I'm a Japanese cyclist. Recently, from August 31st to September 4th, I completed a 585km bicycle journey from Tokyo to Osaka. I used a Chinese roadster bicycle made by Shanghai Phoenix. I bought this bicycle because while browsing Chinese shopping sites, I became interested in seeing that this type of old-style bicycle was still being sold new, so I purchased it new in 2024. Since Japan is close to China, it was delivered by ship for 20,000 yen (135 dollars) shipping (though there seem to be cheaper methods for around 10,000 yen / 68 dollars). I discovered the joy of rod brake bicycles and decided to undertake this kind of long-distance journey.
In the past, I've traveled all around Japan on road bikes and mountain bikes modified for camping. However, this was my first long-distance trip on a bicycle that wasn't designed for sports. I had to ride completely differently from my previous trips and had to walk up steep hills. Also, during this season in Japan's current climate, maximum temperatures reach nearly 40°C, so some days were too hot to ride. I originally planned for 3 nights 4 days, but it ended up being 4 nights 5 days. After arriving in Osaka, I went to see the World Expo being held there.
I uploaded videos to YouTube. I also uploaded Japanese subtitle files to YouTube, so it should automatically translate well into English subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc-9VvBNcyM&list=PLp0EoiAYq7WnszSLdvMT0Ppdw1ELLOqCz
The videos have Chinese subtitles because buying this bicycle led to making many Chinese cycling enthusiast friends, and the videos are for them. I uploaded the videos to Chinese video sites as well as YouTube. I didn't know this until I bought this bicycle, but apparently China has a huge community of enthusiasts for not only sports bicycles but also this type of roadster bicycle.
This kind of overnight trip was really my first in a long time, but it was a wonderful journey.
by scura_vrc
1 Comment
Great stuff. Nice hat too!