Cycle in Style
Going Slow isn't just about lazing around, it's about quality of life – everyone's quality of life.
There's no point dashing between A and B and C if you don't have the chance to take a look at the world you're hurtling through
and there's even less point when you realise that points A, B and C have been carpeted in concrete and cloaked in toxic haze
because of the rush.
So spend some sweat on slowing down (not much mind you – the bicycle is the most efficient vehicle on earth)
and styling up, and cycle your way into those summer surf shorts… slowly, of course.
APB-8 (Alex Moulton Bicycles)
Whether you're negotiating hairpin country lanes or hairy urban lanes, this would certainly be a fine
(and fast) set of wheels to do it in. The original shape of the thin frame isn't just beautifully designed;
it keeps your speed up by keeping the bulk of the bike down. And if you've made the switch to a slower life in bumpy-road inaka
(countryside) you've got another reason to love Messers Moulton – they were pioneers of bike suspension.
Price: ¥228,000 (available from May 6th).
Contact: Dynavector Systems,Ltd.
2-16-15 Iwamoto-cho Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo Tel: 03-3861-4341
Email: info@dynavector.co.jp URL: www.dynavector.co.jp
Segway Human Transporter (Segway)
A bi-cycle, but not as we know it, this much-hyped vehicular lust item responds to body movements
to maintain balance and keep the rider (stander?) upright and looking oh so cool.
Remarkably for such a compact electric device, it has a top speed of 20km/h, though riders are forbidden from using
it on public roads in Japan so testing that figure might be tricky. Despite this, public demand is still high so
English Robin are now importing them from the USA, although you may have to be patient to get your toes on this
toy though as stocks are limited. For those who can't wait, English Robin also offer a Segway rental service.
Three of the things are available for ¥30000/day each.
Price: ¥847, 000
USA: English Robin, Inc. 12800 Roosevelt Ln. A3 Englewood CO 80112
Tel: +01-303-770-3879
Japan: English Robin, 374-1 Kameda, Futtsu-shi, Chiba-ken.Tel: 0439-66-2121
Email: taiichi@englishrobin.org Attn: Wada
Colibri-18
Then again, whether you use your cycle to deliver daikon or to get to the city supermarket to stock
up on those chemical-pumped übervegetables, you don't really need a super hi spec. two-wheeler.
This folding bike would do the trick, just fine. Although it's not perfect, the handle can be folded up to allow it
to be packed up easily and it's available in some beautifully bright colours too.
Price: From ¥59,000
Contact: CYCLEUROPE JAPAN
Z 03-3255-2431
URL: www.cycleurope.co.jp
Spirit (HPV)
For those who are so Slow they can't even be bothered to sit up, this is the bike for you.
With a chair instead of the standard plastic saddle that is normally so hard on your softs, this is surely the most
elegant way to cruise between organic cabbage patches or the urban equivalent thereof. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
this bike is made by those pedal-friendly technical types, the Germans.
Price: ¥228,000
Contact: LORO World Recumbents
Email: road@sannet.ne.jp URL: www.loro.co.jp
Z 075-623-6206
SpeedMachine (HPV)
As the name implies, this is the turbo-charged version of the more leisurely Spirit,
though the fuel required is unfortunately the same low-octane sweat and tears. Although it offers much zippier styling,
comfy 'W' suspension and higher top speed capabilities, speed freaks will be even more enamoured of the
low-to-the-ground ride – an exciting new perspective on your daily route. A luxury model from a brand many regard as
the world's best.
Price: ¥228,000
Contact: LORO World Recumbents
Email: road@sannet.ne.jp URL: www.loro.co.jp
Z 075-623-6206
Hybrid Racer (Haluzak)
Of course there are some for whom even lifting their hands up to hold the handle is so… zzzz…
Now lazy-bones only need to stay awake long enough not to crash because this couch potato's cruiser has the
handle under the sheet-seat. If your route to market takes a mountain path, the views, unobstructed even by your arms,
are surely second to none. The simple, retro styling even makes it look like it was produced in a local factory
by pesticide-free employees that have three-hour lunch breaks. Truly, a slow lifer's scooter of choice.
Price: ¥358,000
Contact: LORO World Recumbents
Email: road@sannet.ne.jp URL: www.loro.co.jp
Z 075-623-6206
Brooklyn Machine Works/BMW
An improbable creation, invented by two stunt freaks who originally made one bike from the wreckage
of their different, destroyed rides, because they couldn't afford new parts. Although this schizophrenic bike is strangely cute,
it's no slouch when it comes to performance either. Stunt lovers without the necessary smashed cycles to make their own
should smash their piggy banks instead to get their hands and feet on this trendy transport.
Price: $3700 (only available by mail order)
Contact: Tri-Eight
Z 03-5789-2803
URL: www.trieight.com
BD-1 (Riese und Muller)
A bicycle for those who's life is short of slow, but who nonetheless want to do their bit to
save their planet/wallet/thighs. Giving you no excuse not to use it, it's a collapsible marvel with, at eight gears,
more than the usual speed selection afforded by our foldable friends.
The suspension, something which typically carries a hefty weight penalty (bike-speak for 'heavy'),
is conveniently compact too, enabling the whole thing to clock in at just 12.5kg. For part-time slow timers,
this would make an ideal vehicle to take with you by train or car on weekends away to that strange place
where the air has no particular colour, taste or texture and they have these things called 'trees'.
Price: ¥98,500
Contact: www.mizutanibike.co.jp
Text: Natsumi Fujita
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