I left my house before dawn this past Thursday and headed to Kyoto by bicycle.
Since there was an exhibition in Kyoto, I decided to ride there myself to give my body a good workout on a long ride for the first time in a while.
I took the route that goes through Ishigure in Mie Prefecture and connects to National Route 1 toward Kyoto.
My sleepy eyes opened the moment I straddled the saddle. I entered Shiga from Mie just as the sun was rising, and since the terrain was mostly downhill until I merged onto Route 1, I was able to pick up the pace and arrived safely in Kyoto in about six hours.
As mentioned on the SimWorks blog, if you ride a Cielo, please be sure to upload a photo of your bike on social media with the hashtag #mycielo! Apparently, Chris King is preparing gifts for those who upload the best photos every month. We look forward to seeing your posts.
With that, let's get back on track and I'll introduce some things that caught my eye at the exhibition.
At JP Sports, I checked out the bar tape from "SUPACAZ," a new brand they are starting to carry.
It's what you might call high-tech bar tape, similar to Lizard Skins. It features a three-layer structure of polyurethane, EVA, and silicone gel, making it resistant to dirt and highly elastic. It uses silicone rather than double-sided tape to adhere, so it doesn't slip easily and is easy to re-wrap.
When I actually gripped it, it felt just right. You can also control the thickness by adjusting how you wrap it. The aggressive color options are great, too.
The price starts at ¥3,780, but it’s quality that justifies the cost.
At my second stop, DTP, I took a look at the highly anticipated new "CAMBIUM" saddle from BROOKS.
To put it simply, it's very good.
The new model created by BROOKS, known for their leather saddles, uses canvas.
This time, they've released the C17, which follows the design of their classic B17. Built on a base of vulcanized natural rubber and topped with organic cotton canvas, this saddle offers excellent flexibility—much like their traditional leather versions—and is built to last.
Unlike leather, it doesn't require maintenance after you start using it, and it's waterproof, so you can ride with peace of mind.
It comes in two colors, White and Black, and is priced at ¥18,900. The lineup includes the C17 and the C17S for women.
If all goes well, it might arrive as early as next month... Stay tuned!!