All Photos by NB a.k.a Nobuhiko Tanabe
We attended CMWC last weekend (thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth!), but in the background, Niseko Gravel was also taking place up in Hokkaido!
Since CMWC was our top priority this time, no one from Circles made it out there, but Yanase-san is dying to go, so it's definitely an event we want to participate in next time. I’m even thinking it would be fun to combine it with a "BikeToFishing" trip (lol).
It turns out that Takanashi-san from Hokkaido, who previously purchased a SKLAR / SuperSomething from us, participated in Niseko Gravel with a beautifully assembled build. We received some wonderful photos from NB, a photographer who accompanied the event as an official camera operator, so we wanted to share them here.
Takanashi-san is tall, so he’s riding a 58cm frame. He’s kitted it out with TERAVAIL Cannonball 700c x 47mm tires, making for a setup that handles Niseko's gravel in comfort. If you look closely, you’ll notice he’s using microSHIFT bar-end shifters—a nice touch.
While there were participants on all kinds of different gravel bikes, his rig really stood out for its personal style.
Actually, Takanashi-san is a legendary telemark skier living in Niseko. He currently runs a shop called Toyru, providing services that help people fully enjoy the mountains of Niseko—from sea kayaking in the Shakotan Peninsula in the summer to telemark skiing and backcountry adventures in the winter.
Check out his riding—it's absolutely sick. (By the way, this photo was taken by Yoichi Watanabe, who is actually NB's mentor.)
Knowing Takanashi-san’s deep familiarity with the mountains of Niseko, it makes us incredibly happy to see him riding his SuperSomething as if he were carving on skis, smoothly tearing up the gravel trails.
Whether it’s gravel in the summer or skiing in the winter, a bike is an essential tool for having fun with the four seasons in Hokkaido. I’d love to go visit sometime if I get the chance!
And thanks again for the amazing photos, NB!