Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Bridgestone NJS

Bridgestone NJS

The last Bridgestone featured on The Spoken was a very different beast—a PHM9 Sprint—but it’s interesting to hold the two of them up against each other and compare their DNA. Unlike the Sprint, however, this frame is built specifically for Keirin racing, bearing the revered NJS stamp. This model is the daily rider of Rocket from Sydney’s DeusCYCLEWORKS.

Keirin frames are made by a handful of approved Japanese builders, specifically fit to the geometry of each racer. Rocket’s frame bears the name of the racer it originally belonged to: K. Marubayashi. Keirin frames are usually decommissioned after a certain number of races, where they are resold to the hungry hordes of velophiles globally. Another characteristic of Keirin frames is their intricate branding and extravagant coats of paint. It’s rare to encounter a frame with a single color (although you can see a complete matte purple Nagasawa here): opalescent paint fading from one shade to the other and infused with glitter are de rigueur. Rocket’s Bridgestone shows the wear concurrent with extensive street riding and alleycat racing, but like a well-tempered katana, will forever carry the fighting spirit inside its tubes, as the builder intended.

DeusCYCLEWORKS has just moved into their new location: a garage conveniently located on the Bourke Street Cycleway in Surry Hills, Sydney. Make it your first port of call for not only your classic and custom bicycle needs, the cafe is a great place to wait and admire the pretty things on offer.

Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS
Bridgestone NJS