Bike Check: Sada‘s 12” Araya Micro Hurry

Oct 25

By Paul.D

What if... your chainring were as large as your wheels? It seems very difficult on 700c or even 26 inches. But what about 12 inches? The same size as a toddler's balance bike, but rideable by a grown adult? Not quite a circus bike, but can't be seriously considered as a real bike either. Today we're taking a look at Sada's 12-inch Araya Micro Hurry and why you'll want one once you've finished reading this.

A little bit of history first! The Araya Micro hurricane was introduced in 1977 on the Araya Rinkai's catalog, almost as a joke. It was made out of high-quality Araya CroMo tubing, lugs, components, and was sold for ¥39,800 or ¥149,046/ $994 today. Obviously, the original version came with a single-speed freewheel and both a front and rear brake. However, after passing through the hands of our good friend Sada, it could only end up as a fixed-gear.

As much as you want to fit normal components on this bike, its size necessitates some special parts. Like these Sugino Idol cranks, measuring at 130 mm, or a pair of original steel Araya rims laced to Sansin hubs. No real need for a special track hub since a fixed cog can fit onto the screw-on cassette thread, and a bottom bracket lockring is more than enough. There is no way you’re applying sufficient leverage with wheels of this size to loosen anything. Lastly, that pair of 12x25” knobby tires is barely fitting but wow, does it look good. It's like a micro monster-truck.

Detailed Parts List

Frameset
Araya Micro Hurry 12”

Chainring and Cog Sugino 49T, 13T Duraace Cog

Crank Sugino Idol 130mm

Seatpost and Saddle
Araya Stainless seatpost, Flite Titanium

Stem and Handlebar
Kusuki 100mm stem, mystery handlebar

Wheels Araya 12” Steel Rims laced to Sansin Hubs

Tires Veetire Co. Crown Gem

he build is perfectly finished with parts like this red Flite Titanium saddle, the OG Oakley grips, a Kusuki vintage stem with a bell mount, or even this steel Dura-Ace headset. However, what makes all this even better is the original story of how Sada obtained got his hands on a bike like this.

While on the hunt for a Micro Hurry, Sada heard from a friend that an old bike shop in northern Tokyo might have what he was looking for. And after a bit of digging, it appears that this Micro Hurry was a demo-bike in an old school shop that got it first hand in 1977. After a discussion with the owner, Sada had the opportunity to get the bike for free if he was to ride it from Ikebukuro (where the bike shop was) to Shibuya. I can only let you imagine how these ten mildly hilly kilometers have been on a bike of that size.