Originally Posted by
microcord
I imagine that this is true of Italian bikes as well.
There have been plenty of Japanese brands of non-mass-produced bikes: as well as those already mentioned, there've been Alps, Zephyr, Level, S W Watanabe, Makino, Kalavinka, Iribe, Quark, Pegasus, Peloton, Ohtaki, Iso, Baramon, Reminton, Raizin, Yanagi, Silk (post Katakura), Nagasawa, Amanda, Amuna ... and those are just off the top of my head. Several were/are one-man operations. There've been many more small companies besides.
Yes, for sure you are correct, but those Japanese one-man shops and the bikes they built I think are rarities in the general bike world, and if you find one, you'll pay a high premium for it. The OP mentioned that he couldn't afford the Italian bikes and was looking for a cheaper alternative, so I don't think he will spend the money for these one - off Japanese bikes either.
I have no idea what kind of bikes the companies that you mentioned built, but I do know the Italian bikes were proven race winning designs, so for me, I would opt for the Italian, but that's just me!
