RResidents in Japan

Bike Shops In/near kanagawa that allow test riding, esp ?

  • January 12, 2026

TLDR: does anyone have experience with Chiba Cycle?

I went to a Daiwa bicycle shop (because it was nearby). They had an OK-looking selection at decent prices, but my "test rides" were rolling a few inches on laughably undersized floor models with flat tires–one still had the floor stand attached. I think I need to go to a more serious bike shop. I am not a bicycle connoisseur looking for a high end rig, just an entry-to-mid-level cross bike for local tooling around and exercise. However, I do want a reasonably light, properly set-up bike, that is the right size (plus competent help figuring out what size that is), and would like to ride it at least a few hundred meters before buying.

My impression is that ride-before-you-buy is not always a thing that Japanese bike shops permit. Chiba cycle makes allowing test rides a point of pride. Their selection is a bit narrow, they mostly have a handful of Treks, plus a couple of models by other brands, but aside from thinking Bianchi's standard turquoise is pretty, I am not very brand conscious. Their google reviews are mostly positive, with a few very angry reviews, pretty much like every other store.

Y`s Road seems like the big kid in the area, with much larger selection. Their reviews are a little more mixed, and they seem more impersonal, not that impersonal is always bad.

Anyone have thoughts or recommendations?

by Pocho_Azul

3 comments

  1. Kanagawa’s a big place, but Motovelo in Tokyo allows local test rides for free and 1-week trials for 4,000JPY.

  2. I had decent experiences with Chiba Cycle. I haven’t bought a bike there but bought and ordered parts through them and had some minor repairs done there and the service was fine.

    You’re less likely to get discounts with them and some of the kids at the store weren’t very knowledgeable about bike stuff beyond a certain point, but unfortunately that appears to be the norm nowadays in most stores.

    You could also check out the SBC stores or the Grove in Kamakura, although I don’t know if they let you ride it before you buy.

    Edit: you might also want to look up the websites or official Twitter accounts of the brands you like (or better yet their Japanese importer’s sites), because many do regular test events, for example Cervelo and Specialized usually have test ride weekends where you can take most models for a ride for a few thousand yen.

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