A couple years ago, I wrote a piece about a small fuzzy product from a small Japanese company. The product was called the Hub Brush. And the company that produces this little product is called Rainbow Hubge Japan (RHJ).
It was a simple product that brought back old memories for me. But it apparently had a lot of its own Japanese history too. In any case, I slapped a rainbow Hub Brush on my bike to keep my hub shiny.
And now RHJ have some even fancier natural fiber hub brushes that take inspiration from cycling history in Japan.
A new RHJ Emperor Hub Brush in real horse hair
RHJ just informed me that they’ve fully embraced the humble Hub Brush. They’ve ramped up full production, and made it easier to buy a pair for yourself by creating a website tailored to the international audience (see the link at the bottom of this article).
Plus, now they also have new, higher-quality Hub Brushes made with horse hair, just like the earliest versions of the product. The new horse hair RHJ Deluxe Hub Brush comes in two versions: the ¥11,000 ($75) Emperor Black with gold filled weight, and the ¥16,500($112) Emperor White with rose gold filled weight.
Why Emperor?
Interestingly, RHJ explains the use of the term Emperor when naming the new iteration of the Deluxe Hub Brush is rooted in a deep dive into the history of these lil’ doodads. Here’s what they said:
“Since your piece was published, we’ve continued to explore both the future and the fascinating past of the hub brush.“
“In fact, we recently discovered that the earliest known appearance of a hub brush in a Japanese bicycle catalogue dates back to 1923, and as far as we can tell, this might be the oldest surviving reference globally. Even earlier, a leather-based “hub shiner” appeared in a 1902 catalogue, suggesting an even deeper lineage.“
We also uncovered something quite remarkable: the oldest surviving hub brush in Japan is attached to a bicycle once presented to the current Emperor Emeritus. That bicycle is now preserved in Shimano’s newly opened Bicycle Museum in Sakai City. Inspired by this piece of history—and the fact that the original brush used animal hair—we’ve launched a modern reproduction using horsehair, dubbed the “Emperor” edition. The lead weights have been replaced with gold-filled beads, blending heritage with elegance.”
A Bit More Japanese Hub Brush History
As a refresher for those who have no idea what these little things are…from an earlier press release and my October ’23 article:
“In Japan, it used to be a cultural practice for bicycle shops to wrap these Hub Brushes as a celebration. However, because of the eventual extreme commoditization of bicycles and widespread sales in chain stores and supermarkets, the culture around Hub Brushes gradually declined. Finally, in 2021, production of these brushes ceased.”
Rainbow Hubge Japan took on the task of giving hub brushes a new lease on life. And in the meantime, they updated the brushes with improved polyester fibers, thicker brush hairs, and stainless steel core for improved durability. This humble little Hub Brush kind of represented a long-forgotten era in Japanese bicycle culture, so RHJ wanted to preserve its story, while still simply creating a gadget to keep your shiny hubs clean.
The New Deluxe Hub Brush & Emperor Deluxe Hub Brush
Rainbow Hubge Japan says they are the only company making the authentic Hub Brush. They are 100% handmade in Japan.
The new Emperor Black and White Deluxe Hub Brushes are made using natural horse hair bristles, stainless steel wire cores, and 14K gold-filled weights. They retail for 11,000-16,500 Japanese Yen (about $75-112) a pair.
But if you are on more of a budget, you can also pick up the standard 4-color Rainbow Deluxe Hub Brush like I have on my bike for a more reasonable 5,500 Japanese Yen (~$38) a pair. These get simpler polyester bristles and steel weights, but are still made in Japan.
Check out the bike in the above photo.
Interestingly enough, the CEO of Rainbow Hubge Japan, Mr. Ryogo Shimotsu (aka Motsunabe), has meticulously restored a Cunningham No.14. And, according to RHJ, he got full support on the restoration from former SunTour engineers. It turned out fantastic!
Review: How’s my Rainbow Hub Brush Doing?
The product is simple and effective. I’ve had one on the rear hub of my Rivendell Clem Smith Jr. for almost 2 years. It still looks brand new. And it adds some fun mojo to the bike. All while doing its job of keeping my fancy rear hub from getting all grimy.
It’s not unlike the little leather straps that would loop around your bicycle hubs when we were younger. Like I mentioned in my previous article, I had ’em on my Schwinn beach cruiser when I was a young lad, and the result was a hub that had a mirror finish.
Bicycle hubs can collect a fair amount of dirt, and so far, this simple lil’ Hub Brush is keeping my White Industries M15 rear hub clean and free of dirt.
The team behind the Deluxe Hub Brush has informed us that they have re-branded the brush since our original post and created a brand new website which is linked below. They now sell the brush directly from the site and will ship globally.
