I’m trying to buy a used bike for school and it’s unbelievably hard to find anything that isn’t a mamachari. I have been to three different stores (le cyc, core factory, buy chari in akihabara) and found nothing. Buy chari did have one road bike for 5,500 yen but it was too small. I’m 1.8 meters tall but my issue so far hasn’t even been that the bikes are too small, it’s that I can’t find any.
This is so frustrating and I don’t understand where men are buying used bikes from. I rarely see men on mamachari so clearly they’re getting them from somewhere. Craigslist has almost nothing. I just want a cheap bike to use to get to school. In the US you can find literally hundreds for sale on Craigslist in any college town, regardless of the size, so why is it so difficult to find one in Tokyo? The sayonara sales group has nothing either.
I’m also considering getting an electric scooter, there’s one for sale on Amazon for 38,000 yen but I have no idea if it meets the bizarre and confusing new requirements for road use. Apparently they need to have flashing green lights (???) when driving at top speed but the shared electric scooters I’ve seen around Tokyo don’t have them and all have license plates so they apparently met the requirements. This is all so unnecessarily complicated and confusing, even my Japanese friends have no idea.
17 comments
some useful answers in this recent thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/13em3az/where_can_you_get_a_decent_basic_mountain_bike/
also ‘silver jinzai center’ will have ~monthly bike sales from stuff that’s been removed from unpaid parking lots/unclaimed bikes etc. sometimes you can get some really good stuff there.
check here for your location: https://zsjc.or.jp/center/anatano_list?pref=13
Have you searched in Tokyo sayonara sales on Facebook?
Hello don’t be in a hurry and take your time.
If you are okay to travel in Kawasaki area, you can go to Buychari Kawasaki Shinmaruko.
Few weeks back, I bought a road bike with a reasonable price and perfect for my size (178cm) 55.
There are a lot of choices.
Other choices are:
– Look in facebook marketplace, I saw a lot of crossbikes, mtb posted
– Join expat buy and sell facebook groups like Tokyo Sayonara Sales. If you are patient, there are a lot of bicycle postings from foreigners who are moving or leaving Japan.
– Yahoo auctions (bikes are cheap but they will kill you on shipping, I once won a bid for mamachari but shipping alone is 17k) . i would not recommend
And one last thing, if you would like to find a quality roadbike it would cost you around 40k yen at least based on my experience. So think about budget as well, if budget is less then settle with crossbikes or mamachari
what is your budget?
I bought a 2016 giant on rakuten used bike for around 50k and that was a bargain.
If you’re looking for a road bike with drop bars and brifters for cheap, you’re not going to find any. Maybe settle for what’s called a cross bike — basically a mountain bike with a rigid fork, 700C skinny street tires and and flat handlebars. Those are cheap and easy to find.
I’m selling mine but I’m 163cm.
I’ve seen many bicycles in Craigslist Japan, so give it a try. There’s also Facebook Marketplace, Yahoo Auctions and Mercari.
I know someone who got an excellent deal in Yahoo Auctions.
A brand new electric bicycle for 38,000 is suspiciously cheap, I would avoid that.
バイチャリ, サイクリー, Off-Mall and サイクルパラダイス are major places where you can find used road bikes. You can also try ジモティー.
I would avoid any electric scooters.
I’m not sure of your size or budget but Cycle Paradise is a big used bike warehouse. You can buy online and they’ll deliver the bike to you.
Decathlon has same models and sizes in all countries it seems, e.g.:
[https://www.decathlon.co.jp/products/rc-120-disc-cn?_pos=1&_fid=daa9dcdc8&_ss=c&variant=39603291750480](https://www.decathlon.co.jp/products/rc-120-disc-cn?_pos=1&_fid=daa9dcdc8&_ss=c&variant=39603291750480)
Off, they don’t sell the cheapest of the cheap, and they have their markup, and their bikes are not the lightest.
So, maybe, off to [https://www.giant.co.jp/giant24/bike_select.php?c_code=CA01&f_code=FD03&s_code=SR11](https://www.giant.co.jp/giant24/bike_select.php?c_code=CA01&f_code=FD03&s_code=SR11) to decide what model and then mercari or similar to actually buy one?
I felt your pain, so I bought a frame and constructed a bike for myself. Came out at 80K and it’s beautiful. Unfortunately you’re not gonna find a good one for your budget, you’ll find one that looks that part but won’t play the part. If you go up to 50 you can find a second hand Fuji. Check Jimoty as well
Uhm first of all, nobody uses craigslist in Japan.
Even if every single foreigner used it, it would still be a very small percentage of the population, and since body foreigners aren’t English speakers, that isn’t likely.
Unless you specifically want to deal with English speaking westerners, I would just forget about the resistance if craigslist and look elsewhere, like jimoti, merucari, etc. -there are plenty of used bikes if all kinds for sale. For example, I bought an aluminum frame Giant brand cross bike for about half price that was in like new condition and had the proper paperwork.
And if you are buying used make sure you get the paperwork, is it’s required. The police randomly stop people to check their bike registration.
I would also forget about “in the US…” this is a different country, with totally different parameters – that kind of thinking will only frustrate you long term. (I should know, I studied in the US and for a while kept thinking “but in Japan..
.”)
You can certainly find a lot of bikes that aren’t mamachari (as in you can find lots of bikes without child seats), but the bikes trust are most popular are “utility bikes” – those steel bikes with baskets, kick stand, etc, that are suitable for every day commuting.
“Sports bikes” are much less common, and only thought by those who have cycling as a hobby. And people who are buying bikes as a hobby are willing to spend money on it.
If you are really low in cash, the cheapest place to get a bike if the government shops where they sell the ones they “stole” from people illegally parked.
Treasure factory, hardoff, yahoo auctions if you want to go online
It’s Tokyo – if you can’t find something popular, it’s your fault.
Not going to have a fun time finding a 56-58cm frame bike here. Especially not for cheap. What is your budget?
OP, your first priority should be that the bike is useful to you.
What does the bicycle parking look like both at home and school? If these are regular bike racks and 100-yen parking common in Japan, then all you need are wheels/rims that you’re willing to sacrifice. If it needs to stand on it’s own, budget for a better kick stand, as single leg won’t cut it when it gets windy.
Next is reliability. You can get a beginner road bike from China with aluminium frame and some DIY sweat, but you’ll most likely have to replace tyres, tubes and rim tape. Budget for that. And you’ll need basic tools, lights, pump and an integrated lock.
Where mamachari bikes shine is that they have all of the above from get go.
Size/comfort and basic features, like gears if you live in the hills only come after.
P.S.
The cheapest Le Cyc has which comes in sizes is probably this
[https://cyclespot.jp/store/ProductDetail.aspx?pcd=0444202243054&ccd=F1000562&wkcd=F1000510](https://cyclespot.jp/store/ProductDetail.aspx?pcd=0444202243054&ccd=F1000562&wkcd=F1000510)
50,000 yen + accessories
donki has cheap 6-speed bicycles
Just accept the chari life brother
OP some commentators already posted jimty which is site for giveaway second handed goods.
If you think you are good, go to wards recycling center like minato or meguro but then again those second handed bicycles won’t come cheap since they only took in premium bikes.
There is bicycle renting per 15min on Hellocycling but i doubt you can afford that
You think you are big but aren’t willing to pay 5500yen like 35usd for a bicycle. Then stop whining then just walk until you leave.