I'm Yoshi from Circles Tokyo!
As Ishikawa mentioned in a recent blog post, you can currently see every BASSI BIKES model at Circles Tokyo!
Among them, I’ve put together a Bloomfield, which I personally think is the model that best captures the spirit of BASSI. Let me introduce it to you.
But first, take a look at the bike!
BASSI Bloomfield
This is BASSI’s only single-speed model.
The horizontal top tube catches your eye, but the model’s defining feature is that it’s built around 650B wheels.
Single-speed bikes are generally based on track bikes, and 700C wheels with caliper brakes are practically the standard.
But given Tokyo’s less-than-ideal road conditions, the activities you might pair with a bike, and the beauty and simplicity of a single-speed, plenty of people must have wondered if there was an option for a single-speed with wide 650B tires. (In fact, we’ve built several bikes at Circles using a Surly Steamroller with long-reach caliper brakes and 650B tires.)
We don’t know whether BASSI picked up on this demand, but the Bloomfield is exactly the bike they came up with to combine comfort and beauty.
The brake mounts are designed for cantilever/V-brakes to make room for wide tires. This also gives you greater stopping power, enhancing safety and expanding the range of places you can ride.
The fender and rack mounts are another clear message from BASSI. How you interpret them and adapt the bike to your needs is different for everyone. You can imagine all kinds of possibilities: a single-speed commuter loaded with creature comforts, or a touring bike for the true enthusiast, with the added challenge of having no gears.
A build packed with everything you want for city riding
With this Bloomfield, which you can see in person at our shop, I let my imagination run wild and put together a build that I hope will be the perfect way to get around Tokyo.
The first thing that catches your eye is probably the wheels. To make room for fenders, we went with 43C tires—slightly narrower than the maximum tire clearance—and paired them with SIMWORKS Turtle 58 fenders. They promise a comfortable ride without having to worry about road spray after the rain. Pair the bike with a CLEVERHOOD Rover Rain Cape, and it can serve as your everyday ride, taking you straight to your destination whatever the weather.
Up front, we used a VELOCITY Dynamo Hub and paired it with the Edelux II from SON NABENDYNAMO. It’s a top-of-the-line dynamo light, outstanding not only for its beautiful looks but also for features like automatic activation. It improves your visibility and frees you from hassles like forgetting to charge your lights.
At the rear, we used a freewheel. The 18T cog paired with the 46T chainring up front gives a 2.55 gear ratio—a comfortable setup for Tokyo, with its hills and frequent stops at traffic lights.
The elegant NITTO Tallux Stem rises from the classic 1-inch head tube, a rare sight on modern frames. We paired it with a SIMWORKS Little Nick CrMo Bar to create a riding position that’s comfortable while keeping the overall look as simple as possible.
It may be a small detail, but I think cable routing can really change the overall impression of a bike. Even though it’s a single-speed, the cables run through the guides intended for cantilever brakes and land exactly where they should, contributing to the bike’s clean, beautiful look.
When I rode it during the photo shoot, it was nothing short of comfortable. We went to Hibiya Park to take pictures, and the bike’s quiet, unobtrusive feel—thanks to its minimal number of parts—made me want to keep riding aimlessly.
I feel this at our monthly Sunday Morning Ride, too: Tokyo looks different when you take it slow. Riding a geared bike and cutting through the city is certainly exciting, but this bike feels made for a relaxed journey, giving you time to discover things in a city that’s constantly changing at a remarkable pace.
You’re welcome to take it for a test ride at the shop, so I hope you’ll come by and give it a try. And of course, we’d be happy to help you put together a bike tailored to your lifestyle!
