two weeks in April, and I'm wondering how easy it is to participate in a brevet during that time. I would love to do a daily one and cycle the Japanese countryside, know it's a long shot and probably it takes a lot of preparation, but wanted to ask just in case.
Thanks in advance!
I'll be visiting the country (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) for two weeks in April, and I'm wondering how easy it is to participate in a brevet during that time. I would love to do a daily one and cycle the Japanese countryside, know it's a long shot and probably it takes a lot of preparation, but wanted to ask just in case.
Thanks in advance!
How many brevets in foreign countries have you done? Have you ever been to Japan? Do you speak and read Japanese?
I've cycled in France but never a brevet in a foreign country. I've done countless in my country (Greece) though. Unfortunately no language skills, and this is my first time to the country...
As long as you are comfortable navigating the countryside of an unfamiliar country where you don't know the language, you'll probably manage. At least Japan has convenience stores and vending machines everywhere.
My main two problems are:
- Where/how do I register
- Where do I rent a bike/equipment from (I assume that won't be that hard)
microcord
Maximum Pace
- Aug 28, 2012
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Pinging @joewein !
@SteliosM , there's also the matter of the bike. For a 200 km+ ride, surely it must fit you just right. Renting a bike is possible in Japan, but unfortunately it's not at all easy.
PS edit clash
There's a company (G S Astuto) in Annaka [google for it!] that not only rents out road bikes but also communicates in English. Annaka is impossibly distant from Kyoto or Osaka and a considerable way from Tokyo. There must surely be other companies too, but offhand I don't know of them.
Ah -- I think I heard some years ago that members of the Rapha Cycling Club in any nation can rent bikes from RCC in any nation, but don't rely on me for this (mis)information.
microcord
Maximum Pace
- Aug 28, 2012
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Today I changed the freewheel on my bike. (NB I'm not perversely using an olde-worlde term for a 10-speed cassette; no, I mean a 5-speed freewheel.) Thanks to the correct special-purpose freewheel wrench thingies and a long spanner, I had no problem getting the old freewheel off (even though it was tight) and putting the new one on (yes, tightly). I mounted the wheel. The bike was up on a stand. I turned the cra--
No! I didn't turn the cranks. They refused to turn.
I turned the wheel in the going-forward direction. It wasn't happy. For a circa-twenty-degree arc once per revolution, it felt as if the rear brake was lightly impeding the rim. (But it wasn't.)
I turned it in the going-backward direction. This was very hard work. It felt as if the rear brake was clamped tightly over the rim. (But it was nowhere near.)
Chain-stays, chain-stay bridge, seatstays, seat-stay bridge, rear brake? No, nothing was close to contacting any of those. Chain doing something funny? No sign of that. The whole drivetrain looked perfectly OK.
Something was very, very wrong, and I had no idea what it was. Had I perhaps somehow managed to destroy my rear hub?
I took off the wheel, removed the freewheel from it, held it by each end of its axle, and gave it a whirl, and then a whirl in the opposite direction. It spun freely, both ways.
I reattached the freewheel to the hub and the wheel to the bike. Now everything was fine. (Or anyway it seemed to be.) So whatever stupidity I'd perpetrated the first time, I hadn't the second time.
Any idea what I could have done wrong? (Whatever it was, I don't want to repeat it, especially after a puncture, while my fellow-riders are politely waiting for me.)
No! I didn't turn the cranks. They refused to turn.
I turned the wheel in the going-forward direction. It wasn't happy. For a circa-twenty-degree arc once per revolution, it felt as if the rear brake was lightly impeding the rim. (But it wasn't.)
I turned it in the going-backward direction. This was very hard work. It felt as if the rear brake was clamped tightly over the rim. (But it was nowhere near.)
Chain-stays, chain-stay bridge, seatstays, seat-stay bridge, rear brake? No, nothing was close to contacting any of those. Chain doing something funny? No sign of that. The whole drivetrain looked perfectly OK.
Something was very, very wrong, and I had no idea what it was. Had I perhaps somehow managed to destroy my rear hub?
I took off the wheel, removed the freewheel from it, held it by each end of its axle, and gave it a whirl, and then a whirl in the opposite direction. It spun freely, both ways.
I reattached the freewheel to the hub and the wheel to the bike. Now everything was fine. (Or anyway it seemed to be.) So whatever stupidity I'd perpetrated the first time, I hadn't the second time.
Any idea what I could have done wrong? (Whatever it was, I don't want to repeat it, especially after a puncture, while my fellow-riders are politely waiting for me.)
microcord
Maximum Pace
- Aug 28, 2012
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I thought I'd google Astuto for you. I arrived here, where I found some good news. It seems that bikes are available from Odawara. Odawara too is quite a way from Tokyo, but it's closer than Annaka is. Simply, you take the Odakyu Odawara line from west central Tokyo, and either snooze or read a book all the way to the terminus. (NB not all Odakyu trains go to Odawara. The "Romance Car" is the quickest, but you need to pay a surcharge for it, and carrying a bike is likely to be more difficult than in other Odakyu trains.)
For more about carrying a bike on the train than you ever thought of asking, try this thread. I'd hope that a company that rents out a bike would also supply a bike bag, but you'd better check.
There's also the matter of insurance. . . .
Cactaur
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- Feb 3, 2014
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@microcord old school style horizontal dropouts? Maybe wheel wasn’t aligned going in and rubbing the frame. Check your chainstay-bb area for wear marks.
microcord
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As it happens, very old school horizontal dropouts -- so old, there's a separate derailer claw. (Because BITD there were different claws for Campagnolo and Huret ... or something like that.) But no, there was no rubbing against either chain-stay or against either seat-stay or against the brake. I looked carefully. I found nothing. I thought "WTF?" and looked again, carefully, and found nothing.
microcord
Maximum Pace
- Aug 28, 2012
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No cigar, but close.
Of course I tried to mount the chain on the smallest rear sprocket when I reattached the wheel. And I succeeded. I realized today that this had been an unfortunate choice of sprocket. The freewheel seems to ride slightly farther out on the hub than did its predecessor. When the chain is on the smallest sprocket, then -- I suppose depending on exactly how the wheel is mounted -- the chain can either lightly graze the derailer claw or jam against it.
The workings and adjustment of hubs are mysteries to me. This hub is ancient (though little used) and might baffle most bike shop people. Luckily I know a couple of bike shops whose proprietors -- May they never retire! -- are unfazed by this kind of thing. This afternoon I'll visit one of them.
joewein
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- Oct 25, 2011
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Hi there!
Most randonneuring clubs in Japan use the SportsEntry website for signups. Typically signup closes a couple of weeks before the event. For example, signup for the BRM422 even by AJ NishiTokyo on April 22 closes on April 8. All of the signup is in Japanese.
One complication is the requirement for liability insurance of 100 million yen. You need to submit the name of the insurance company, the contract type, the policy number and the period covered during SportsEntry signup.
Typically there will be a cue sheet (such as an XLS file with all the turns and PCs) in Japanese and often an online route such as RWGPS that you can download to the cycling GPS of your choice. The pre-ride briefing will also be in Japanese.
The bike needs to comply with Japanese traffic law requirements (e.g. a bicycle bell on the handlebar) and you need a headlight and a tail light attached to the frame. Typically you also need a rear facing helmet light and possible a second light, depending on the start time and distance of the event. This will be described on the website of the club where the event is advertised. You need to wear a reflective randonneur vest at all times.
If you can manage to get acceptable insurance, the rest is mostly a matter of language skills and timing.
Hi Joe,
I know the Audax events aren't races, but do they give you your checkpoint time splits? Or overall time only?
If so, is it just the individual time or can you see everyone's time, eg. in an excel spreadsheet organized by rider number?
I am organizing a two day event here on July 1st and 2nd. It won't be a race. But I would like to give riders time splits if possible.
I appreciate your input.
Cheers, Andy.
joewein
Maximum Pace
- Oct 25, 2011
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There is an overall time limit based on the category (200 km = 13h30m, 300 km = 20h, 400 km = 27h, 600 km = 40h) and then there's a checkpoint opening and closing time. With the exception of the first few hours the closing time is based on 15 km/h from the official event start, regardless of when you actually set off. The cue sheet lists these opening and closing times along with the km from the start. The closing time of the next checkpoint and the number of km until there is how we pace ourselves
When you pass the checkpoints, which in Japan are always conbini (or maybe village shops in very remote areas) you usually have to get a receipt to prove the time. You need to keep the receipts. The times when the receipts were issued are then noted in the brevet card with a ballpoint pen at the goal. The marked up brevet card is sent off (I think to France) for verification, afterwards it's mailed back to you with a sticker that you officially completed. So every rider will have an official record of when they passed which checkpoint listed in the homologated brevet card, but the only metric officially published by the clubs is the overall completion time.
The ride results are published not ranked by completion time but in alphabetic order, which serves to emphasize that it's not a race. Theoretically anyone who completes within the time limit is recognized the same way.
joewein
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@SteliosM,
Here is the complete list of 2023 season brevets from the website of Audax Japan.
As you can see, there are 73 different events in April alone across the country, organized by 24 different clubs:
A近畿;17
R東京;11
AJ神奈川;4
R熊本;4
AJたまがわ;3
AJ千葉;3
AJ広島;3
AJ福岡;3
AJ群馬;3
AR日本橋;3
AJ岡山;2
AJ西東京;2
AR鹿児島;2
A埼玉;2
VCR横浜あおば;2
AJ北海道;1
AJ宇都宮;1
AJ長崎;1
AJ静岡;1
AR中部;1
AR四国;1
RC名古屋;1
R宮城;1
R札幌;1
You can find links to the clubs from the Audax Japan website (Google Chrome with auto-translate may be helpful).
Here is the complete list of 2023 season brevets from the website of Audax Japan.
As you can see, there are 73 different events in April alone across the country, organized by 24 different clubs:
A近畿;17
R東京;11
AJ神奈川;4
R熊本;4
AJたまがわ;3
AJ千葉;3
AJ広島;3
AJ福岡;3
AJ群馬;3
AR日本橋;3
AJ岡山;2
AJ西東京;2
AR鹿児島;2
A埼玉;2
VCR横浜あおば;2
AJ北海道;1
AJ宇都宮;1
AJ長崎;1
AJ静岡;1
AR中部;1
AR四国;1
RC名古屋;1
R宮城;1
R札幌;1
You can find links to the clubs from the Audax Japan website (Google Chrome with auto-translate may be helpful).