Anyone ever stumble across a collector's web site for old Keirin bikes? I get the impression that these are stoutly built bikes and maybe not overly artistic which is more to my tastes anyway.
-- When I worked for Bstone, I had a chance to see a couple of races, and since Bstone had a team and one of the Bstone guys was a bigwig in the ranks of Keirin racing administration, I got to hang out in the locker & bike room before a match. All the bikes were there, and I had about 90 minutes to look over all the details (I'd also seen them being built in Bstone's handbuilt shop). Actually, since there were/are so many restrictions on what you CAN do with a K-bike (I'm always afraid I'll misspell it, like the beer, and get scolded, so this is easier), the riders seemed to take advantage of every opportunity to personalize and beautify their bikes, so long as it didn't make them illegal. Many used the same fork crown, but they were carved up differently. Same with lugs, dropouts, chroming, and paint.
Grant Petersen
Walnut Creek, CA