Shuhari Bike Works: Track Bikes in Paradise.

Mar 13

Shuhari bike works okinawa custom disc wheel

Starting to write this article is honestly a bit overwhelming. Part of it could be because I shot a whole twelve rolls of film in barely three days, creating more content than I ever did in one single short trip. I shot non-stop every day for three days, various bike checks, and other pictures that you’ll see all through 2024 on the SSS media platform.
So before we even start, I want to give a huge thank you to the entire Shuhary team for their warm welcome, along with giving me this opportunity to photograph everything they had to show me.
People who see value in my very specific creative process are slowly making me live the life I want, and I’d never be thankful enough for that.

Let’s go back to November 2023 in Tokyo. My flight back to Europe is on December First, and I have two more weeks to spend in the Japanese megapolis. It’s getting colder every day, and I’m already dreaming of palm trees on a beach of white sand.
Fortunately, I had a big surprise when I received a message from my friend Ryoya telling me everything was booked for me to come to Okinawa and photograph Shuhary bike works along with the numerous bikes of the “223 Collection”.

If you’ve never heard about Shuhary, well. you can just imagine every collector's dream, turn it into reality, and there you have it. Picture a very big open space on the ground floor of a beautiful hotel. Then fill that open space with a coffee shop, a tacos restaurant, a co-working space, and a jaw-dropping bike shop filled with collector items. All of them share the same space allowing you to feast your eyes on some seriously rare bikes anywhere you sit. All of this is of course located in one of the prettiest areas of Okinawa, just along the coast. That’s pretty much Shuhary in a nutshell.

Like I said at the beginning, entering the place is no less than completely overwhelming with the insane amount of frames, parts, and other bits making you say: “I’ll never see anything like this anywhere else”.
The co-owner Letuce-San has been collecting track bikes from every horizon and could be considered one of the biggest track bike collectors in the world. From Japan-made frames to West Germany-prototypes, Lettuce-san has probably one of the wildest collections of track bikes out there.

You’ll find a few galleries attached to this article, but here are some information that I’d like to share. Shuhari is one of the wildest bike shops I’ve ever seen that is so inclusive at the same time. It’s pretty much a family business with Lettuce-San, his wife, and two of their friends. Every bike is welcome! And even if Letuce-San has no problem working on bikes that have the value of several cars, you can bring your old MTB that has a broken seat or a flat tire, and he’ll find a solution for you.

They have a fine selection of some insane NJS frames, but they also rent vintage choppers, old tandems, and even electric bikes. “As long as you have fun” is how they see things. Lettuce-San has a mad collection of disc wheels, and he’ll have no problem asking an emerging artist to draw or paint on it. Did I say they also have a small art gallery in the building?

You get my point, we are at the total opposite of elitism. Even if they totally could be though! There is a huge respect for everyone with every bike passing through those doors.

I have respect for everyone working there and sharing their passion for the wildest bikes to ride on the open road, while staying welcoming and inclusive of everyone popping into their shop.

You can find Shuhary Bike Works here —> www.shuhari.bike
Or on Instagram —> @shuhari_bikeworks