There.
Hey, mister.
Could you take care of these?
There's a bicycle in the black one, so be careful.
The Minami Kamakura Bicycle Club is at your shop, Korone
I finished packing everything up, little girl.
You sure do have a lot of stuff.
Thanks, mister.
By the way, I'm an adult.
What?
Now, then...
The bicycle club, huh?
Let's see what they're like.
#5 Choosing a Bicycle is Hard?
Principal's Office
What do you mean, the bicycle club is being disbanded?
I'm not finished.
I'm always telling you to listen.
I've only given you provisional permission to form a club.
In order to be acknowledged as an official club, you need to produce results.
Uh, results?
What exactly does that mean?
You'll have to come up with something on your own.
I expect to see something within three months.
Th-Three months?
That's not enough time!
Yeah, and we're beginners.
Yeah.
It's the rules.
Without results, you'll be considered a circle instead,
and the bicycle club will be disbanded.
We need to produce results, but I don't know what we should do.
It probably won't be enough to just ride around the area.
Or cycling to various places and enjoying the local cuisine.
Yeah.
This is the kind of thing we should discuss with Shiki-sensei.
Come to think of it, where is she?
She's still not here?
She said she would come, but...
These club activity forms never end!
There's insurance, expenses, and schedules!
What else do I need?
In any case, we need to buy bicycles first.
We can't produce results without those.
Yeah, but the store's still not open!
What's going on, Tsuru-san?
The manager came back yesterday and was supposed to open up today.
It can't be helped.
We'll have to come back tomorrow.
Yeah.
I hope the manager comes back soon.
Oh? You wanted to see me?
What?
Down here.
What?
She's so cute!
She even has cat ears.
And a tail.
Are they real?
H-Hey, stop that!
Manager, you're back.
What? Manager?
Hey.
She's just a child.
A ch-child? No!
I'm an adult! A full-grown adult!
I'm the manager of Cycle Flat, Hooji Korone.
What?
I can't believe the manager is a cute little girl.
I told you, I'm an adult.
Who are you girls?
You look like Minami Kamakura High students.
Are you the bicycle club Nagisa told me about?
Thank you.
I see.
So you formed a bicycle club, but now it's in danger of being disbanded.
Yes.
I heard you came to check out the bikes a bunch of times.
Sorry I was closed for so long.
Manager, I was worried about you.
Sorry, sorry. I was delayed by the typhoon in Taiwan.
I had to stay an extra day.
Sorry I couldn't call either.
What is that?
Amazing, isn't it?
I bought it at the electronics district over there.
Um, what about the trade show?
Of course I went.
Since Taiwan's one of the world's leading bicycle producers,
I got to see all kinds of bikes.
What? Taiwan makes that many bikes?
Yeah, they produce a lot of parts, too.
Those bikes you're riding probably use Taiwanese parts, too.
Really?
I didn't know that.
Well, I visited places other than the trade show and the electronics district, too.
Look at this. It's only spring, but I got a tan.
Jeez, again?
By the way, where's Nagisa?
She's out getting her license.
Again? What is it this time?
Special large size vehicles.
Special large?
What does she want to be?
I'm a baker.
It should be a baker.
Well, whatever.
Right now these girls need bikes.
I'll open up the shop for you. Come around the front.
This is my shop, Cycle Flat.
There are so many bicycles.
It feels so different from the bike shop in town.
There's quite an assortment.
Yeah. She's got road racers and hybrid bikes, too.
Which one's the fastest?
This is kind of amazing.
Just seeing all these bikes lined up is exciting.
Yeah, seriously.
Come to think of it, when I was in grade school...
Among all the bikes, there was a pink one that stood out to me.
I remember I wanted it so badly, my parents bought it for me.
I felt like I could go anywhere and rode all around the neighborhood.
I probably enjoyed how my world was expanding.
I think I know what you mean.
I hope I experience that, too.
Hey, you girls have a second?
There's some stuff you need to know before buying a bike.
Choosing your partner is an important decision.
Listen closely.
Thank you.
First, bikes are broadly divided into sports and utility types.
Sports bikes are road racers, hybrid bikes, BMX bikes, and mountain bikes.
Utility bikes are your standard bikes, like mommy bikes.
Wow, there are all kinds.
I don't care about that.
Just give me your fastest and easiest bike.
Idiot!
Ow!
I'm not finished talking.
You girls have to produce results within three months, right?
Even though you're mostly beginners.
Yeah.
There's no way.
Yeah.
Yes. Given your situation, I'll start with the answer.
What you girls need are road racers.
I've ridden one before.
Just for a little bit, though.
Really?
But why road racers?
Because it's easiest to make improvements in distance and speed
in a short amount of time.
And nothing's better at that than road racers.
With a road bike, you can participate in races,
ride to work or school, or even go pottering.
Since they're built for paved roads, they're great for riding long distances, too.
Japan has a lot of paved roads, so you'll be able to go all over the place.
But when I rode one the other day, it hurt my butt really bad.
I don't think I'd be able to ride one for very long.
Yeah, everyone says that at first.
What about you, Natsumi?
Does it not hurt your butt?
It did at first.
I knew it.
I see. Natsumi-chan's butt split in two, too.
Eventually, it'll split into four.
Is it only hard on your butt?
I had trouble getting used to the handles.
Since the tires are so narrow, I was scared of curbs and grates.
And then there's the forward-leaning posture.
It hurt my neck and hips.
That's a lot of challenges.
Road racers seem like a lot of work.
But the fun outweighs the negatives.
You move so far just by turning the pedals a little.
You feel like you're one with your bike.
Once you start riding, you keep going faster.
Sometimes before I even realize it, I've gone really far.
With road racers, you can go to places so far away, you'd usually go by car or train.
Yeah. Some guys like taking their road racers to highly-rated ramen shops
and bakeries located far away.
We get a lot of customers like that at our shop.
I have a question.
Is the road racer the best all-purpose bike?
An all-purpose bike, huh? That would be...
That would be...
There isn't one.
There's no such thing as an all-purpose bike.
What?
If you have baggage, you want a mommy bike.
If you want to go fast, you want a road racer.
If you want to ride medium distances or through cities, you want a hybrid bike.
If you want to carry your bike to your destination
to ride once you get there, you want a small wheel bike.
In other words, modern bicycles are specialized for their uses.
People have individuality, too, so you don't have all-purpose people.
Bikes may look similar, but they have individuality, too.
And matching that individuality to the rider is an important part of choosing a bike.
I like how childlike you are, manager.
Who are you calling childlike?
I told you, I'm an adult!
I mean on the inside.
I'm an adult on the inside, too!
Real bikes are expensive, though.
It depends on the material of the frame.
They run from sixty thousand yen to over a million yen.
A million yen?
Tomo-chan, if we had a million yen, we could travel across the world!
Y-Yeah.
The lighter a bike is, the easier it is to ride up hills and the farther you can go.
That's why people prefer materials like carbon.
Light
But they get more and more expensive.
In other words, light equals expensive.
Light = Expensive
I had no idea.
We should discuss your budget, but since I've got test bikes,
I'll make an exception for you today.
I'll let you ride everything here.
Let me know if you're interested in any of them.
I don't know which one to choose.
Yeah.
Choose whatever you like.
It can be based on intuition or color.
Okay, let's find our partners.
Yeah. With this many bikes, I'm sure we'll each find one we like.
You're not going to ride one?
I already have a road bike.
It doesn't matter. Ride whatever you want.
Thank you.
Okay, everyone's ready.
Go test them out on flats and hills.
We're off.
Shopkeeper, I like this one.
I'll take this Pi... whatever.
It's "Pinarello."
I'd like this Liv, please.
What about you, Hiromi?
Well...
Is something wrong?
I'm not sure.
They were all fun and easy to ride, but none of them stood out to me.
I see.
I'm going to spend more time looking.
Is that okay?
Yeah, take your time.
This one...
Are you interested in that one?
Um, can I try riding this one?
Yeah, of course.
It's just the right size for you, too.
Okay, go take her for a spin.
Okay.
This one's really fun.
I'm not sure what's different about it, but...
How'd it go?
This one was really easy to ride.
I'd like this one.
Hiromi, you finally found one?
Yeah.
Um, about the price...
It's... It's... It's...
It's expensive!
It's a pretty good price for the performance, though.
Tomo-chan, what about you?
Well, if I help around my family's shop a little more, I think I can afford it.
Really?
I won't have much spending money left, though.
But since I'll be riding it a lot with our club, I want to get one I like.
Yeah. Yeah, you're right.
I like this one, but...
I finally finished filling out forms.
Good work, Shiki-sensei.
H-Hello, ma'am.
Has the club decided what it's doing yet?
I was thinking we could discuss how we can produce results as a club after this.
If you haven't settled on anything yet, then how about this?
What?
Sold
Lucky.
Don't let it get you down.
You'll find one you like eventually.
You'll have more fun because it's the bike you wanted.
You'll work harder because it's the one you chose.
You'll trust your bike because it's the one you like.
That's the best kind of bike a person can ride.
The bike I like is the best bike for me?
Don't rush. Take your time finding one.
Yeah, thanks.
But we have to produce results.
We can't take too long.
Oh, right.
Girls!
It's Shiki-sensei.
She finally came.
She seems to be in a hurry.
I wonder what's up.
Thanks for waiting.
Why are you in such a hurry?
I found just the right thing.
What?
What do you think? Isn't it perfect for producing results?
What is this?
Night Criterium?
The appeal of road bikes on full display makes you want to start riding tomorrow.
A-O-P: The first cycling club.
Choose the frame
Choose the size
Accidents (Flats)
Accidents (Chain)
Must-have items
Useful items
Maintenance
Proper posture
In this segment, we bring you must-see information for newbies to road bikes with
Fukuo Yui
Hirose Yuki
A-O-P's Hirose Yuki...
And Fukuo Yui.
Cycling is fun, but sometimes you run into unexpected problems...
"Something's not right."
"It's flat! This sucks."
"What? But there aren't any bike shops around here."
"What should I do?"
Dealing With Accidents 1: Flat Tires
This time we'll learn techniques for repairing a flat tire
that even beginners can use.
Is it possible for us to repair a flat tire by ourselves?
Yes.
Y's Road Ochanomizu Manager Yamada Yunosuke-san
The wheels can be removed, so it's a useful maintenance technique to learn.
So we can do it ourselves.
Wow.
Really?
First, I'll remove the tire.
Okay.
There's the valve that's used to add air...
But we'll start working on the opposite side.
Begin removing the tire from the side opposite of the valve
It's easier to remove this way.
I see.
Tire Lever
There's a lip on one end of these.
Hook it into the tire and fold it down using the principle of leverage.
Wow.
It folded down.
That's how this tool works.
Remove the tube from the inside and swap it out
Once you've removed the tire and swapped out the tube on the inside,
you're finished, but...
If possible, you should try to determine what caused the flat tire.
Remove the cause of the puncture from the tire
Okay.
First, we establish a rule.
Align the tire's logo with the valve.
Align the tire's logo sticker with the valve on the tube
Think of this section as one piece.
Next, I'll inflate the tire.
If you keep the valve and logo together, if the hole's here,
then you should be able to find the cause if you search this section of the tire.
If there's something wrong with this part, then you know it's right here.
That's right.
In order to determine the cause of the problem,
Next Time Dealing With Accidents 2
it's important to establish your own rule.
It's a good idea to establish a rule for yourself.
Next Time "First Race!"