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The story
It has come to light that development is underway to revive the “supercar bicycles” that emerged during the late-1970s supercar boom — Bridgestone’s “Monte Carlo” chief among them — using modern technology such as electric pop-up headlights, a 12-speed electronic shifter, and LED turn signals. The project is being led by the head of the development company, who says he owned a Monte Carlo back in the day. The plan reportedly includes clearing the legal requirements for road use while also adding smartphone connectivity. On 5ch, some posters were thrilled (“Kids who grew up in the Showa era are over the moon”), while plenty of others were more skeptical (“Who’s actually going to buy this now?”), and the thread lit up with nostalgic talk about the old brands and bike designs.
The shift lever sits on the frame’s top tube, and sliding it forward or backward triggers an electronic gear change. An LED above the lever shows the current gear. There are 12 speeds in total. While modern sport bikes typically get their gear count from “6 rear sprockets × 2 front chainrings,” this model sticks with the original’s single-lever design, achieving its 12 speeds with 12 sprockets on the rear wheel alone.
The project is being produced by the company’s president, Norimitsu Nakai. Nakai owned a Bridgestone-made “Monte Carlo” supercar bike back in the day, and he reportedly launched this project to bring that memory back to life.
Every feature and spec found on the original supercar bikes is being updated with modern technology, and development is proceeding toward a commercial product that also clears the legal requirements for use on public roads. It’s also set to include modern touches like smartphone connectivity for checking and adjusting settings.
Source: hobby.watch.impress.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
So I guess we won't need hand signals anymore?
Honestly, this should be standard equipment on every bike.
Isn't that just Knight Rider?
Sheesh lolololololololololololololololololol
Good morning, Michael.
I ripped the factory nav out of my car and swapped in an Android display-audio unit, so when I fire up Gemini Live I can actually have a voice conversation with an AI!
but nobody's actually riding something this flashy at our age now.
And honestly, still living the bicycle life as a middle-aged guy? That's rock bottom.
Even I drive an Alphard — the 20-series generation, but still.
I'll never forget it — I was obsessed with a model called the ROXY.
During summer break, my friends and I would hit the pool with the slide first thing in the morning, grab 200-yen cup noodles,
then spend the afternoon playing Gachapon Senki (a Famicom game) on the Famicom.
After dinner I'd watch Nihon Mukashi Banashi (an animated folktale show) and Zenin Shuugou (a classic Saturday-night variety show), get sleepy, and climb into bed thinking "no school again tomorrow!"
I drive an Alphard too these days.
Life's comfortable now, but honestly, I was happier as a kid.
Some of these guys went all the way and upgraded to 1.5-million-yen road bikes.
This is probably meant to be displayed in a garage, not ridden.
No, you attach rim brushes to the spokes and jam a tennis ball in there.
Turns out putting brushes on the spokes didn't actually do anything…
You put plastic rings on the spokes
and enjoy the jingling sound at low speed, lol
(once you speed up, centrifugal force pins them flat and they go quiet)
That thing got brutally heavy on hills, and in midsummer you'd sweat through to your underwear.
But hey, it built up your legs and kept you from getting heatstroke.
And the bulb would burn out almost instantly, lol
The hub dynamos on today's mamachari (standard city bikes) are still human-powered generators too, you know.
They're way lighter than rim dynamos though, since there's no physical friction.
I modded mine, added extra lamps, and ran it off a 7.2V Tamiya RC battery.
Seeing the photo, that one detail alone hits me with insane nostalgia, lol
Semi-drop bars are literally just a regular mamachari handlebar flipped upside down.
Wait, Suzuki used to make bicycles too?
(;゚Д゚) [shocked face] The second photo — don't tell me this is what led to the Suzuki Impreza!?
Don't need it all bulky and over-the-top, but
something like the bike in Re: #51 with just turn signals added would be nice.
I lived through the supercar boom myself, and yeah, a lot of people pictured the Countach when they heard 'supercar.'
Back then people split into the Countach camp and the Ferrari BB camp.
Most kids went for the 'Lamborghini three brothers' (a nickname for Lamborghini's Countach/Miura/Urraco lineup at the time) or the Lancia Stratos.
I went with the classic Countach LP400.
Red, of course.
Strip off the body panels and you can see the Countach and the 365 GT4 BB are completely different animals.
The Countach has this insanely complex tubular space frame that makes you wonder if it was really mass-produced, while the BB's frame looks like something a grade-schooler welded together.
Hard to say whether to praise that as Fiat-style pragmatic simplicity or not.
It's not sized for kids, and the kids who once dreamed of owning one are 50-plus now and aren't exactly clamoring for it today.
(;゚Д゚) It's not drop bars, so your hands would get tired on long rides,
and there's no fender, so you're doomed the moment it rains.
This is purely a novelty spec, huh.
The thing a middle-aged guy can ride without embarrassment is an e-assist mini-velo.
One geared high, so you get speed even with a low cadence.
can't remember any others.
(;゚Д゚) Silk, Miyata, Araya, Toei.
Sorry, but Miyata's the only one of those I actually know.
(;゚Д゚) Every once in a while you'll spot the Araya name on some ancient bicycle sign hanging outside a long-defunct bike shop, lol
I think Silk used to build keirin racing bikes for the Tokyo Olympics?
The shop that inherited that legacy is apparently still around in Fujimino.
://i.imgur.com/Le9EsDx.jpeg
Still can't beat the homemade feel of the Meiji Starliners.
Yeah, no wonder people mock it, lol
Background and Talking Points
Supercar bicycles were a genre of kids’ bikes that emerged in the late 1970s, riding the wave of the supercar boom sparked by movies and manga. They were known for semi-drop handlebars, gear shift levers, and round headlights reminiscent of the Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari 365 GT4 BB. Bridgestone’s “Monte Carlo” was one of the defining models of the genre, and this new project traces back to the developer’s own memories of owning one.
Opinions in the thread mostly split over one question: who’s actually going to buy this? The generation that once dreamed of these bikes is now around 50 years old, and many pointed out the gap between nostalgia and practicality. At the same time, features like the motorized headlight and smartphone integration were welcomed by some as a genuine attempt to reproduce the era’s gimmicks within modern legal requirements. It’s also worth noting that adding turn signals to bicycles ties into ongoing debates about safety standards for e-assist bikes and mopeds, so there’s more going on here than pure nostalgia.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “Electric pop-up lights, 12-speed shifting, LED turn signals… Updating the dream supercar bike with modern technology, now in development.”
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