Spring 2025 at Circles—it's time for us to properly restart RAL.
The RAL label was born out of our own bicycle play.
RAL is an abbreviation for "RideAlive," which means "to continue riding vividly." There is a specific context behind the birth of RAL.
The grand adventure that began simply because we acquired a fun tool called a bicycle, when combined with our playfulness, rapidly connected to and expanded into a wide variety of activities.
And in our daily lives, naturally influenced by engaging in such play, we have delved deep into what kind of tools we want to use. We believe in our own sense of humor and turn things we can truly use to their fullest into tangible forms—that is the original product line we want to propose, "RAL." It continues to evolve as a testament to the term "RideAlive," which was born from our desire to live rich lives, taking the essence learned from riding as our standard for life.
In this article, I am writing to share the manifesto of the RAL label, so that you can understand the reasoning behind why and how we create things.
We also did a photo shoot, so there is a style book for these products at the end; please take a look.
What Inspires RAL
Did you see the film "Camera Corner," presented by The Radavist, which premiered at last year's MADE Bike?
I have always loved the culture of the 60s and 70s, and this is a film featuring Wende Cragg, a photographer of the cycling community during the dawn of mountain biking whom I super admire. (I got carried away and bought her book and prints, and I am super satisfied. If you are interested, you can purchase them here.)
I was totally inspired by this.🫱🫲
This worldview. It’s amazing. Supremely free, supremely rough. Supremely fun.
I love bicycles themselves, but I also love the way bicycles existed within the culture of that era.
The anti-war movement against the Vietnam War at the time, concern for environmental issues, and the meditation, yoga, and other meditative practices influenced by Eastern philosophy that emerged from the counterculture. Backpacking and the running boom, both born from the "back to nature" orientation. And the touring boom.
When I think about that era, I feel like it’s not that different from recent current events and trends, so I justified it to myself as a perfect reference point.
Honestly, this worldview has been a personal favorite of mine since I was in middle school, but after seeing this The Radavist project, I was locked back in, and that’s how I’ve been feeling.
Long story short, a bicycle is a healthy, CO2-free mode of transportation to become free. I intend to create a product lineup that allows you to enjoy that feeling even more.
That being said, new RAL and Circles original/bespoke items will be produced with that "Back to the Origin" theme.
Product Concept
Here, I will clarify the RAL product concept in advance.
Low Tech and Good Feeling
We aim to create comfortable clothing with minimal functionality.
This line is made for bicycle use, but it is not technical wear for extreme environments. In other words, we propose a style that asks: why not go for a ride in a 100% cotton shirt, or go touring in jeans, if it feels good? We actively incorporate the parts that feel good while riding, like stretchiness or thin, breathable fabrics.
Uncool but Good Vibes Guaranteed
We will develop a range of products that don't have an urban vibe, but are "country-style" in a good way.
Well, Nagoya, where we live, is a (huge) countryside, and we can't really pull off looking cool even if we try. Plus, I’m the kind of nerd who likes that sort of thing, so it’s only natural for things to turn out "country-style." But, how well it blends with nature and its good vibes are permanently guaranteed.
2025SS Season Style
Following the jeans at the beginning of the year, we’ve created seasonal looks perfect for this spring by combining Circles standard items, bespoke items, and new RAL releases. The shooting situations captured our daily work and break scenes at Circles. Details for each product are in individual articles, so please click the links in the captions.
RAL Chambray Shirts
Whether playing or working, you want to enjoy it seriously. RAL is your reliable partner. This chambray shirt uses comfortable fabric while featuring tough details, so it should fit your active lifestyle perfectly.
RAL Cotton Linen Check Shirts
It's spring, and when you want to ride your bike with a light heart, I recommend a plaid shirt. Made from loosely woven cotton-linen material, this shirt is light and has a loose silhouette, designed to let the wind blow through comfortably when you're riding.
RAL Merino Wool L/S Tee
The RAL merino wool T-shirt, which was well-received last year, has been updated and released again. While overcoming the challenges of the previous version, the overall perfection has increased significantly.
Instead of the underwear silhouette common in the market, it’s an outer silhouette intended to be worn on its own, so it looks great as a single piece, and its functionality works well as an inner layer too. It’s a merino wool T-shirt that is useful in all seasons.
CHAMPION Print Tee “BIKECOLOGY”
The more you ride a bike, the better it is for the environment. It especially affects current climate change. With that message in mind, for our third season of the CHAMPION collaboration, we created a T-shirt with the message "BIKECOLOGY."
CHAMPION Print Tee “BIKE NERD”
A tribute to the Bike Nerd that all bike lovers admire! We finished it with a font like a vintage surf T-shirt. It’s a reliable T-shirt on a CHAMPION body that you can wear tough.
CHAMPION Print Tee “ALL-STEEL”
Circles believes in steel bikes. Why? You’ll understand once you read this content. Please wear it with the essence and importance of Cr-Mo / chromoly frames engraved in your heart!
There are still many items I want to introduce, so I would like to continue writing!
Please check out spring outfits at Circles!