Last Updated 2022.05.21
Bridgestone’s RP9 is attracting attention. Is the information slow?
As the title suggests, today’s article is about a road bike called RP9 from Bridgestone, a manufacturer that Japan is proud of. It seems that it was the most noticeable among the 2022 model road bikes, and after investigating various things, I found that it was amazing, so I decided to share it.
The RP9 is a road bike that was born based on a project whose proposition was to win a gold medal in the cycling competition at Tokyo 2020.
For details, I hope you will read the following articles.
What is the project to win a gold medal at Tokyo 2020
The story begins five years ago, when the Tokyo Olympics were decided, dating back to 2021. It is a project in which Japanese people win gold medals at Japanese bicycle brands. At that time, it was Bridgestone that the arrow of Shirahane was the only one. Bridgestone built its own carbon factory with a large amount of subsidies and subsidies, and thoroughly researched, designed and experimented with bicycle frames. The completed bicycle frames are the TS9 for short distances and the TE9 for medium distances for track events.
Having an in-house carbon molding factory for bicycles means that the cycle of research, redesign and experiment can be run at high speed in-house. Normally, after conducting research / experiment and trial and error, it takes time to redesign the frame and ask the OEM factory to mold the frame. By turning that process in-house, Bridgestone runs the PDCA cycle at high speed.
Condensing frame technology proven in track events into a road bike
Although the results for the track event at Tokyo 2020 did not reach the medals, some were able to win. If this really won the gold medal on a Bridgestone bike, the road bike might have been getting more attention. With that kind of feeling, one project will end because Tokyo 2020 is a prize, but Bridgestone will go further from here.
Yes, we decided to apply the technology of bicycles for track events, which we developed over five years, to road bikes. That meant a full model change for Bridgestone’s road bike series. Bridgestone is said to have obtained the current road bikes of other brands at its own carbon factory and thoroughly researched and verified them. And we started to develop the best frame with the best balance of aero performance, weight and rigidity at the moment.
And the completed RP9 is now attracting a lot of attention. If you look for videos of other influencers, you can find various explanations of the detailed frame shape of RP9. What we can say is that Bridgestone’s RP9 has the best balance among aero roads, endurance roads, and all-round roads at the moment. about it.
Not only the performance but also the price
For this RP9, what is noteworthy is not only the performance but also the price of the finished car.
Shimano new 9200 series Dura-Ace and DT Swiss wheels are included, including tax, 1.21 million yen. Well, this is a high price that is convincing due to recent inflation and rising road bike prices, but what is noteworthy is the second model equipped with Ultegra. This is 660,000 yen including tax with the new 8100 series Ultegra and DT Swiss wheels. This price is expensive for a second grade, but the frame is RP9 and the component is Artegra’s Di2, which is the latest and only added 100,000 yen from the frame set price. This is attracting attention because of its good cost performance.
Why is RP9 so much attention?
The reason why the RP9 is attracting so much attention is that the completeness of the frame and the packaging of the component wheels are extremely high. Probably the hottest topic in the last four or five years. There were many road bikes with good cost performance and high degree of perfection, but this RP9 is probably the best road bike with such a long development period and a high level of overall packaging.
Currently, Bridgestone is inundated with orders for RP9 and is in a state of suspension of orders. It is said that even if orders are resumed, the delivery date will be one to two years ahead. Even so, it may reign as a road bike with first-class combat power that will not fade even if it is delivered two years later. This means that even if you can order from now on and the car will be delivered two years later, you can say that it is a bike that can compete with the first-class road bike at that time.
RP9 was one of the first to be noticed among those who are actively engaged in races, but since this site was for long rides and recently focused on BROMPTON, the acquisition of information was delayed. Still, I wrote an article to convey the strength of Japanese manufacturers’ manufacturing and the goodness of Japanese brands. RP9, 2022 Road Bike Bicycle of the Year. For details, please see the RP9 website.
Other hot topics
Recently, the other thing I’m paying attention to is the inflator. Inflator? It seems to be said, but there was something interesting again. It is an electric air pump that automatically injects air. Isn’t it quite big and difficult to carry? It seems to be said, but the current electric air pump is compact.
There is an electric inflator from Xiaomi, a Chinese manufacturer famous for smartphones. It’s easy to use, and when you pull out the hose that looks like a padlock, the power turns on, and when you set the air pressure you want to put in and press the start button, it pumps up to the set air pressure. The valve is also compatible with Buddhist and American styles and can inject air from many sports bikes.
It weighs about 500g. I don’t know the details such as how many batteries can be used and how many pumps can be pumped, but I think that it is an air pump in the area that can be sufficiently carried when it becomes compact with an air pump of about 500 g.
At present, I think it is better to carry a manual portable pump, but if this electric pump evolves and a better one is completed, the time will come when the electric pump will be sufficient instead of the manual portable pump. I’m wondering if there is one.
