Toei Bicycles
Lee Legrand
Has anyone had the luxury of riding a Toei bicycle? I am interested in anyone experience in riding these machines. I have searched the internet, this group, IBOB on what I can find which isnt much. They look like nice bicycles and by the looks of these bicycle, pretty expensive. I have also read Vintage Bicycle Quarterly on these bicycles and from what I can remember, shimmy was the a problem with these bicycles which could possible be remedied by using a needle bearing headset. So, if you have experience with these bicycle, it would be helpful if you could give your impression.
Thanks
Ronald Lau
Lee,
I know of two in SF area, both owners are very happy with them.
In terms of shimmy, I will not jump into any conclusion because each Toei is a custom, just say Toei has shimmy problem is not fair.
Give Hiroshi a call, he can answer all the questions you have.
Ron
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Matthew J
quarterly was not all that out of line for a custom. Yen dollar
exchange may be wreaking havoc on the cost of late.
dustinp
Berkeley. I've had no shimmy problems, but I always ride with a
handlebar bag (secured to the handlebars), and the bike has a needle
bearing headset. It rides well; I have no complaints and am very
pleased. Hiroshi at Jitensha does very nice work.
rcnute
and was having the shop build up. I forget what the guy paid for it
but it was stunningly low for the bike--it looked amazing.
Ryan
Jason Hartman
I own the actual test bike from BQ and can say without a doubt that it
is the best money I have ever spent on a bicycle.
It rides like a dream and I have not been able to get it to shimmy,
with or without a front load.
Jay Hartman
Andrew Fatseas
Toei. What a bike.
The only time I've had shimmy was when rear loading it. With a front
load it handles very well.
Cost wise they are a bargain compared to most other custom frames.
You may have to wait a while though.
Cheers
Andrew
RayVarella
I've had one for a number of years, it rides beautifully.
It spins along like a nice road bike but is very comfortable, on rides of 3-4 or less hours I never stop and get off it.
I ride it a lot and whenever I ride it the thing that is always on my mind is how nicely it rides.
Last week I was on a fast downhill and noticed it was not feeling as stable as usual, turns out my well worn rear tire (Hetre) was failing at the sidewall, new tire installed and stability
resumed.
I would definitely buy another one.
Ray
On Sat Sep 10 15:56 , Lee Legrand krm...@gmail.com> sent:
rcnute
before it got built up--very sorry to hear about the owner's mishap!
It looks like he cut no corners.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toei-Randonneur-Road-Bicycle-/330613198208?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item4cfa150d80
Ryan
On Sep 11, 10:07 am, RayVarella <rayvare...@speakeasy.net> wrote:
> I've had one for a number of years, it rides beautifully.
> It spins along like a nice road bike but is very comfortable, on rides of 3-4 or less hours I never stop and get off it.
> I ride it a lot and whenever I ride it the thing that is always on my mind is how nicely it rides.
>
> Last week I was on a fast downhill and noticed it was not feeling as stable as usual, turns out my well worn rear tire (Hetre) was failing at the sidewall, new tire installed and stability
> resumed.
>
> I would definitely buy another one.
>
> Ray
Matthew J
but it sure reads as though it would be an excellent ride out of the
gate. I managed to chip the paint on my MAP DT during the build up as
well. Guess that's why there are still so many excellent bike shops
around! I brought mine to LBS shortly thereafter.
Just cannot offer a bike on eBay without at least one standover
question. Maybe I have become jaded, but seems to me someone thinking
about dropping 6 bills on a bike ought to be able to figure sizing
from the tube length detail the seller provides in the original
description. Given the TT is on the shorter side for a 58 DT, someone
relying on standover for fitting may not appreciate the bike is either
meant for a long legged, shorter torso person or someone wanting to
ride more upright.
On Sep 15, 9:48 pm, rcnute <rcn...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Speaking of which, it looks like this is the very same bike I saw
> before it got built up--very sorry to hear about the owner's mishap!
> It looks like he cut no corners.
>
> Ryan
>
> On Sep 11, 10:07 am, RayVarella <rayvare...@speakeasy.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I've had one for a number of years, it rides beautifully.
> > It spins along like a nice road bike but is very comfortable, on rides of 3-4 or less hours I never stop and get off it.
> > I ride it a lot and whenever I ride it the thing that is always on my mind is how nicely it rides.
>
> > Last week I was on a fast downhill and noticed it was not feeling as stable as usual, turns out my well worn rear tire (Hetre) was failing at the sidewall, new tire installed and stability
> > resumed.
>
> > I would definitely buy another one.
>
> > Ray
> > On Sat Sep 10 15:56 , Lee Legrand krm2...@gmail.com> sent:
>
> > >Good evening everyone
>
> > >Has anyone had the luxury of riding a Toei bicycle? I am interested in anyone experience in riding these machines. I have searched the internet, this group, IBOB on what I can find
>
> > which isnt much. They look like nice bicycles and by the looks of these bicycle, pretty expensive. I have also read Vintage Bicycle Quarterly on these bicycles and from what I can
> > remember, shimmy was the a problem with these bicycles which could possible be remedied by using a needle bearing headset. So, if you have experience with these bicycle, it would be
> > helpful if you could give your impression.
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
Matthew J
John F
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36397392@N06/sets/72157616106935937/
That was the BQ bike. I ordered another in my size:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36397392@N06/sets/72157627201831409/
Like Jay, I think they are wonderful bikes. I was unable to get either
bike to shimmy, and neither has a needle-bearing headset. My opinion
is that shimmy has to do a lot with riding style, within limits, of
course. Some bikes will apparently shimmy no matter what you do--I've
never run into one of those though. Other bikes might have a mild
tendency to shimmy, but only for certain riders. The BQ Toei shimmied
for Jan, but I never had a problem even up to 50 mph+. I habitually
rest my hands very lightly on the handlebars, perhaps that has
something to do with it?
I will be brutally honest though. The first Toei was second hand, so I
accepted it as is. The second Toei was ordered from Jitensha, and
although it is a nice bike it is not at all what I ordered or expected
in terms of paint, chrome (note that the fork crown and ends were
supposed to be chromed), or even the stem clamp size. My previous
experience with a builder (Rene Herse) was such that I left the major
decisions up to Mike, and he called me if he had any questions. This
is not the case with Jitensha. I have no doubt that if you take a less
laissez faire attitude you'll get exactly what you want.
The Herse is clearly the superior bike, but it was double the cost of
the Toei and took three times as long to build. I should note,
however, that my bike was among the first few built by Herse and had a
number of unique features, so I believe they're building them a lot
quicker now.
Steve Palincsar
>
> That was the BQ bike. I ordered another in my size:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/36397392@N06/sets/72157627201831409/
>
> Like Jay, I think they are wonderful bikes. I was unable to get either
> bike to shimmy, and neither has a needle-bearing headset. My opinion
> is that shimmy has to do a lot with riding style, within limits, of
> course. Some bikes will apparently shimmy no matter what you do--I've
> never run into one of those though. Other bikes might have a mild
> tendency to shimmy, but only for certain riders. The BQ Toei shimmied
> for Jan, but I never had a problem even up to 50 mph+. I habitually
> rest my hands very lightly on the handlebars, perhaps that has
> something to do with it?
>
> I will be brutally honest though. The first Toei was second hand, so I
> accepted it as is. The second Toei was ordered from Jitensha, and
> although it is a nice bike it is not at all what I ordered or expected
> in terms of paint, chrome (note that the fork crown and ends were
> supposed to be chromed), or even the stem clamp size. My previous
> experience with a builder (Rene Herse) was such that I left the major
> decisions up to Mike, and he called me if he had any questions. This
> is not the case with Jitensha. I have no doubt that if you take a less
> laissez faire attitude you'll get exactly what you want.
That's a very nice bike!