We started rolling out the RAL label quite seriously this season, and I'm very happy to hear so many of you who purchased items saying "these feel great!" Thank you all so much for your support.
While we are enthusiastic about continuing to develop new items, I have to admit that we lack the capacity (and the time) to keep releasing new products in rapid succession. So, the releases for this spring and summer will wrap up with the pants, shirts, and shorts. We’ll be back with our fall and winter collection after the Obon holidays, so please look forward to that.
With that in mind (?), since things have quieted down on the release front, the staff and some customers went out for a ride for the first time in two weeks.
The group consisted of five of us: Shige-chan and Keita-kun from Early Birds representing Circles, and two customers, Nakaso-kun and Hattori-kun. We went for a gravel ride. Everyone was riding such cool bikes—I'll post some photos of them later!
It was the perfect day for a ride, with temperatures reaching a high of 22℃. Since the weather was mild enough for light clothing, I hit the trails wearing a combination of my RAL CAP, RAL SHIRTS, and RAL SHORTS, paired with BEDROCK SANDALS Clogs. (And a Pink Floyd t-shirt.)
I’ll write about this in another post, but the Clogs go incredibly well with SimWorks' new TACO Pedals. I’ve always used the Clogs as post-ride shoes, but they were great to actually ride in.
It’s a funny coincidence that Shige-chan and I ended up in the same outfit without even planning it, but it was striking how his expression changed the moment he hopped on the saddle. He looks great.
It was so cool to see Nakaso-san, who claimed "this is my first time on a trail, I don't know how to ride," absolutely shredding the downhill. Everyone was powering through the climbs and attacking the descents so hard that I got caught up in the fun too, and I ended up having such a great time that I took a spill and scraped up my left elbow.
We really soaked in the scent of fresh greenery and enjoyed the outdoors to the fullest, and the RAL gear performed perfectly in the natural environment.
The shirt works great as protection against the sun, which is essential because getting a bad sunburn makes the next day really rough. Even though it’s long-sleeved, the thin, quick-drying fabric keeps things dry and comfortable inside.
This was my first time out in the shorts this season, and they are definitely great for riding due to the thin, stretchy fabric. I mindlessly left my phone and earbuds in my pockets when we took off, but they didn't bother me at all. They turned out even better than I imagined during the development stage.
I highly recommend them for the coming season. We’ve also set up a special RAL feature page on the Circles web shop, so please take a look.
The coffee Keita-kun brewed for us during the ride was delicious, too. There’s something special about chatting and pedaling along slowly in the middle of the mountains.
Building bikes is fun, but the real joy comes from riding, falling, and laughing together.
If you'd like to join us for a ride like this, please feel free to talk to any of our staff at the shop.
Someone is out riding almost every week, and we hold group rides on weekends from time to time as well.
