The Flying Pigeon Project

Silk. That's right. Silk...or is it a Marukin?

I'm going to toss in some pics of a fine 26" roadster from Japan. One for the Marukin Bicycle works: A Silk. Well, you can't tell that from the headbadge, but that is part of the story...

 

Fender Ornaments

In past posts we have seen how many asian roadsters come equipped with ornaments festooning the front fender. It's basically a pre-requiste for any Indian roadster, although they tend to be simple affairs.

Score! All-Gum Tires

A couple of weeks back, I had a very pleasant package arrive from Japan. Thanks to the helpful guys at Kon's in Kyoto, and especially to Richard at Vintage Japanese Bicycles, I now have a beautiful set of IRC 26" X 1"3/8 all GUM tires.

I think these are going to look great on a certain black roadster. What do you think?

Domo arigoto indeed!!

 

HAO about that bicycle??

 

Frequent readers will remember past posts of vintage Fuji Brake-Rod roadsters. These are fantastic, is very heavily constructed bikes from one of the world's oldest and most successful bike companies. Dearly sought after machines indeed.

Now a funny thing happened at Panjiayuan a few months back. A gentleman brought an excellent example, maybe the best example seen yet,  of a Fuji roadster....or was it? In the below pictures you can see quite clearly on the head badge and the fender logo, that although the Fuji trademark silhouette of Mt. Fujiyama is co-opted, It instead bears the letter "HAO" and not Fuji. 

Hao, incidentally, means "Good" in Chinese, although the bike is clearly Japanese.  So is it a copy?

Vintage Japanese Bicycles: Zebra Cycle

After my posting about the Magnet restoration, I was contacted by Mr.Yuichi Ishikawa, a former automotive magazine editor, Ishikawa-San took up bicycling as a restorative pastime in the aftermath of a small stroke. In the short time he has been collecting bikes he has amassed an eclectic array of classics.  But perhaps the most interesting is his 1950's NOS Zebra-Cycle. Yes NOS. Much of the bike is still wrapped in the original paper!