Job Discussion Forums

angiestar · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:05 am Post subject: should i bring my bike to japan?

i'm moving to japan in mid august. i would like to bike commute if possible. i currently own a fairly nice aluminum trek road bike with sti shifters (it was $450 US used). i'm guessing buying a bike of similar quality will cost more in japan. i'm trying to figure out if it's worth shipping, or if i should just sell it and buy a different bike once i'm there.

does anyone have a general idea of how much it would cost to ship a bike?

or do you know how flat or hilly the terrain in shiroi shi (chiba prefecture) is? if it's pretty flat i think a cheaper bike would serve me just as well.

thanks for your help!

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Paul and I disagree here because I say definitely bring it with you. Get to the airport early and check it with oversized luggage. They used to ask that you remove the pedals but I have travelled all over with mine and they often don't. For minimum hassle go to your neighborhood bike shop and have them box it for you. I did this once returning to Tokyo and actually brought the box to my place by train at evening rush-hour, not that I recommend doing so. When you get here you can use the airport delivery service to get your stuff to your place if you are worried about that, it costs a little money but is very convenient.
Chiba is a huge prefecture with varied terrain but it is safe to say that you can bike anywhere the trains go and often in the same amount of time, maybe a little more or a little less. But it is a lot more fun and you won't be getting stressed on the train.

Pedal on,
s

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

If you are used to riding a road bike and you have something decent, bring it! I suppose that one other way (if you have an above average component group) would be to just bring that and maybe your rims and get the frame here.

Either way, road bikes cost a bleedin' fortune in this country! The city where I live has one or two specialty shops dedicated to the sport but the costs are unreasonable. I say, if you are a dedicated rider, bring your equipment and plan on re-shipping it home later, as the re-sale value is going to be next to nothing in Japan... Especially something as specialized (no pun intended) as that.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

Don't bring your bike.

angiestar · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:26 pm Post subject:

sweetsee, did your airline charge you extra to bring your bike? how much?

so far we are at 2 votes for bring it and 2 votes for don't bring it. i'm currently leaning toward bringing it, though i have to admit that's partly because i don't want to deal with the hassles of selling it and getting a new one.

womblingfree · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 826

Leave it at home.

Buy a $100 Mama-Chari with a big basket, big bell and bit on the back for your girlfriend to sit on.

Much more useful.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

angie, rather than seeing this as how many "votes" you will get for or against, please consider YOUR OWN situation above all else.

The way you described it to me, is that you have a good quality road bike... Normally, most people don't ride around on an expensive racing machine to get from home to work -- it's not suited to that. My racing bike (that I didn't take in Japan) has nothing -- no bike lock, no lights, no reflectors, no bell... It's for racing. You wouldn't even need any of those things (such as a lock) because when you're done using it, it goes back into the house or gets loaded up into a van or team support vehicle.

If THIS is what you had in mind, (as in -- you are looking to do this as a serious sport) then yeah... Bringing your bike is probably a good idea... Unless you want to spend a TON of money on a new frame, components, pedals, rims, etc...

HOWEVER, if you are asking about a bike that will be used for TRANSPORTATION, then the others are right -- don't bring it. If you are going to be taking your bike to work and parking it there -- don't bring it. Bicycle theft happens in Japan too. Expensive bikes are targets. Moreover, it IS possible to buy an inexpensive bike here just to ride around on... And honestly, a mama-chari or a mountain bike are much better suited for that sort of riding anyway.

Hope that clarifies my previous answer.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

To add

Unless you have already got a high-end bike or are especially attached to the one you have then leave it at home (sell it, store it, park it at a friend's etc).

As has already been stated you can get a second hand bike for much less than you could back home.

Also I'm going to assume you will be making a bit more money in Japan than you do now at home, well I'll wager that you will be looking to upgrade to a NEW bike that you wouldn't dare but back home.

BUT How big are you? Size will be an issue if you are tall by Japanese standards

mrjohndub · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 198 Location: Saitama, Japan

I agree with Jim Dunlop that your own situation should be the primary decision-making factor.

However, I want to warn you that bicycles--especially nice ones--are frequently stolen here despite the best efforts to lock them. I've had three bicycles stolen that were thoroughly locked in twelve months. Two of these times, they were double locked. One was a nice mountain bike, another was a decent mama chari and the other was a sh*tty mama chari.
Maybe I've just had bad luck, but I've used precaution and it did me no good.

On top of that, there is a lot of vandalism to bicycles, so don't be surprised to find unexplained flat tires or other types of abuse. If you bring your nice bicyle, I'd bring it inside with you at every possible opportunity, at home and at work.

Eva Pilot · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 2:12 am Post subject:

Mtnkiwi · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 67 Location: Osaka

I recommend you bring your bike if you enjoy cycling (not just commuting). Quality bikes are a lot more expensive here than the States. It is also hard to get a quality used bike here, yahoo auctions is an option but it is a net auction so you can never be sure what you might be getting.
Japan is a good place for cycling, and the last thing you want to do is get the cycling buzz after leaving your bike at home. (I recently got the xc race buzz again, but I'm riding an overweight bike because I left my racer at home.)

J. · Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 327

I ride a solid mama-chari type bike ( A Peugeot) that I bought here. I enjoyed riding it so much that I bought a road cross and had a great time breaking it in and taking a few trips into the countryside. BUT, guess where it is now? In my house and I'm still riding the Peugeot every day for shopping, transportation, going to the station etc.

Here was the problem-- too many cars on the road and too much pollution. If I took a nice ride and came back I had a headache from car exhaust. And the uneven sidewalks and roads were a bit rough on the thinner tires, too. I live in the countryside, so it must be worse in the big cities.

I say leave it home unless you are a really determined rider. When you get here, assess what you need and buy something cheap here for now. Then you can bring it later if you think you want to.

japancube · Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Australia

Bring it!! I do a lot of cycling here and having a nice road bike is really a nice thing here. Also, if you are tall, say over 190cm it will be hard to find a bike that fits you properly. I ran into that issue here personally.

Shipping is very expensive but you can bring it with you on the plane for about $100. Depending on your frame size you may be able to fit your bike (dissasembled) into hockey bag. Ive done this many times.

Good luck