Five Frames you’ve probably never seen…
It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to see a private collection. And when you do, it’s a big YES without even any hesitation. Because there are some people on this round piece of dirt that we call earth, who detains some of the most precious pieces of histories of our culture. There were no chances in a million years that you would have known that, this house, in the middle of nowhere Japan, detains artifacts that we can only dream of. So we did the only logical thing, take the car, drive two hours outside of Tokyo, and wandered into the process of some serious eye candy.
Like I said above, the purpose of this write-up is just some summer eye candy rather than a deep explanation about each and every frame. I don’t have every bit of information concerning these pieces, neither does the actual owner. I did a bit of digging, though, and was able to find some cool facts.
First, with this Landshark that… ok…you might have seen before.
If you type “Landshark” on Pedalroom and go my “most favorited”, this is the bike that occupied the top spot for the past eleven years.
Best I can tell you is: this frame is immaculate! Paint is absolutely pristine, welds are smooth as butter and comparing the weight of it to some Landsharks of the same era, this was probably made out of Dedacciai Tubing.
Next up is this legendary Yamaguchi Trick frame. Ordered by a famous and retired snowboarder to Yamaguchi himself, this series has many mysteries, even more so since I’ve never seen one on wheels. Eleven of them were made, ten final frames and one prototype. This one is number 10/10 and our friend also had 0/10 (the prototype) in his collection. Yamaguchi's frames are truly something. thought, you’re talking about a guy that started his career under 3rensho, then produced track frames for the US cycling team, and crafted some of the wildest concepts you’ve ever seen. The amount of details for a 700c FGFS frame is astonishing, and that fork alone is enough to get me all worked up. Truly a masterpiece.
Since we’re on the theme of Japanese builders, lets took a look at some work of the master himself. I can’t confirm that this 3rensho was actually built by Yoshi Konno-San himself, since so many builders worked under the 3Rensho name. (Makino, Yamaguchi, Yoshi’s brother Shinichi, and many others) Yet, this show frame made for the Cyclone shop, was never ridden and had an interesting quirk to it. This extra tube doesn’t seem to be there, neither for rigidity nor aero purpose. No one was able to tell me why it was there and why they decided to add it in the first place. After years in the shadows, the frame ended up into the hands of Makino-San when they emptied 3rensho’s workshop after Yoshi Konno-San passed away. The fact that they decided to lug that extra tube, rather than just braze it on is an interesting dessision, but I am still to discover why... Finally, this t.h.i.c.c aero reinforcement on the bottom bracket, is just.. hummm tasty.
Let’s stay into the 3Rensho Family by introducing two of Yoshi Kono-San’s brothers:
Shinichi Kono-San who created Cherubim after he decided to end his racing career, and Ken Kono-San who is an artist. (Here are some of his paintings)
These two decided to collaborate to create a beautiful triple crown, that ended more as a piece of art than anything else. A classic geometry with all Cherubim lugs, fused to their in-house tubing, paired with hundreds of brush strokes and a multitude of clear coats to make it absolutely perfect and smooth to the touch. Even if Cherubim or Yamaguchi are fantastic at what they do. It’s important to remember that both of them are direct products for Yoshi konno-San (3Rensho) ‘s eduction, and it really shows you, who is the king here.
Last be not least, here is yet another Yamaguchi, but with a very precious EDS sticker on it. This is a USA Team issue frame that has been professionally ridden around the track. It’s aero, it’s all steel, and it’s sexy! That seat-clamp mechanism just flows into the frame like it was just morphed in there. And with all these gussets, it’s a heavy chunk, but.. For real… who really cares, it’s a Yamaguchi…
Some people have fascinating living room…
