Was it a pain in the ass to open a bar in Tokyo?

No, a lot of it comes down to connections, knowing the right people and timing. Knowing the language helps because all my day-to-day administration and ordering alcohol, taxes, all that stuff’s in Japanese. So that’s probably a hassle if you don’t know Japanese but generally it’s a lot easier than setting up a bar in America, which we’re trying to do right now. We just signed a lease on a building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (They held an opening party at the space, called Kinfolk Studios, on February 25.) In New York especially there’s so much red tape involved in getting a liquor license and getting your space up to code.

What kind of frames does Kinfolk Bicycle Company make?

We make two types of frames. One is a keirin-inspired track frame. The builder we use built bikes for keirin racers for about 30 years. So he uses the same geometry that he used when he was building the bikes for keirin. The other type of frame is a custom-made, steel road frame.

What’s special about keirin frames?

They’re steel, whereas a lot of bikes ridden on velodromes around the world are made of high-tech material like carbon fiber. But in Japan, as you’ve seen today, track racing is a gambling thing more than anything else, so they have regulations that the bicycles have to be built in a certain way so that no rider gets a performance advantage. Everyone’s riding a similar bike.

What’s the bar’s signature cocktail?

Our ginger-mint mojito is very popular. I used to work in this really high-end cocktail lounge where there were yakuza (Japanese Mafia) guys coming in. And this one guy would always order a mojito and specifically ask that there be ginger in the mojito. And I tried it and it was good so figured I should bring it down here when I opened this place. It goes well with Japanese ginger ale, which is really gingery, and a little bit spicy.

Ever have any problems with the yakuza guys?

No, no, they’re fine. They don’t really pay any attention to Westerners. They’re in a whole different stratosphere. We’re not really worth their time.

So what were things like here when Tokyo hosted the Cycle Messenger World Championships?

It was crazy. There were messengers sleeping in hammocks made of tarpaulins, homeless people ham-

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