Rinko

[Janita Locklin]

Thegood news first: The front mudguard is not at all a problem. Any standard one will do, as does not have to be removed at all. The fork, the wheel and any potential mudguard go into the package in one part.

The blog post you reference that dismisses the usefulness of rinko for travel within the U.S. should not be taken seriously. No surprise there, given that the shop is in the business of installing frame couplers. What would ;you expect them to say?

If you are planning to use trains or even just have them as a bailout option during your cycling trip in Japan it would be a great idea to learn about the Rinko Bag system and the rules around taking bikes on trains & transit in Japan.

TLDR: You will need a rinko bag to cover your bike almost everywhere when you take it on transit. They are a small investment that allows you to use public transit and can be easily gotten in most major cities or on Amazon.co.jp. We will have links below to buy them and send to your first hotel!

I would recommend buying your Rinko Bag in advance if you plan to roll quickly and hastle free. The best way to do so is simply order one online and have it shipped to your first hotel you are visiting.

Because of this, if you do not secure things correctly and make sure rims, disc breaks, gears are not rubbing, you can arrive at your destination with a bunch of new dings and scratches. Be really careful of this, and if you are worried about it, consider traveling with some small towels or foam you can place around these parts to avoid this.

Preferably black non-transparent because you will get some skeptical looks from the train staff with the clear stuff. But in short, you can McGyver your way to a Rinko Bag with some tape & about 3-4 trash bags.

The location meant that we were quickly out of the down, able to ride along a beautiful river and then straight into the mountain roads. There were long stretches which we had to ourselves. And the beautiful thing about Japan is that the road surfaces are all immaculately well maintained, even for those roads that barely see any road traffic. So for those who enjoy zipping downhill at high speed (like me), it was really a treat.

Robert (our guide and company co-founder) knows the area very well. He was able to choose a route that matched our fitness levels and dynamically adjust it when we came across some random roadworks. Highly recommended.

I'm not a cyclist, but I've been living in Japan for a few years and love any opportunity to explore the countryside and spend time away from the cities. I joined a day tour with some friends, and I'm glad I did.

Firstly, everything was taken care of - the team clearly knows everything that goes into well-planned outing, and every detail, from the equipment to communication and even meals was thoughtfully planned and managed. Secondly, our route took us along some beautiful scenes with lots of fresh air along well-maintained roads. Even with pretty good Japanese, there's no way I could have planned as smooth and enjoyable an itinerary, let alone managed the logistics outfitting our group with reliable gear. Thanks to Bike Tours Japan for an experience to remember - I'll be recommending them to friends who visit Japan in the future.

Bike Tour Japan organized a Self-Guided adventure for me over 5 days and 4 nights. Toyokan was an great ryokan in Ashikaga. The route planning and self-titled, "Eugene's Adventure Map," was amazing! I felt completely secure cycling along with Bike Tour Japan one message away on What's App. They turned my first time in Japan to an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. From the food, riding, and support, Bike Tour Japan is a great company to assist with your cycling needs while in Japan. I vow to return for one of the scheduled Tours!

Rinko has come into the view of people here in the U.S. mostly through the efforts of the fine folks at Bicycle Quarterly. It is a method of packing your bike down as small as possible using as few specialized components as possible as quickly as possible. You do need to be able take the fork out of the frame. With a threaded headset you can use a rinko specific headset or one modified to be adjustable without a headset wrench. Other than that the rear fender (which you need to be able to split at the seat stay bridge. Not applicable on bikes without fenders.) it's all about taking everything apart and strapping it together in the correct manner. You would then shove the bike into a bag for ease of carrying or as required by your mode of transportation (say onto a train in Japan in order to be able to carry the bike on with you). All in all it's a pretty ingenious system. You make the smallest possible package out of your bike. There is a certain almost ritualistic methodology to disassembling and reassembling your bike. It's rather beautiful.

The downside to the rinko system is that there isn't really much call for it in the states. There isn't really any situation that I could think of that it would be advantageous to pack your bike up like this vs. another method. Traveling by train in the U.S. usually involves rolling your bike on in one piece (most commuter transit systems) or packing the bike into a very large box (on Amtrak you only need to remove your pedals, drop the saddle, and turn the handlebars, the boxes are that big). Ferries will inevitably let you roll your bike on. Most folks who drive places with their bikes have bike racks. And packing your bike up rinko style will not get you below the oversized baggage limit on an airplane. The frame itself is dimensionally just too large. You would need to make the frame smaller in order to pack it small enough to not incur oversized baggage fees.

Here's where couplers come in. With couplers installed you can break your frame in half, remove most of the parts, and stuff everything into a case that measures 26"x10"x10". This is the maximum size something can be and still be considered normal sized luggage. With oversized baggage fees these days you can save yourself up to $300 per round trip. That's not insignificant, the added cost of the couplers and accessories can pay for themselves within three or four flights.

Not that there aren't some downsides to the coupler system. It does add a little weight. About 6oz. per coupler. The cost to get into the game is pretty steep (around $1300 for the coupler install and all the fixins). There is a bit of time on each end to break down and put the bike back together (around 30-45 min. on each side). And the packing process can be a bit daunting at first, but once you figure it out you're all good.

So it all comes down to what you want to do with your bike when it's broken down. If you are just looking to make it smaller, go rinko. Your bike will take up a lot less space. If you're planning on doing a lot of train travel in Japan, go rinko. If you are planning on going to Japan via airplane (or anywhere else for that matter), get couplers.

It kicks ass so far, very much a bassy pair of iems with good vocal clarity. It suits my personal tastes very well. The Rinkos have done well with Hip Hop, Rap, Eurobeat, Pop, Jrock/Jpop, and Indie/alternative rock. They are not hard to drive and sounds good on really every dac/amp stack and combo I have from solid state to tube hybrid.

The render tips hifigo made for them are very comfy and besides the minor note of slight delamination between the foam and silicone that can happen which fixes itself when reinserted or smoothed out, i really love them. They are a good balance of pliable enough to be easy to shape but firm enough to seal well and are definitely softer then the symbio hybrid tips they mimic conceptually. The iems body casings are well shaped and fit my ears very well and the matte finish has made me not worry much about them.

The Rinkos have a 3D-printed resin body smoky in color and a matte black aluminum face plate. This makes for a stealthy and lightweight IEM weighing roughly 11g. For reference, the Moondrop starfields are nearly twice the weight at 22g. I found the shape to fit well in my ear and when in use there was little resistance or pulling on my ear canal from the IEM. I used them for day-long listening sessions in a variety of environments. When properly sealed, the sound was excellent, isolating, and offered a wear-free experience.

The Render Eartips are a combo Silicon/Foam tip that adds a lot of bass to the IEMs. I did my initial listening with the stock cable and tips and found the sound to be very warm. These IEMs are probably one of the warmest sounding that I have personally heard. The bass and sub-bass can be very moving. I found the mids and highs to be relaxed but not forgotten. Songs that are mastered poorly with bass can get dirty, but well-mastered music with bass is magical.

I swapped the ear tips later testing a variety of others that I had on hand. Including some Dekoni foam tips. The foams matched very similarly to the Renders in sound performance. Using other silicon tips took some of the bass out of the sound but still left a V-shaped IEM. I find the Render or foam tips to be best for overall listening.

I think that this IEM can become a major player in the market. Overall, the Rinko IEMs offer a solid, bass-heavy, V-shaped sound that also maintains good imaging. If you like electric and dance or enjoy bass these IEMs should be a must-buy! They hold their value and are like nothing else in this price range.

The Rinko is a very comfortable IEM to wear. The render tips are my favorite tips out of all my IEMs so far. I have been wearing the rinkos for several hours on and off, and my ears do not get fatigued. I need to buy more of these tips for my other IEMs. I did run into the delamniation issue on the tips.

Overall, the SeeAudio Rinko is a great all-around IEM. It is well-tuned, comfortable, and has excellent sound quality. It is a great choice for anyone looking for a high-quality IEM at a reasonable price.

Just wanted to give my quick thoughts after a day of listening. I want to start by saying, holy BASS batman. These things kick like a mule and dig down deep. Mids are clear and smooth. Vocals, both male and female, are solid. Highs are smooth as well and never get grating. Imaging is good. There is some 3Dness to the sound. I would say overall the IEM has a warm sound signature. A small gripe with the sound is that it comes across to my ears as needing a little more weight in the instruments/notes which makes it come across just a little flat at times. Comfort is good on these. With the Render tips (foam/silicone hybrid) they stay in the ears and they provide a good seal. The IEM itself is comfortable by not being very heavy and has a good shape. I do wish there was some color to the IEM instead of just plain black to liven thing up a bit. The included extras are nice to have especially at this price point. I need to get some more time with them, but so far I would say they are a great offering and have a sound that is worth more than its $100 price tag.

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