Buying a bicycle

Incidentals

• a way to store it more 'narrowly'
• front & back lights
• lock
• cover

Bewildering array of things to think about for someone who (well, my parents) just bought supermarket bikes.

Starting prices for a 'decent' bike seem to be around 70 000 yen, which is mildly insane to me.

Not an obvious source of quality reviews, lots of people on reddit/small blogs. Probably due to the nature of actually reviewing a bike taking time, those that exist don't have great coverage of all options.

Insurance

Is mandatory in Tokyo, you can get it at kobini or by paying for a yearly checkup for your bike and getting the red sticker.

PayPay seems to have the cheapest/easiest to apply for at 140yen a month.

Brakes

Usually you have cable brakes, can also get hydraulic which feel better and are mor consistent. Cables need to be replaced, but hydraulics need to be bled anuualy to avoid failing suddenly. Also heavier because of fluid.

Disc Brakes

For:

• Better performance in different weather conditions
• Less wear on rims
• Make removing wheel simpler

Against:

• Can be noisier if dirty
• Heavier
• Can overheat and warp

Rim Brakes

For:

• Generally silent
• Equal performance in dry conditions

Against:

• Can add to wear on rims over time
• Not great in wet weather/dirt

Frame

Aluminium is lighter, steel is more 'solid' but heavier. Carbon fiber is best but still very expensive, can get just carbon fiber forks for a kind of shock absorption.

However carbon forks need to be replaced if you're in an accident, as they can fail suddenly and you can't tell if they're damaged. Steel/aluminium has more obvious damage before failures happen.

Wheels

Thin and bald go fast, but thin makes for a bumpy ride and bald can be trickier in wet weather. Bumpiness can be mitigated with bigger wheels. Wheel weight makes a difference, especially weight toward the outer edge.

Drivetrain

Basically nothing in my price range (<100,000 yen) is good according to bike people. Since Tokyo is mostly flat, maybe n/1 would be enough and require less maintenance/have fewer points of failure.

Belt-drive bikes are also getting more popular, but can't find any of the well-reviewed ones in Japan. They're limited to n/1 but as mentioned above maybe not a huge problem.

Brands

• Shimano: a-stuff is all I can afford and they're all solid but not great. Tourney is the worst. CUES are newest & meant to last longer, but I saw more complaints about them online
• Microshift: apparently Advent/Acolyte is good value, previous OEM supplier. Cheaper stuff not so much.

Options

Cannondale

Quick 3 - 99,990

• Carbon front fork
• Built-in phone mount (maybe a downside as cases rare/expensive)
• Hydraulic discs front & back
• Includes wheel sensor
• 9/2 gears, Shimano Altus/Acera

Carbon fork might need to be replaced in a crash, ask what counts as a 'crash'. I have to carry it up/down a flight of stairs, does bumping into the stairs count?

Quick 4 - 88,000

• Hydraulic discs front & back
• Includes wheel sensor
• 9/1 gears, Microshift Advent

Quick 5 - 79,200

• Mechanical discs front & back
• Includes wheel sensor
• 7/2 gears, Shimano Tourney

Quick 6 - 71,500

• Rim brakes front & back
• 7/3 gears, Microshift M26L/Dual Pull Compact

Giant

Escape R Disc - 77,000

• Hydraulic discs back & front
• 8/3 gears, Shimano Tourney/Atlus

Escape R3 - 69,300

• Rim brakes front & back
• 8/3 gears, Shimano Tourney/Atlus

Trek

FX-1 Gen 4 - 79,900

• Mechanical discs front & back
• 8/2 Shimano Tourney/Acera

FX-2 Disc Gen 3 - 88,990

• Hydraulic discs front & back
• 8/1 Shimano Altus/Acera

FX-2 Gen 4 - 99,000

• Hydraulic discs front & back
• 9/1 Shimano CUES

Specialized

Sirrus X 2.0 - 88,000

• Hydraulic discs front & back
• 8/1 Microshift Acolyte