Show us your Kuwahara

[PhillB]

It will be for a friend so won't dramatically differ from how it originally was, I had offered her an old Gary Fisher frame but she prefers a more classic look so we went with a Mixte. I'm mostly just going to upgrade all the parts to newer, lighter parts without going full carbon 12 speed on an old Colnago Master, considering the standard and age of the parts originally on here, pretty much anything constitutes as 'newer and lighter'. I'm still deliberating on the specifics.

Cool. Will be great to see it built up!

 

[Karol]

I see a kuwahara, I buy it, it's simple

It's in great condition, I just need to do a basic service and find a black xt crank

 

[PhillB]

I see a kuwahara, I buy it, it's simple

It's in great condition, I just need to do a basic service and find a black xt crank

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Gorgeous !! Looks like an Oncilla?

 

[Karol]

Gorgeous !! Looks like an Oncilla?

Kuwahara Maragay 91

 

[PhillB]

Kuwahara Maragay 91

Ahhh! Of course...

 

[dirttorpedo]

Don't think I posted this before. An old neighbour gifted me this Kuwahara Shasta. It was a nice bike but too small for me and too large for anyone else in the family at the time. I cleaned it, tuned it and passed it on to a friend. I was impressed with the build quality.

 

[Karol]

kuwahara mondia cascade road

 

[Karol]

Black crank installed
Kuwahara almost ready

 

[Vesatoro]

I have no Kuwahara, but my father used to have a Kuwahara Pro Comp SE, in the photo. Basic and heavy butted 4130 steel frame with STX groupset. The history of Kuwahara bikes in Finland is interesting, and a bit different than in other countries. The last real Japan made Kuwaharas in Finland were sold in 1992. The reason was the increasing price of the Japanese Yen currency. So Kuwahara went international, instead trying to sell expensive Japan made bikes to all markets. A big sports goods importer Brandt Oy bought a license to use Kuwahara name, but in frames made in Taiwan. Usually these were of not too good quality, but competed in the Finnish market with their affordable price. So there is quite lot of low end "Kuwaharas" here. Still at end of the 90's there were some "special" models equilled with surplus Deore DX parts from early 90's. Brandt also sponsored riders and organized the "Kuwahara cup" several years in the 90's as the Finnish National MTB series. Of course the competition models were probably the best available aluminum frames from Taiwan then.