Blue Lug is a Candy Shop for Grownups
So that’s it, you’ve landed in Japan, you’re building your bike for a first ride, and since you’re here you might as well check a shop or two. But there is one name that you’ve been hearing over and over, Blue lug…
One of the few shops that will let you order from abroad, and have a wide selection of parts and goodies for you to check out.
Well, you’re nearly not prepared for what’s coming because they have EVERYTHING. From little anodized parts to custom-painted framesets, they cover the whole spectrum of the fully custom build and beyond.
Like the title put it so well, it is literally a candy shop for grown-ups. If you dream about Chris King headsets and Philwood hubs at night, this is your new favorite spot. So today I’m taking you around the wildest shop you’ve seen in a while, with some extra info sprinkled on top.
Let’s start with what blue lug does best: Creating a community. They have three shops, one bar, a custom painting service, they are present at almost every event, and they want you to know that they are THE ultra-reliable support for you and your bike. “You can count on us!” sort of vibe.
If you wanna build a bike, they will provide you with advice, parts, build experience, and even a custom paint service as I said earlier.
In a country where you can get a brand-new bike for 80 euros, it was a bold choice to burn the candle by the other end. Because let’s face it, if you’re planning to build a bike over there, you’re not getting out with anything under 2500 euros.
Yes, they have local brands like MKS, Nitto, Panaracer, and many others. But they also import a ton of stuff. You are definitely paying a premium for anything that comes from outside Japan, but with the actual rate of the Yen, you can probably get some good deals here and there.
There is a lot to choose from at Blue Lug. Japanese parts, American parts, bike bags, etcetera. But for someone like me coming from Europe, I don’t tend to have access to that large of a selection. Every length of Paul stem displayed in front of you, in almost every color possible, is for sure a pleasing sight, and somewhat reassuring when you wanna buy something expensive.
But if you happen to not find what you’re looking for, they have two other Blue Lugs in Tokyo that probably do. Just ask, and they’ll check for you.
One thing that you might come across though, is their strict rules concerning brakeless track bikes. They are not a “Racing” shop. They build bikes for city use, and a good chunk of that happens to be track bikes. If you have a lot of money to spare and decide to build a complete bike over there, they will not assemble it if it doesn’t have brakes. But if you’re here for just a little repair that requires specialized tools that you might not have on hand, (like a loose bottom bracket for example) they will also not touch your bike if it lacks levers and calipers.
This being said, the quality of service you’re getting for bike maintenance is close to perfection. Everything is done meticulously, even if that means taking twice as long. It’s how they do it here, can’t complain about that, low-key would like the same in Europe… I also need to give them credit for constantly pulling collaborations with brands to create new products that might have never existed if it wasn’t for them. MKS, Selle Italia, Mash, and many more are some examples of past collabs’ that gave us amazing new eye candy to drool over. It varies from a simple color change to a completely new product, yet it’s always done with great taste and an understanding of what the community wants.
Of course, Blue Lug is not the only shop you sound check if you circle around Tokyo. But if you’re on the lookout for something really specific, they might be able to help you out. Even if Blue Lug could now be considered a relatively big company, they are staying very local and close to their customers. They host events, have a blog, a YouTube channel, and the entirety of the staff are really nice and know what they are doing. It is not the place to go if you’re on the hunt for second-hand parts or NJS frames. But as I just said, there are many more shops for that.
Now that you know all that, I guess you might wanna take a trip to the
“Candy Shop”
