My new job

Well if you were wondering why I haven't posted anything recently on 3speedtouringinjapan it's because I have been rather busy helping to set up a brand new bicycle shop in the center of Niigata City. I do not own the shop but had a lot of input into the design and layout as I'm the manager of the shop. I never thought I'd ever be managing a bicycle shop in Japan but I'm happy to be repairing & selling bicycles again in a country where most foreigners only teach English. I used to work in bicycles shops back in New Zealand & have enjoyed repairing bicycles since I was given a small bicycle repair book for my 8th birthday. At present there aren't any 3 speeds in the shop but there are a couple of older bicycles that have been restored. If anyone is wanting any parts from Japan just let me know. I also sell my hand made NZ / Australian style pies from outside the store every Wed, Sat & Sun so if you are ever in Niigata city come along to my shop which is on Nishibori Dori 4 Bancho. Pictured above a few photos of the store

A modern restoration

Many years ago before I discovered the joys of vintage bicycles I used to be involved in the MTB scene in New Zealand. My home town of Geraldine was the perfect location for MTBing as nearby there were several public reserves offering fantastic mountain biking and I gained permission to ride in the local Kakahu forest as well. Around that time I was also president of the South Canterbury Mountain Bike club and often traveled all over the South Island competing in MTB races. I owned several different brands of bicycles over the years such as Specialized , Scott, Diamond Back, Gary Fisher etc but one of the brands that I always wanted to buy was a Cannondale. But in the early 1990s Cannondale's were out of my price range. Just yesterday I was given a 1998 M400 rigid Cannondale which was hand made in the USA. The bike was originally a 21 speed but someone has upgraded it to a 24 speed with different shifters,brake levers & wheels. I spent this morning stripping the bike down & re building it and cleaning it up. because it's already been up graded I think I'll add some more Shimano XT components to it in the future. So finally after many years I now own a cannondale. Pictured above is a picture from the 1998 Cannondale leaflet showing the bike I have and a photo of the bike I've just restored.