The link from the post does not appear to work this morning, so I can't look at this particular Toei. Having seen quite a few in various Japanese publications, I know that they can be very impressive and beautifully executed.
The main reason for "ignoring" Toei and others is simple: The cultural barrier between Japan and the West is enormous. I have asked numerous Japanese acquaintances to send me some photos, stories, etc., on these builders. No luck so far. Has anybody ever tried ordering one of these machines? How do they ride? How much do they cost? I assume that the 1950s parts you see on many of these must be supplied by the customer.
Another reason why my interest in these bikes is a bit limited that there are so few reports of them being ridden hard. The Alex Singers that go to Japan sometimes are barely functional, because the old parts used (Juy 543 derailleurs, for example) have long reached their maximum service life. (When new, they may have shifted very well...) That makes me wonder whether these machines are showpieces more than to be ridden hard. A friend went to Japan to do a few randonneur brevets, and he reported all long-distance riders he saw were on Cannondales and similar machines. Same for Paris-Brest-Paris - I saw one semi-classic machine among the Japanese contingent. I may be wrong, of course, and they have their own rides about which I know nothing. (And even in France, you'll see only few riders on Alex Singer and similar bikes during long distance events.)
To me, the fascination of the French machines is that they are beautifully executed, ride great and have been ridden hard. Whether it is the Poly de Chanteloup hillclimb race, the Technical Trials or Paris-Brest-Paris, each of these events was (is) as severe a test for machine and rider as one can imagine. Good looks are one thing, but function is key to a great bike!
That said, owners of Toei et al., please step forward. I'd love to cover your machines in Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. Or does anybody want to go to Japan and research the culture there? Visit some builders, do some interviews, photograph some machines... and write an article for VBQ! I can help with the editing, but I need some raw material for a story.
We used to "ignore" the French and Italian machines as well, until
some people went over there and brought back news from that cycling
culture... For the Italians, that happened relatively early, while
the "French phenomen" is more recent, dating from the early 1990s,
I'd say. I am just the "second generation" in that respect - early
proponents of French constructeur bikes were Grant Handley and Mike
Kone. (Of course, French bikes in the U.S. are an older phenomenon
than that, but the culture never really made it across until
recently.)
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.mindspring.com/
Bryant and Bob wrote:
Bryant Bainbridge gotfleas@earthlink.net wrote:
> Why then do we heap so much praise on the French builders
of the past and
ignore someone like Toei, who builds not only exquisite
frames, but
racks, derails, stems, etc??
Bryant;
I've been asking myself that for years. Toei remains my favorite contemporary builder.
Bob Hovey
Columbus, GA