Features / News

Keirin Culture Introduces Wheel Building Program

As of September 1st, 2007, you can get custom built track wheels from keirinculture.com. These are some of the best wheels out there, using Novatec hubs, FIR rims, and DT Swiss spokes. They're handbuilt in Richmond, VA, by a wheelbuilder with over 20 years of experience. Novatec hubs are the best kept secret in track components. They use Japanese precision bearings that spin as smooth as Dura Ace, plus the price is great. You can get them in 32 or 36 hole high flange. Also email us about building on Novatec 110mm spaced hubs.

Why FIR rims? Because they're the best. These rims are made with pride in Italy and have been seen under the best pro riders for years. The red and blue colored rims are anodized, not powder-coated like the other guys' rims. We'll also offer wheels built on Ambrosio rims from Italy.

Website Feature: fixedgearlondon.com

by Andy Ellis

Fixed gear london started in October last year, because we couldn't find a website we liked that was relevant to what we were doing/into. The website still doesn’t go into as much depth as we'd like, and it's never going to be as good as we want! In the beginning we just put photo’s up, so our friends could check’em out. We were out riding a couple of times a week and getting loads of images, that everyone wanted to see. So the website made sense.

Recently we started to put some bikes together, there are lot's of people who would like to go fixed but don't really want to spend a lot of money doing it. So we provide an alternate place for people to get a fixie that is tailored for them. We are only making conversions at the moment, as it’s hard to find track specific parts, but it's getting easier.

We have heard some criticism about what we are doing, as a lot of cyclists come from a straight up cycling background, where as most of the people we ride with have been skateboarding and riding BMX for most of their lives, and still do. So for us it's just a natural progression.

Half of us are couriers or have been at some point, The other half just love track bikes. Our influences come from the courier and skateboarding cultures, and also we keep our eye on what other riders from all over the world are doing. (MASH, Trackstar, Carnival, etc.)

We can't really define what it is exactly that we are doing, we just try to go out and enjoy ourselves on our bikes. That could entail riding for 5 hours to the south of England, to eat Fish & Chip’s... Or it could be hanging out at 2am somewhere in the city, seeing who can wear their rear tyre out the fastest. But for me, as a skateboarder, it's like going skating, only on my bike!

Richard Sachs: Nagasawa's Influence on an American Framebuilder

Like Yoshiaki Nagasawa in Japan, Richard Sachs builds America’s best frames one at a time in his small workshop in Connecticut. From start to finish, Sachs crafts each frame with the care that is rare in the bike industry. It’s hard to even consider him as part of the bike industry at all, where even such revered names as Colnago and Pinarello are often produced in China. Perhaps Sachs could only find peers in the small community of Japanese keirin frame builders.

The comparisons between Nagasawa and Sachs are no accident. Sachs has been a fan of Nagasawa’s craftsmanship since the late ‘70’s after discovering an unlabeled Nagasawa used as a display bike for Suntour components at the New York International Cycle Show (now defunct). After some detective works, Sachs discovered the identity of the mystery framebuilder and began following his work.

Strangely enough, the roots of this fascination lay in a National Geographic television special called “The Living Treasures of Japan.” Sachs:

“I knew I was looking for something more in framebuilding, and I suspected it didn't involve "stuff;" without explaining the show in two sentences, suffice it to say that I was inspired by the Japanese reverence for quality handmade articles of any and all types, some important, some mundane, but all constructed with respect to craft, skill, and heritage, and, I suspect, with little or no regard paid to commerce or promotion. My attitude towards framebuilding embraces this attitude. No bicycle could have ever had the impact on my decisions and choices the way the topic of that program did.”

Reading through different articles and interviews on his website, richardsachs.com, it’s clear that Sachs is the closest thing we have in the US to someone like Mr. Nagasawa.

Sachs exudes the confidence of a master at his craft. As I scroll through these paragraphs, I see multiple comparisons between him and Mr. Nagasawa – the lack of tubing decals on the frame and loyalty to a single tubing manufacturer are two that jump out. What is important is the idea of the frame as the product of the combination of the builder’s craftsmanship, time, and passion rather than simply the sum of the materials used. Most frame companies (it’s hard to use the term “framebuilders” these days) focus on the material used, whether it be high end steel or aluminum alloys, carbon rear ends, or even the heat treatments the tubes receive before and after the frame is built. Rather than focusing on adjectives like “light,” “stiff,” or “responsive,” a master builder will focus on what is right for the one rider that the frame is being made for. The quality and performance of the ride will always follow.

It’s no surprise that Sachs has several Nagasawa frames in his own personal collection.. He’s also recently acquired a vintage 1981 track frame. When he ordered his custom Nagasawa road frame , he supplied only two measurements: saddle to pedals and saddle tip to handlebars (“His frame, made to fit me.”). This is similar to an order that Sachs would take from an American customer. The result is a beautiful classic frame made by a master.

For more information on Richard Sachs custom bikes visit his website at www.richardsachs.com. The site is full of information on his frames and building techniques.

Why NJS?

What’s the big deal with the little stamp? Isn’t just all about gambling? Every piece of equipment that can be used in keirin racing must be approved by the officials of the NJS, and this group of only Japanese manufacturers is definitely an exclusive club. As far as components go, there are only a few brands you’ll see currently in production: Nitto, MKS, Shimano, Kashimax, and Sugino are the big ones. Over the years the NJS has seen some legendary stuff come and go, most notably Suntour Superebe Pro. Suntour. The name of Suntour is still around, but it’s unlikely any of it is still made in Japan. What you do see in all of these components, past and present, is a high attention to detail that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere but Japan.

What you’ll also find is a staunch traditionalism:

• Only loose ball bearings are allowed for headsets, bottom brackets, pedals, and hubs. This sounds strange in the world where weekend warrior road racers now spend hundreds on ceramic cartridge bearings that spin much better than their steel counterparts. Keirin racers spend a great amount of time maximizing the performance of their equipment. One of the ways they often do this is by using a light oil on hub bearings rather than heavy grease. This treatment is only good for a few rides but gives the hub the performance of the best cartridge bearing hubs.
• Although Shimano Dura Ace Octalink bottom brackets are NJS-approved, the racers rarely use these. Instead they use the square-taper Hatta or Sugino bottom brackets that are installed by the framebuilder with a traditional crank. Dura Ace is generally the choice crank of keirin racers, with racers occasionally using Sugino 75.
• Clip and strap pedals are the only style approved by the NJS. The most popular model is the MKS Custom Nuevo with Kashimax Five Gold single straps. Racers are allowed more choice in shoes, with many using road shoes like SIDI.
• The rims are Araya Gold 36 hole tubular. There is no carbon fiber anywhere on these bikes.

The frames, no matter what brand, are always of the highest quality. When you’re thinking about a used keirin frame, think about everything that went into it. The racer orders the frame according to his personal preferences, ones that he’s developed after racing for up to 30 years. Even with that status he will pay anywhere from $1000 to $2500 for a frame. There are no sponsorships in keirin racing. He chooses the frame tubing (now usually Kasei or Columbus), lugs, and paint, too. After that he waits, weeks or months for the builder to finish.

The builders are also something you wouldn’t expect to see in modern times. Some, like Bridgestone, are larger shops, but most consist of a master and a few assistants. Often these master builders worked as apprentices to the greats of the past. For instance, the builder of Kiyo Miyazawa frames apprenticed with Rossin in Italy. Most of the shops are located in small garages with no storefront. They painstakingly build the frames one at a time, then send them off to one of the few paint facilities in Japan. The builders know that the racers’ livelihoods depend on the quality of the bikes. Very few non-Japanese builders will ever build a frame under this kind of pressure. Keirin racers start their career as apprentices in high school and often race into their fifties. We’re not talking about local weekend racers or the young pro riders you see in the US that move on to other careers by the age of 30. Equipment failure could be catastrophic.

This fear of a frame’s structural failure is the reason that so many of you ride keirin frames in the US. Crashes are quite common in these races, and the racers will line up several times over the course of a three day race. If a frame is involved in a crash then it must be replaced. Oftentimes there’s no visible damage. Even if the frame is not involved in a crash, it can only be raced a certain number of times depending on the level of the racer (S1 is the highest ). The most common form of damage is the dent on the bottom-side of the top tube. This is caused by the handlebar swinging around. Kashimax top tube protectors are approved, but racers rarely bother with them because if one is needed the frame is finished anyway. Old frames are often used for training. Sometimes this type of training is done on the road. If your frame has scratches concentrated on the seat stay where near the bridge, it’s probably been ridden on the road with a clamp-on brake. Often, though, racers will have several older frames collecting dust in their closets. The rules aren’t so strict on components, although handlebars are replaced regularly.

NJS-approved frames and components are truly special. Every used keirin frame has a unique history that you’d find nowhere else. At one point the frame was raced and cared for by a man whose family’s livelihood depended on his ability to race it. That little stamp symbolizes a history tied into the rebuilding of postwar Japan, but that’s another story....