Classic Japanese Bicycles

By James Hickman, former USA Cycling Expert-level coach and Masters-category racer

Special thanks to abbasdeid & eBay.com for the images and information contained in this article.

A Hand-Built Keirin Frame from Yoshiaki Nagasawa

The Nagasawa bicycle Special NJS is this week’s Japanese Bicycle of the Week, and it earns the title. Yoshiaki Nagasawa hand-built this steel track frame, and Joe Bell restored it to a standard that matches the original craftsmanship. The result is a Keirin track bike where every component reflects the discipline of Japanese track racing.

Nagasawa learned his trade in Italy, first working alongside mechanics in Milan and then spending four years as an apprentice to Ugo De Rosa. He returned to Japan in 1976 and opened Nagasawa Racing Cycle in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture. Track champion Koichi Nakano rode Nagasawa frames to ten world titles, which cemented the builder’s reputation among Keirin riders.

Each frame he built carried a unique touch, which is why a Nagasawa track bike is valued as an individual piece of work rather than a production model. Nagasawa keeps building frames to this day and is still invited to races as a mechanic.

The NJS Certification: A Symbol of Quality

The NJS stamp is what separates a genuine Keirin machine from an ordinary track bike. In Japanese Keirin racing, NJS certification is the gold standard, awarded only to components and frames that meet strict design and construction requirements. This Nagasawa Special holds that certification, which tells you it was built for reliability under race conditions, not just for appearance. It confirms that the hubs, crankset, bars, and stem meet the standards Keirin racing demands.

Joe Bell’s Sky Blue Restoration

In the early 2000s, master painter Joe Bell restored the frame, approaching the work with the same dedication and eye for detail that Nagasawa brought to building it. He prepped and sanded the steel to a flawless base, then applied his signature sky blue in layers and finished it with sharp orange accents. The color combination honors the bike’s Keirin heritage while giving it a clean, fresh finish.

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Wheels and Hubs: Where Precision Meets Power

The wheels start with NJS Suntour Superbe Pro hubs, known for smooth, reliable performance and efficient power transfer. Shimano Dura-Ace spindles pair with them and add the strength and durability Shimano built its reputation on. A Nagasawa bicycle relies on this combination to stay stable under hard efforts. Smooth hubs matter even more on a fixed-gear bike, where the drivetrain is always engaged and there is no coasting to hide friction.

Polished H+Son TB-14 rims add vintage elegance while staying stiff and responsive. DT Swiss stainless steel spokes keep the wheel true with consistent tension. When the tires wear down, shop current tire options here so the wheelset keeps performing as it was built to.

The Power Behind the Pedal Stroke

The NJS Suntour Superbe Pro 167.5mm crankset delivers smooth, consistent power with every rotation, and the slightly shorter crank length gives a quicker, more responsive feel. It spins on a Sugino 75 bottom bracket, so every ounce of effort translates to speed. On a fixed-gear track bike, the crankset, chainring, and chain form one direct link between rider and rear wheel, so each part needs to be precise.

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A 49-tooth chainring balances speed and cadence, letting you accelerate quickly without losing control. The NJS Izumi Gold chain completes the drivetrain. It is strong, durable, and well suited to fixed-gear riding, and keeping it well lubricated preserves that smooth, direct connection.

Cockpit and Control

NJS Nitto Draft stainless steel track handlebars give this bike its aggressive, forward-leaning position. Their shape supports sprinting and cornering, and the stainless construction adds durability. An NJS Nitto track stem anchors the bars, keeping steering direct and precise, while an NJS Hatta Swan Super Deluxe headset handles the front end.

Saddle and Seatpost

A black dimpled-leather Selle San Marco Laser saddle provides grip and support. The polished NJS Nitto Jaguar seatpost keeps it locked in place and completes the clean look. Together they balance comfort with function.

Is the Nagasawa Special Worth Owning?

The Nagasawa Special NJS combines a respected builder, a Keirin-certified parts list, and a restoration by Joe Bell. Every component was chosen with care, from the Superbe Pro crankset to the Nitto Draft bars. Its NJS certification sets it apart as an elite machine, and for collectors of Japanese track bikes, it stands as a vintage icon of Keirin craftsmanship.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Nagasawa Bicycle Special NJS

Who built the Nagasawa Special NJS?
Yoshiaki Nagasawa hand-built the steel frame. He trained under Ugo De Rosa in Italy before opening his own shop in Osaka Prefecture in 1976.

What does NJS certification mean?
NJS is the Japanese Keirin racing standard. Frames and components carrying it meet strict design and construction requirements.

Who restored this Nagasawa bicycle?
Master painter Joe Bell restored it in the early 2000s, finishing it in sky blue with orange accents.

What crankset does the Nagasawa Special use?
It uses an NJS Suntour Superbe Pro 167.5mm crankset with a 49-tooth chainring.

Is the Nagasawa Special a fixed-gear bike?
Yes. Its drivetrain is a fixed-gear setup, typical of Keirin track bikes.

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Brand History Nagasawa: Builder Profile and History

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By James Hickman, former USA Cycling Expert-level coach and Masters-category racer

SPECIAL THANKS TO 3RENSHO A PHOTO BLOG FOR SOME OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE.

This week’s “Japanese Bicycle of the Week” is a 3Rensho Katana, and it is the kind of bike that stops the conversation in a shop. I have stripped and rebuilt a lot of Japanese steel over the years, and my first instinct with almost any old frame is to take it apart. Not this one. It sat untouched for years, picked up the dust and the dull film that comes with long storage, and came through with its paint, decals and original parts intact. Every mark on it is part of its history now.

Who Built the Katana

3Rensho was the work of Yoshi Konno, who opened the CYCLONE shop in Chiba around 1974, a year after helping his brother Hitoshi establish Cherubim in Tokyo. The name “San Rensho” refers to a keirin rider taking heats, semi-final and final on three straight days — a rare enough feat that it made a good name for a frame. Konno taught himself the craft by unbrazing Cinelli frames that had come into Japan around the era of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, then went on to design his own lugs, bottom bracket shells, fork crowns and dropouts.

His building career ended in 1995 after a catastrophic crash that left him paralyzed and killed five people. The shop closed shortly after. That is the blunt reason these frames behave the way they do in the market: the supply is fixed, and nothing new is ever going to be added to it. If a genuine 3Rensho turns up in your size at a price you can stand, buy it.

What Actually Makes It a Katana

The Katana sat near the top of the 3Rensho range, and the frame details show it. The clearest tell is the dropouts. 3Rensho’s cast Super Ends were fitted to the premium models — the Katana and the later NJS track frames — and were not used on the Super Record Export road frames imported to the United States. If a seller tells you otherwise, they are quoting the wrong catalog page. Look for the cast, shaped ends rather than the stamped Shimano or Tange ends you find on the mid-range bikes.

Beyond the dropouts, look at the lug work and the pantographing. Konno cut his own lugs, and on the higher models the filing is noticeably cleaner and the shorelines crisper. Panto graphed stems, seat posts and chainrings were shop-level details, not production items, and they are always the first things to disappear when a bike gets parted out or “upgraded.” Their presence on this bike is a large part of what makes it worth documenting.

Dating It: The Serial Number Won’t Help

The number stamped into the bottom bracket shell does not decode to a year. 3Rensho never ran a published, sequential system the way the large Japanese factories did, and the shop built in small batches with plenty of one-off work mixed in. Anyone offering you a confident year from the serial alone is guessing.

What you date instead is the build. The components on this bike put it in the mid-to-late 1980s, and the Sante group narrows it further. Sante reached the market in 1986, and the cranks on this bike show characteristics closer to prototype pieces than production parts, which suggests it was assembled around 1987. That fits the story that came with it: this was a commissioned bike built for an exhibition, not a customer order meant for the road.

Shimano Sante: The 1986 Group Built to Be Looked At

Sante is the unusual part of this build. Shimano’s stated goal with it was aesthetic: a group designed to appeal to riders who cared how a bike looked, rather than one aimed squarely at professional racers. That was a real departure at a time when everything above 105 was justified by race performance. The finish, the shaping and the overall presentation were the selling points.

It did not last long in the catalog, which is exactly why it turns up so rarely today and why collectors chase it now. The cranks on this bike are in remarkable condition, with none of the pitting or crank-arm wear you normally see on 40-year-old aluminum. Pairing a design-led group with a Katana frame makes sense for an exhibition build — the whole bike was assembled to be seen.

Why This One Stays Original

I restore bikes for a living, and I will still say it: repainting this frame would destroy most of its value. Original 3Rensho paint and decals cannot be convincingly reproduced, and the collector market has moved firmly toward preservation. If you own something like this, keep the work narrow. Clean it, but do not polish through the decals. Service the bearings, replace cables and chain if you intend to ride it. Store it indoors, away from sunlight, with the tires off the ground. Photograph the serial number and every decal now, while they are still legible. Everything else can wait — and most of it should.

Frequently Asked Questions About the 3Rensho Katana

What year is a 3Rensho Katana?

There is no way to date one from the serial number, because 3Rensho did not use a decodable sequence. Dating comes from the components and frame details. A Katana fitted with Shimano Sante is 1986 or later, and this example likely dates to around 1987.

How do I tell a Katana from other 3Rensho models?

Start at the dropouts. The Katana received 3Rensho’s cast Super Ends, which the Super Record Export road frames sold in the U.S. did not get. Cleaner lug filing and pantographed components are supporting evidence.

What is Shimano Sante?

A short-lived Shimano group introduced in 1986 and designed around appearance rather than pure race performance. It was aimed at a broader range of riders than the pro-level groups, stayed in the catalog only briefly, and is collected today largely for its looks.

Is a 3Rensho Katana a good investment?

Supply is permanently fixed, since the shop closed in the 1990s and no new frames will be built. Original, unrestored examples with their pantographed parts intact are the configuration collectors pay for. Repainted or parted-out bikes are worth considerably less.

Should I restore an original 3Rensho?

No, if the paint and decals are intact. Preservation retains far more value than a repaint. Limit the work to cleaning, bearing service and consumables.

Can I still ride a bike like this?

Mechanically, yes — the bearings, cables and chain are all serviceable. But period tubulars of this age are display items, not riding tires, and every mile adds wear to irreplaceable components. Most owners keep bikes at this level off the road.

Related Reading

Bike of the Week 3Rensho Super Record Export Aerodynamics: Konno’s 1980s Original

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Brand Profile 3Rensho: The Complete Brand History

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By James Hickman, former USA Cycling Expert-level coach and Masters-category racer
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A Half-Century of Frame Building in Machida

Cherubim isn’t a bike brand in the way most riders think of one. It’s a small workshop in Machida City, Tokyo, where Shinichi Konno and a handful of staff braze steel frames by hand, largely to individual order. The shop’s roots trace back to 1965, when founder Hitoshi Konno built a frame that helped set a Japanese national record — 6th place in the 1000m time trial at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, an early proof point that Cherubim was a serious track builder, not just a custom-frame novelty shop.

What’s Under the Silver Paint

A lot of that cost goes into details most factory-built frames skip entirely. Cherubim machines its own dropouts and sleeve work in-house, rather than buying stock parts off the shelf, so the small connection points on the frame are treated with the same attention as the main tubes. The shop’s move into mixing its own paint follows the same logic — a finish like Silver Flyer isn’t a catalog color option, it’s part of a build process the workshop controls start to finish. As with all Cherubim builds, geometry and tubing are matched to the individual rider, so a “Silver Flyer” isn’t a single fixed spec — it’s a paint and build designation within a frame built to your numbers.

What’s Under the Silver Paint

Cherubim’s Track frame line is built from steel tubing and paired with a 1-inch chromoly bent fork. Base pricing for the Triple Crown track frameset runs ¥330,000 including VAT, though final cost depends on tube choice, lug work, and paint specification — Cherubim publishes a detailed spec sheet for buyers who want to see exactly what they’re paying for at each tier. As with all Cherubim builds, geometry and tubing are matched to the individual rider, so a “Silver Flyer” isn’t a single fixed spec — it’s a paint and build designation within a frame built to your numbers.

Cherubim’s Track Pedigree Beyond the Olympics

The 1968 Olympic result wasn’t a one-off. Track racing has stayed part of Cherubim’s identity for decades since, and the shop’s Track lineup — including the Triple Crown frameset the Silver Flyer belongs to — reflects lessons carried over from building for velodrome racing rather than road use. Stiffness under hard sprint efforts, precise rear-triangle geometry for fixed-gear handling, and a fork built to hold its line at speed are all things a shop with track-racing roots tends to get right by default, rather than as an afterthought bolted onto a road platform.

Riding a Cherubim Track Frame

Steel track frames built this way tend to share a family trait: a stiff front triangle for sprint efforts, paired with just enough compliance in the rear to keep the ride from feeling punishing over a long session on boards or concrete. Because Cherubim builds to the rider rather than to a size chart, the handling characteristics — quick or stable, low or upright — are a conversation with the builder rather than a spec you pick off a menu.

That’s a different experience than most riders are used to coming from a road frame. A dedicated track bike has no brakes, no freewheel, and a much tighter relationship between rider input and what the bike does — there’s no coasting to mask a geometry mismatch. On a custom-fit frame like the Silver Flyer, that directness is the point: every angle is chosen for how you actually ride, not for how a stock frame accommodates an average rider.

How to Order a Cherubim

Cherubim sells direct from Japan — in person, by email, or by video call — and also works through distributors in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Canada. Buyers outside those regions order directly with the Machida workshop. Communication is available in Japanese and English, and international buyers can pay via PayPal, while domestic customers can use bank transfer, PayPay, or major credit cards.

Is the Silver Flyer Worth It?

A Cherubim isn’t a bike you buy for the badge. It’s a bike you buy because you want a track frame brazed by a shop with a 1968 Olympic pedigree, built to your exact riding position, and finished in a paint the shop mixes itself. That’s a different value proposition than a production track frame — slower, more expensive, and more personal. For riders who want a frame that fits like nothing off a rack, it’s hard to find a more credible Japanese track builder.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Cherubim Silver Flyer Track Bike

What tubing does the Cherubim Silver Flyer use?
It’s built from steel tubing as part of Cherubim’s Track frame line, with final tube selection matched to the rider and build spec.

How much does a Cherubim track frame cost?
The Triple Crown track frameset starts at ¥330,000 including VAT, with final price depending on paint and craftsmanship level.

Can I order a Cherubim outside Japan?
Yes. Cherubim ships direct to countries without a distributor, and works through distributors in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Canada.

Who builds Cherubim frames today?
Shinichi Konno, son of founder Hitoshi Konno, leads the Machida workshop, continuing the shop’s custom steel philosophy.

Related Reading

Bicycle of the Week 3Rensho Super Record: A Japanese Racing Icon

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Bicycle of the Week Maruishi Emperor: Japan’s Forgotten Flagship

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