DISRAELI GEARS

DnB

DNB 66 black (1st style) main image DnB Falcon (2nd style) main image DnB 66 red (2nd style) main image

Dai Nippon Bicycle (DnB) were a Tokyo based manufacturer of bicycles. In the 1950’s there seems to have been two centres of bicycle industry activity in Japan, Tokyo was one, and Sakae near Osaka (the home of Shimano, SunTour, SR and Sugino) was the other. A certain Mr. Miyata (a name with resonance) from DnB seems to have been an influential figure in the Tokyo group.

Derailleurs branded DnB were produced by a company called Dai Nippon Kikai Kogyo Co., Ltd, which was presumably the same as or related to Dai Nippon Bicycle.

The history of DnB derailleurs is a little unclear, but may go like this:

  • Hiroshi Nakamura claims DnB released an ‘A Type’ non-parallelogram derailleur in 1957.
  • Hiroshi Nakamura also claims that DnB released a parallelogram model as early as 1958. I believe that this parallelogram model was a copy of the Campagnolo Gran Sport.
  • In 1965 I believe that DnB released the DnB 66 model in this collection.
  • At some point in the late 1960s I believe that DnB began to use the ‘Danube’ brand, producing both derailleurs and bicycles with this brand. This brand appears to have been owned by the Fuji Motors Company of Tokyo, which morphed into a company called Xenoah. This company exists to this day as Zenoah, and is part of the Husqvarna group.
  • The 1971 edition of Japan's Bicycle Guide shows a funky looking derailleur called the DnB Danube alongside the DnB 66.
  • The 1975 edition of Japan's Bicycle Guide shows a completely new range of three derailleurs, all of which use a dropped parallelogram design. In the book thay are called 'GX Xenoah Model RD 18-1', 'GX Xenoah Model RD 18-2', 'Danube Xenoah RD 17'.
  • And then the 1976 edition of Japan's Bicycle Guide reverses utterly, omitting all the new, modern, 1975 models, and showing only the, 1960s era, DnB 66.

On a different point, I am vaguely suspicious about how various other brands relate to each other:

  • The Taiwanese DNP brand uses an alarmingly similar typeface to that used by DnB. DNP also produced a derailleur that is clearly derivative of the DnB 66 derailleurs in this collection.
  • DnB branded some of their parallelogram derailleurs with the word ‘Falcon’. This is somewhat in line with Shimano’s use of bird’s names. Falcon is also a Taiwanese brand of derailleurs.
  • There is a Miyata bicycle brand in Japan, and it is somehow related to the Koga Miyata brand.
  • Whether any of these things have any relevance to DnB I do not know.


see also Japan's Bicycle Guide '56 1956

see also Japan's Bicycle Guide '56 1956

Japan's Bicycle Guide '56 - front cover thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 1,049,275 - DnB 1959

see also US Trademark # 1,049,275 - DnB 1959

US Trademark 1,049,275 - DNB thumbnail



see also New Cycling 01/1966 - DnB ad

see also New Cycling 01/1966 - DnB ad

New Cycling January 1966 - DNB advert thumbnail


DnB Danube Deluxe - flyer 1968?

DnB Danube Deluxe - flyer 1968?

  • Publisher: DnB?
  • Date: 1968?
  • Derailleur brands: DnB
  • Derailleurs: nothing specific
DNB Danube Deluxe - flyer thumbnail



see also Japan's Bicycle Guide 1971

see also Japan's Bicycle Guide 1971

Japan's Bicycle Guide 1971 - front cover thumbnail


see also Japanese Utility Model # S49-133941 - Xenoah 1973

see also Japanese Utility Model # S49-133941 - Xenoah 1973

Japanese Utility Model # S49-133941 - Xenoah thumbnail


see also Unknown US magazine 1973 - Xenoah ad

see also Unknown US magazine 1973 - Xenoah ad

Unknown US magazine 1973 - DNB advert thumbnail


see also Japan's Bicycle Guide 1975

see also Japan's Bicycle Guide 1975

Japan's Bicycle Guide 1975 - front cover thumbnail


see also Japan's Bicycle Guide 1976

see also Japan's Bicycle Guide 1976

Japan's Bicycle Guide 1976 - front cover thumbnail


see also New Cycling 05/1981 - '81 Derailleur Collection

see also New Cycling 05/1981 - '81 Derailleur Collection

  • Publisher: New Cycling
  • Date: May 1981
  • Derailleur brands: too numerous to list here
  • Derailleurs: too numerous to list here
New Cycling May 1981 - Derailleur Collection page 017 thumbnail


see also Zenoah - web site 2020

see also Zenoah - web site 2020

Zenoah - web site 2020 scan 01 thumbnail