The Broken Spoke: 1970 54cm Bridgestone Track Bike

An idea in the making for quite sometime now, this Japanese track bike was heavily influenced by track enthusiasts Covi Hazelwood of Two Wheeler Dealer and Trent Blackburn who now attends Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC.

As seen in other posts, my father pretty much has the Italian track bike projects sewn up between his Merckx and Windsor builds. With that said, Trent Blackburn brought up the Keirin racing style which is regulated by NJS in Japan. Having that in mind, I first picked up a set of Suntour Superbe Pro/Sun Mistral track wheels from Blueprint Bikes of Dallas, TX. The purchases didn't stop from there as I then purchased a Suntour Superbe Pro headset from them also. Eventually the project was destined for completion when Blueprint Bikes posted a beautiful vintage Bridgestone track frame. I then remembered we had a Suntour Superbe Pro seatpost and crankset lying around. My father graciously allowed me to use them for this build.

Other aspects of the build include a Nitto 100 NJS Stem along with Nitto NJS B123 40cm track bars. The drivetrain operates flawlessly with a 48T Sugino Mighty Competition NJS chainring and Shimano Dura Ace 15T NJS cog. The Suntour Sprint track pedals with MKS cages spin quietly and efficiently. A smooth Sugino bottom bracket helps to complete the drivetrain operation. Everything comes full circle with a Selle San Marco Laser saddle and a little cloth tape for that vintage feel.

As always, I appreciate all contributors to this build. With a bike shop like Two Wheeler Dealer only a few miles down the road, Jim Mincher and the fellas make it quite easy to get a hankering for a bike build. Covi Hazelwood of their courteous staff has helped my father in previous track builds and was very helpful in not only recommending his preferences, but also teaching me about riding a track bike in suburban areas. Trent Blackburn helped me discover the Japanese track market and as always had great suggestions and an occasional good joke. Lastly, my father let me take the reigns on this one yet kept a close watch and stepped in to help with assembly when needed.