Skip to main content.
Bikes. Parts. Chaos.
Safety
Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, click or press Enter to select an item.

We just returned form a 10-day tour of Japan.  By we I mean “Wrong Lever” Trevor, Gary Dave-san and Me.  Those 10 days went by in a blink, and it was not until I started looking through my photos that it dawned on me how many places we visited, how many great people we met, and how much beer and other delicious Japanese liquors we drank. 

There is much that could be written about this trip, but unfortunately there is not enough time to do so properly, and besides you don’t want to read a bunch of boring prose anyway, do you?  Let me spare you the trouble by offering up some pretty pictures instead.

When we arrived in Nagoya we had some time to check out Motocross International's new HQ, and then we were taken to dinner at everyone's favorite Chinese restaurant, called Misen. 

First, let me introduce you to The Instigator.  The Instigator wants you to eat, and he wants you to DRINK.  You will do what The Instigator says and you will like it.

Front, waist up view of a person wearing glasses, sitting down, with tables and people in the background

 

The Instigator introduced us to his favorite weapon of choice, affectionately coined "Blue Death" by Trevor.  This liquor is neither pure nor blue, but it certainly does accomplish The Instigator's goal of getting everyone smayshed.

A table with plate of food on top and a bottle of Pure Blue liquor in the middle, with people sitting behind it

 

The Instigator says "Thank You." 

Front, chest up view of person drinking from a shot glass, in a restaurant

 

Things started to get a bit fuzzy at this point.

Front view of a person sitting in a chair, pulling their face back with their hands, inside a restaurant

 

The next day the three of us gave a presentation to about 50 dealers.  We talked about what it means to represent Surly in our own words.  Mostly we talked about drinking.

Straight away view of an office conference table with bike rims on it, and people sitting on both sides - black & white

 

And on the next day we took a ride with Circles Bike Shop.  This shop is in Nagoya and is one of the best bikes shops in Japan.  We rode along the coast until we came to a ferry port.  We loaded our bikes on the ferry and headed to a small island to the south of Nagoya.

Rear view of a cyclist, riding a green Surly Krampus bike on a paved road with others, with a body of water ahead

Rear view of a group of cyclists, riding their bikes on a road, alongside a cement barrier wall that's beside a seashore

 

We ate lunch at a Japanese inn, where we also stayed the night.  This inn served some amazing sashimi, octopus and other dishes.  Really amazing food.  We are so spoiled.

Close up, side view of a cooked lobster on a table, with a blurred out background

 

This is Eri and Shinya.  Shinya is the owner of Circles Bike Shop.  Both Eri and Shinya are amongst my best friends on this planet.

Front view of 2 smiling people, sitting behind a table, posing inside of a restaurant

 

This lovely lady made us cookies.  Very nice indeed.

Headshot of a smiling person, holding up a cookie with, Surly Ride - 2013.6.27, Japan, decorated on it, near their face

 

The next morning we woke up really early and got back on the ferry.  After the ferry we rode in a van to visit a really amazing bike shop near Nagoya.  The name of the shop is Wakka, and is the first pure Surly concept store I have ever heard of.

Outside, storefront view of the Wakka bicycle life shop, with Surly bikes parked all around, and a person in the doorway

 

As you can see they stock a wide variety of our bikes, including lots of our fat bikes.

Front view of Surly fat bikes, lined up side by side, in front of an open door of a bike shop

 

That Moonlander on the wall features a custom clear over raw paint job that really has to be seen in person to fully appreciate.  It also has a number of custom parts on it, like a polished version of our O.D. Crank bash guard.

Inside view of the Wakka bicycle life shop, with a variety of Surly bikes on display

 

Wakka only opened about six months ago.  I really hope they do well with this. 

Front view of a 3 people sitting and 3 people standing behind, posing in front of the Wakka bike shop - black & white

 

Next we visited Osaka, and I am sorry to say that I did not take photos, so sorry about that.

After Osaka we went to Kurashiki.  FARM Bike Shop is our dealer there, and they were celebrating their 25th year in business. 

We took a ride around Kurashiki.

Front view of a group of cyclists, riding on a gravel bike trail, with trees lined up on both sides

This ride involved a ferry ride across a river.

Right side view of a small ferry boat, crossing a river, with people and bikes onboard

 

The next day we embarked on one of the coolest bike rides we have ever done in Japan.  We rode the bridge route that goes between Honshu island and Shikoku island.  This route is about 80k in distance and requires that you cross five long multi-use bridges.

Here is the first one.

Side view of a suspension bridge, spanning over a bay, with tree covered hills behind it

 

Here is another one from up top.

Straight away view of a bike trail, running on the side of a suspension bridge, next to the automobile roadway

 

Here is Trevor signing an autograph.  Yes, we did a lot of that on this tour.

Front view of 2 cyclists standing next to a bike, on a paved bike trail, with other cyclists and bikes around them

 

Here is the final bridge, as seen just as the sun was setting.  What an awesome day on the bike.

Angled, left side view of a suspension bridge, spanning over a bay on a cloudy day

 

And check out this rolling cafe someone made from our Ted Trailer.

A person standing behind a food service bike trailer, with a sun umbrella on it, hitched to a bike on a brick sidewalk

 

Next we headed for Hiroshima.  We visited Grumpy's Bike Shop and took a ride from there out to Miyajima.

Front, right side view of a group of cyclists, riding on a paved bike trail in the city, alongside a cement barrier wall

 

Getting to Miyajima required another short ride on a ferry.

Left side view of Surly, fat and regular bikes, leaning, side by side, against the inside of a short, water ferry wall

 

There is a sacred shrine on Miyajima that features a torii gate in the sea.  You can walk out to this gate at low tide.

Front view of a group of cyclists and their bikes, standing side by side, on a sandy peninsula with water behind them

 

For our final day we went to Kyoto to visit old friends and ride together.  Kyoto is where the whole Surly thing in Japan began, so it's always nice to go back there. 

We began the day with a ride to the northern part of Kyoto.

Right side view of a cyclist, riding a black Surly fat bike, on a paved road alongside a stream

Left side view of a group of cyclists, standing over their bikes, parked underneath a cement, city bridge overpass

 

After visiting some sake breweries we visited some temples.  This one features more than 10,000 red torii gates that cover a number of paths to the top of a mountain.

Choose your path.

Straight away view of 2 separate stone block paths, with each having red, Japanese torii gates arching over

 

Finally we visited the famous Kiyomizudera temple around sunset.

Front, side view of a Japanese, pagoda roof building, set above a green forest, with a city and hills in the background

A pagoda roof building, peeking up through tree tops, with a city and hills in the background, and hazy sun above

 

After that we rode to Muga's bike shop and hung out while getting ready to take the train back to Nagoya.

Rear view of cyclists riding their bikes, on a paved road, with short stone walls on the sides and trees on top of them

Thanks to all of the great people who came out to ride, drink and hang out with us on this tour.  We could never do this without you!