Because the NJS promotes the Japanese bicycle industry, non-Japanese manufacturers have found participation in the lucrative Keirin market very difficult. The list of approved component and frame suppliers consists almost exclusively of Japanese companies.
While the NJS cachet is not necessararily a mark of quality, there's a certain distinction to owning this equipment because the NJS mark is so exclusive. It's a bit like owning a numbered limited production run of a piece of art.
Tags: keirin, njs, Nihon, Jitensha, Sinkokai, Nihon+Jitensha+Sinkokai, fixed+gear, track+bikes, bicycling, japan
The NJS MKS Custom Nuevo pedals I have come highly recommended. Though I wish they had a seal on the end that wasn't plastic, the two super-smooth sealed cartridge bearings held together by a single allen bolt are really really nice. The NJS Nitto B125AA alloy track handlebars I occassionally run are light and stiff as hell. I'm going to keep collecting NJS stuff until someday I can afford a Makino to hang them on.
ReplyDeleteTimely post, as we've had some recent discussions on Flickr with respect to NJS.
ReplyDeleteOf course, one of the NJS' primary missions is to promote the Japanese cycling industry, so the dearth of eye-tie parts is understandable.
I sure don't understand the fetish, and I can't imagine why someone would want to run a super-narrow NJS APPROVED! saddle on a road-going fixed gear bike, but hey, have fun.
I love when people do Ebay auctions that feature NJS! when there no NJS approved parts included. "My cheap crap hubs would be NJS approved if they had 36 holes and were made by an approved manufacturer." Heh.
You crack me up, Fixed. I like this definition of NJS best:
ReplyDeletenjs is a hipster acronym for "really good resale value on ebay"
The Flickr conversation Fixedgear mentioned that inspired this post is here.