Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Level Mamachari

Level Mamachari

Some of the most beautiful bikes seen on The Spoken were photographed by Will Goodan. Originally from Los Angeles, Will has been based in Tokyo for the past few years, heads a multi-faceted design boutique and has developed a deep appreciation for Keirin frames. After riding brakeless track bikes around the city, Will built himself a capable commuter in the same vein.

Will fills us in: “I’ve been riding brakeless fixed gear for 6 years now and decided it was time to get a bike I can get around Tokyo with to pick up groceries etc but with a bit of flare, not just some cheap beater bike I don’t feel good about riding. As well as something I could wear any sort of clothing with, including any sort of shoe, as toe clips made it difficult.

“The main objective was to get a rack that would match a hand-polished and classy vintage look. Pass and Stow in SF helped me out and I had one made to fit with track dropouts on the fork. In Japan the classic commuter bikes are called mamacharis and I wanted to take this concept but make the Cadillac of mamacharis.

“Flashy and everything hand-polished. The dense rainbow flake under the candy metallic paint helped boost that concept. I also had never ridden vintage Campagnolo components and it fit with the whole visual. You really have to see the paint in the sun, it’s wild. The omamori on the seat stands for ‘traffic safety’ since its my daily commuter.”

Massive thanks to Will for the photos and story. Check out his photography portfolio and Kanzen Lazer for more of his work.

Level Mamachari
Level Mamachari
Level Mamachari
Level Mamachari
Level Mamachari
Level Mamachari
Level Mamachari