Reader’s Journey: Ryan’s Track Bike Trip in Osaka
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Osaka was one of my favorite cities of all time. The last time I visited was perhaps seven years ago, while it was just me and my father. Osaka, among some other cities, has characteristics I liked as a cyclist: a compact urban area with diverse districts, each with its own unique feel; slow traffic; and numerous bike lanes. I wasn't able to bring my bike back then, and I remember thinking to myself how nice it would be to ride my bike here. Last week, I had the opportunity to finally fly back to Osaka with my trusty Kory York K2, and with an old friend Mike, a member of the @_0nstag3 crew.
For this trip, I used my travel camera, a Kodak Ektar H35. It's a 35mm half-frame point-and-shoot with a fixed aperture and shutter speed. These cameras are still being produced, so you can find one between $40 and $65, depending on the location and model. For me, film photography, especially point-and-shoot cameras, has a similar appeal to fixed-gear bikes. The beauty of simplicity and vintage technology is undeniable. All I do is click the shutter and not think about it, and a few days later, I get amazing results back, allowing me to be more in the moment and focus on that instead of trying to make the picture perfect. I used a 200 ISO Fujifilm 35mm film to keep costs down and ensure good exposure based on the sunny 16 rule. Due to the fixed aperture and shutter speed, it's quite challenging to get a good exposure with this camera, so I used my iPhone for low-light settings.
Spending my recent years on the outskirts of a big metropolis in the United States, my views were typically suburban neighborhoods, highway frontage roads, and hilly ranches, which aren't ideal for fixed gear riders. It's too monotonous! Moreover, who genuinely enjoys mile-long climbs every time they ride...
However, Osaka presented a stark contrast. This mainly flat city boasts a rich history dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. One moment, we were riding through a modern part of the city surrounded by skyscrapers. The next instant, I found myself passing an old temple (there are many) or a castle that dates back hundreds of years. Each minute felt like I was in a different area and era, never a dull moment to behold the view.
There were also some very cool fixed gear shops in Osaka, such as Boostech, Master Pista, Brotures, and a couple others I forgot the names of. The vast selection of parts and builds they had at these stores made my friend Mike drool with lust for good bike stuff. He collects vintage Easton parts, and was finally able to complete his unique Volume Cutter build in Osaka.
As someone who has been living abroad and traveling a lot, I’ve met many people from around the world, but I felt the most welcome in Osaka. We stayed with Soichiro, whom I met through the fixed gear community. Somehow, he happened to be friends with someone in my major at my school in the US. What a small world! He introduced us to JC TKT members (IG @jc_tkt.fixedgear), some of whom I’d already seen on Instagram prior to my trip. We went out for rides and grabbed some amazing food together, while conversing in broken English and Japanese, trying to translate between English, Japanese, and Korean. Despite the language barrier, we got quite close during the four short days we were there.
Another thing I noticed was the variety of bikes and custom modifications people do here. In Korea, you'll mainly see Engine 11s or full carbon track bikes with the same parts used by everyone. However, I came across people riding rather interesting bikes here. For instance, @shuntarooooo93's Mash has an integrated seatpost with a Thomson seatpost welded on. Everyone was doing something different and unique for their bikes, which was very refreshing.
Finally, was the Brotures Osaka Group ride! It felt just like how it was back in the day. Despite our different backgrounds or ages, everyone there was united by our shared passion. Although I knew zero Japanese, I was able to communicate with most of them using a translator. I'd like to express my gratitude to Brotures Osaka and Ren Toriyama for the wonderful experience.
To finish this post, I'd like to share some background about myself. I have been riding fixed gear bikes for over a decade now, and they have been an integral part of my life ever since.
Growing up in South Korea during the fixed gear boom, fueled by the Windbreaker webtoon comics, Macaframa and mash movies, I was constantly surrounded by fixed gear bikes. This exposure naturally led me to get one for myself. During the scene's peak, a large group of us would ride to Olympic Park in Seoul. On any given weekend, there would be nearly a hundred people, and I had the opportunity to ride various bikes, socialize with new acquaintances, and those spontaneous group rides were always enjoyable. Although the boom has passed, and fewer people rode fixed gear bikes, a few of my friends, including Mike, continued to do so.
Moving from South Korea to Texas in my late teenage years, I had to sell my bike to make space and focus on my academics. As I grew older, I was finally able to buy my dream bike with my own money: my 2021 Kory York K2. I fell deeply in love with this bike quickly, and got back into the fixed gear scene, but now in the US. I missed the big community we had in Korea, however, there were only a dozen people riding fixed like I did in my city. Longing to recapture the excitement of my childhood days, I made a list of cities I wanted to visit and ride in, such as Osaka, Boston, Paris, New York, Austin, and so on. This past week, I was able to finally check off the first city from my list, and I hope I can cross off the rest soon. The four days I spent in Osaka were an unforgettable experience, and maybe next time I'm there, Paul could join us!
Lastly, great thanks to Paul for giving me the opportunity to write this guest article.
✍️: @ryanleokim
📸: @ryanleokim
🎞: Fuji Color 200
📷: Kodak Ektar H35
📍: Osaka