Bike Check: Lettuce-San’s 3Rensho Domifon
Another bike from Shuhari and another piece of history I had the pleasure to try. The 3rensho Domifon is a stayer bike, and if you are unfamiliar with this type of machine, allow me to explain.
In the dark and early hours of the 20th century, motor-paced racing gained significant popularity. People began building bikes for the sole purpose of "following" a motorcycle throughout the entire race. A "stayer bike" is designed to draft behind a pacer and achieve higher speeds. These bikes possess distinct features that we will explore in this article; however, it's essential to remember that the primary objective here is simple: Staying in the slipstream while maintaining stability. Sounds challenging when you take a look at the geometry of such a bike. But let’s not jump ahead and cover a few things first.
This bike was actually built by Makino while he still worked for 3Rensho, just before establishing his own workshop. Crafted with all the features to reach a hundred kilometers per hour on the track, this piece of Japanese history, only rode in a few events before ending up at Shuhari.
Among these features, the most striking one is probably the tiny 600c front wheel, bolted onto a fork that appears reversed. Why? My first thought was that a smaller front wheel would allow getting the rider closer to the ground and then more aerodynamic (Like old school funny bikes). But looking at the head tube, this doesn’t seem to make much sense, and it still doesn’t explain the reversed fork. You need to think in a different way. Having a smaller front wheel gets you closer to the motorcycle pacing in front of you. The closer you are, the better you fit in the slipstream.
To keep up the pace, you'll obviously need a large ratio, such as this 68x12. I briefly tried it on the road next to Shuhari, and needless to say, the bike had me absolutely terrified since it is not meant to go from one red light to another. Literally could not stop…
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
3Rensho Domifon (Built by Makino)
Chainring and Cog Mighty Competition 62T, 12T Gigas Cog
Crank Sugino Mighty
Seatpost and Saddle
SR-Sakae Ringyo MTE-100, 3Renshi “Ariake” Saddle
Stem and Handlebar
Nitto Slider stem , Nitto B123
Wheels Araya Carbon Discs
Tires Clement Super Condor
You've likely noticed the two rods extending from the stem tip to the fork and from the saddle to the top tube, respectively. These are new; Letuce-San had them remade since they were lost at some point. They're here to minimize the "death shake" that can occur at high speeds. They also add a bit more rigidity to the frame if you thought the massive headtube gusset wasn't sufficient.
Finally, I'd like to draw your attention to this unique aero feature arching around the rear wheel, and of course, the stem and seatpost, which are both on a slider system. Quite unusual, isn't it? So many details and features, just here for one thing: Speed!
Time to put it back on a wall
🎞: Kodak Gold 200
📷: Nikon F100
📍: Okinawa
