With this last fare increase, I’ve more or less decided to get a foldable bicycle for going to the gym, running errands, and general exercise/sightseeing. I’m curious if there’s anything I should be aware of, hidden costs like parking or annoyances like being bothered by the police that I should be aware of before placing my order.
7 comments
You should get a helmet. You will need to register your bicycle when you buy it, or soon after. Save your copy of the registration, in case you want to sell your bicycle in the future, or in case it gets impounded if you park it improperly. If you’re renting, you might need to get a sticker from your landlord, and similarly if you’re parking your bicycle in the company parking area, you might need to get a sticker from them. Don’t ride your bicycle holding an umbrella in one hand. Don’t ride your bicycle while texting, or while listening to music on your headphones.
If you don’t have a good use for a foldable bicycle, you might want to get a regular bicycle. There are typically bicycle parking spots that you can rent per month near whatever train station. That could be handy, depending on your situation.
Bicycles that get rained on infrequently tend to last longer, so if you have the option of covered bicycle parking, use that when you reasonably can.
Make sure you have personal liability insurance. This could be an add-on to your car insurance, you could buy it at the convenience store, or perhaps you could buy it online.
Beware of drivers.
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Bicycle parking can be kind of expensive near stations. Sometimes you have to look around and find the best price. Most of the parking closest to stations is priced really high.
Getting a bike for short to mid distances is a great way to get some extra exercise in. I started taking the bike instead of the train to get to the gym 2 years ago too.
Things to be aware of
* get a helmet (it’ll be mandatory to “make an effort” from April but apart from that, it’s really just safer)
* get a strong lock
* get bicycle insurance
* you’ll get it registered with the police when you buy it at the store. Keep the copy to unregister/sell it in the future
* if you buy it online, you can get it registered at any bike shop near you
* maintain your bike well and/or get it checked at the store
* either store it indoors or cover it
* drivers do not pay attention, so be really careful
* pedestrians do not pay attention, so be really careful
* people on mamacharis do not pay attention, so be really careful
You can’t park a bike just anywhere. It costs money to park. It can be pricey. My train station is 200 yen per day which is annoying, so I usually walk as I live pretty close. (the convenience of riding is lost because of the extra fee) It also needs to be registered to your name. If you buy a brand new bike they’ll do it for you.
Also infrastructure for bikes is usually woeful. Find back alley and lanes to get places because some of the roads are basically death traps.
Saying that, lots of people ride bikes and it’s a positive biking culture, at least you don’t have people throwing crushed tinnies at you and yelling “Get off the road ya mamil wanker” for….riding a bike to work.
I regret buying from a big box store. It’s 25 min away on foot (no bus) and maintenance takes forever. 5 weeks to replace a wheel. Wheel arrived in 2 weeks during pandemic then jiji put my bicycle at the back of the line again for another 3 weeks to install a damn front wheel.The local bicycle guy should’ve been my go-to. At least that’s where I’m going from now on for repairs.
Dunno if there are bicycle brands that aren’t designed to rip you off with replacement parts. Like give you a crap tire that wears down after 1 year then +3500円 or 5000 for firestone. Bought my Choice for 2.5万 then a new wheel was 2万 after a big pothole hidden by snow put a big dent in it that kept popping tubes afterwards.