Are you familiar with "minivelos," which are attracting a lot of attention from cycling enthusiasts?

You might not have heard the term much, but they are actually a common type of bicycle that you see all around you.

This time, we will explain what a minivelo is and its charms.

What kind of bicycle is a minivelo?

A minivelo is an adult bicycle with a wheel size of 20 inches or less.

Minivelo (MINI VELO) is a French word.

It may have originally started in France.

Since the largest size is 20 inches, there are, of course, smaller ones.

There are 18-inch, 16-inch, and even small 12-inch minivelos.

As far as I know, there are also adult bicycles with 6-inch or 10-inch wheels.

Let's include them in the minivelo category here.

In short, bicycles with small tires are called "minivelos."

However, since it is not a categorized name anywhere, it may not be very familiar.

Incidentally, "Basic Knowledge of Bicycle Terminology" (edited by Bicycle Club editorial department, Ei Publishing) states that it is "a bicycle with a tire diameter of 20 inches or less, and conventionally does not include 20-inch BMX bikes."

Bicycle classifications are divided by Japanese Industrial Standards, and JIS D 9111:2005 (Bicycles - Classification and Specifications) includes "bicycles intended for indoor storage, storage in car trunks, or bringing onto public transport, and designed for lightness and compactness with wheels of 20 inches or less and a lightweight frame."

This is called a "compact bicycle," so in Japanese, "minivelo = compact bicycle" might be the case.

If the wheel size is 20 inches or less, folding bicycles also fall into the minivelo category, so there are many types of minivelos on the market.

History of minivelos

In Europe, some manufacturers even handcraft each one.

Even today, there are handcrafted manufacturers, so some cost as much as 1 million yen per unit.

Mass-produced minivelos costing 5,000 yen per unit also exist.

There is a wide range of prices, but I will also explain why I like minivelos so much and their charms.

The charm of a minivelo: "Smallness"

The biggest charm of a minivelo is its "smallness."

Since it's an important bicycle, I want to keep it in my room at home, not in a bicycle parking lot.

With a minivelo, you can place it in the entryway of your apartment or condominium.

You can also maintain and polish it while at home.

This increases your attachment to it.

Its small size also allows it to fit into apartment elevators.

Road bikes are light, so you can stand them up diagonally to get them into an elevator.

However, with a minivelo, you can simply roll it into the elevator.

"Lightness" is also a charm of minivelos

"Lightness" is also a charm of minivelos.

While typical bicycles weigh around 20 kg, minivelos can be 12 kg, or even as light as 10 kg.

Lightness means speed.

You can ride faster than a regular city bike (mamachari).

Although the tires are smaller than a mamachari, which might seem like a disadvantage, the biggest factor is not the tire size but the weight of the bicycle and rider.

Since the rider's weight cannot be changed, when the bicycle's weight is about half that of a mamachari, it feels completely lighter from the first pedal stroke.