I copped out and jumped on the train today as pedaling the distance to Cycle Mode 2022 at Tokyo Big Sight would’ve been quite the stretch for my younger son. My last visit to the Tokyo Cycle Mode bike exhibition was back in 2018 and apart from the new location and updated products on display, everything felt eerily familiar.
As someone who doesn't really tinker with bikes above 9 speed and finds joy in digging through used parts bins, it was fascinating to see all the latest kit on display and the corresponding prices to match. The new Campagnolo groupsets were a particular standout and looked absolutely stunning.
As entertaining as it is walking the halls, the main drawcard for most of the general public in attendance is the ability to sign a waiver and test ride the bikes from the manufactures and dealers present at the expo. As I had the kids with me today and completely lacked the required patience to get-in-line for anything remotely interesting, it was strictly an express walkthrough of the exhibition sheds this visit.
If bringing the family there’s more than enough to keep the young ones amused with many exhibitors hosting sporadic ‘janken’ tournaments with prizes, creative workshops, test bikes and kid friendly cycling courses.
The vintage bike market was present as usual with prices to give new componentry a run for its money. The Japanese obsession for vintage Italian steel frames and period correct Campagnolo components shows no signs of slowing down which is a great thing if your pockets are deep enough. I've stuck exclusively to second-tier Shimano and Suntour componentry on my Japanese handmade 90’s road bike fleet which has mostly allowed me to avoid the fierce online bidding wars.
This year it was nice to see Above Bike Store have a small presence, some sweet disc-wheels on show in the Araya booth and the usual array of Japanese handmade chromoly bicycles from the likes of Cherubim and company.
I'm not sure I got too much out of this year's visit but that was entirely my fault with our tight schedule and quest to keep the kids amused. Regardless, it was good to see all the manufacturers out in force again and both newcomers and avid cyclists testing out some of the sweet rigs available to blast around the expo’s test courses.
See you all at Cycle Mode Tokyo 2023.
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