A pair years in the past, I wrote a chunk a couple of small fuzzy product from a small Japanese firm. The product was referred to as the Hub Brush. And the corporate that produces this little product is known as Rainbow Hubge Japan (RHJ).
It was a easy product that introduced again outdated recollections for me. However it apparently had plenty of its personal Japanese historical past too. In any case, I slapped a rainbow Hub Brush on my bike to maintain my hub shiny.
And now RHJ have some even fancier pure fiber hub brushes that take inspiration from biking historical past in Japan.
A brand new RHJ Emperor Hub Brush in actual horse hair
RHJ simply knowledgeable me that they’ve absolutely embraced the common-or-garden Hub Brush. They’ve ramped up full manufacturing, and made it simpler to purchase a pair for your self by creating an internet site tailor-made to the worldwide viewers (see the hyperlink on the backside of this text).
Plus, now in addition they have new, higher-quality Hub Brushes made with horse hair, similar to the earliest variations of the product. The brand new horse hair RHJ Deluxe Hub Brush is available in two variations: the ¥11,000 ($75) Emperor Black with gold crammed weight, and the ¥16,500($112) Emperor White with rose gold crammed weight.
Why Emperor?
Apparently, RHJ explains the usage of the time period Emperor when naming the brand new iteration of the Deluxe Hub Brush is rooted in a deep dive into the historical past of those lil’ doodads. Right here’s what they stated:
“Since your piece was printed, we’ve continued to discover each the longer term and the fascinating previous of the hub brush.“
“In truth, we just lately found that the earliest identified look of a hub brush in a Japanese bicycle catalogue dates again to 1923, and so far as we are able to inform, this could be the oldest surviving reference globally. Even earlier, a leather-based “hub shiner” appeared in a 1902 catalogue, suggesting a fair deeper lineage.“
We additionally uncovered one thing fairly exceptional: the oldest surviving hub brush in Japan is hooked up to a bicycle as soon as offered to the present Emperor Emeritus. That bicycle is now preserved in Shimano’s newly opened Bicycle Museum in Sakai Metropolis. Impressed by this piece of historical past—and the truth that the unique brush used animal hair—we’ve launched a contemporary copy utilizing horsehair, dubbed the “Emperor” version. The lead weights have been changed with gold-filled beads, mixing heritage with class.”
A Bit Extra Japanese Hub Brush Historical past
As a refresher for individuals who don’t know what these little issues are…from an earlier press launch and my October ’23 article:
“In Japan, it was a cultural observe for bicycle outlets to wrap these Hub Brushes as a celebration. Nonetheless, due to the eventual excessive commoditization of bicycles and widespread gross sales in chain shops and supermarkets, the tradition round Hub Brushes step by step declined. Lastly, in 2021, manufacturing of those brushes ceased.”
Rainbow Hubge Japan took on the duty of giving hub brushes a brand new lease on life. And within the meantime, they up to date the brushes with improved polyester fibers, thicker brush hairs, and chrome steel core for improved sturdiness. This humble little Hub Brush type of represented a long-forgotten period in Japanese bicycle tradition, so RHJ wished to protect its story, whereas nonetheless merely making a gadget to maintain your shiny hubs clear.
The New Deluxe Hub Brush & Emperor Deluxe Hub Brush
Rainbow Hubge Japan says they’re the one firm making the genuine Hub Brush. They’re 100% handmade in Japan.
The brand new Emperor Black and White Deluxe Hub Brushes are made utilizing pure horse hair bristles, chrome steel wire cores, and 14K gold-filled weights. They retail for 11,000-16,500 Japanese Yen (about $75-112) a pair.
However in case you are on extra of a price range, you too can decide up the usual 4-color Rainbow Deluxe Hub Brush like I’ve on my bike for a extra affordable 5,500 Japanese Yen (~$38) a pair. These get less complicated polyester bristles and metal weights, however are nonetheless made in Japan.
Try the bike within the above photograph.
Apparently sufficient, the CEO of Rainbow Hubge Japan, Mr. Ryogo Shimotsu (aka Motsunabe), has meticulously restored a Cunningham No.14. And, in keeping with RHJ, he bought full assist on the restoration from former SunTour engineers. It turned out unbelievable!
Evaluation: How’s my Rainbow Hub Brush Doing?
The product is straightforward and efficient. I’ve had one on the rear hub of my Rivendell Clem Smith Jr. for nearly 2 years. It nonetheless appears to be like model new. And it provides some enjoyable mojo to the bike. All whereas doing its job of retaining my fancy rear hub from getting all dirty.
It’s not not like the little leather-based straps that will loop round your bicycle hubs after we had been youthful. Like I discussed in my earlier article, I had ’em on my Schwinn seashore cruiser after I was a younger lad, and the end result was a hub that had a mirror end.
Bicycle hubs can gather a good quantity of filth, and to this point, this easy lil’ Hub Brush is retaining my White Industries M15 rear hub clear and freed from filth.
The staff behind the Deluxe Hub Brush has knowledgeable us that they’ve re-branded the comb since our unique put up and created a model new web site which is linked beneath. They now promote the comb straight from the location and can ship globally.
RHJ.base.store
