【Circles Tokyo】Tough, clean everyday tools that distill the essence of the street. OMNIUM Nano special complete bike.

Hello, this is Yoshimoto from Circles Tokyo.

Tokyo has fully transitioned from spring to early summer, and it’s becoming an even more pleasant season for cycling. As the sun gets stronger, I feel like the atmosphere around the Toranomon area is gradually becoming more vibrant.

Now, as announced on the Circles blog the other day, here is the new OMNIUM NANO cargo bike. At Circles Tokyo, we have immediately built up a special complete bike based on this new frame, packed with our own unique interpretation.

OMNIUM is a cargo bike that functions as a practical tool born from the messenger culture of Copenhagen. The biggest feature of their latest model, the NANO, is that it uses 20-inch wheels in the front and back, keeping the total length to about 1.5 meters.

This is a very sensible design for the housing situation in a city like Tokyo. While it fits into apartment elevators and standard bike parking spaces, the front rack can still carry up to 40kg of cargo. Furthermore, in a city with as much stop-and-go as Tokyo, the light acceleration characteristic of small-diameter wheels and the ease of maneuvering provided by the short wheelbase translate directly into a better riding experience.

Another major feature of the OMNIUM Nano is that it comes in one size that fits heights from 160cm to 190cm, meaning you can share one bike with your family or partner just by adjusting the seat post height.

OMNIUM Nano Circles Tokyo Complete

¥506,000 tax included

In building this Bottle Green NANO, my theme was "a tough, clean daily tool with the essence of the streets extracted." This was inspired by this article published on OMNIUM's official site.

I felt it captured the personality of the NANO well, and the project started with the idea, "Wouldn't it be cool to create a comfortable bike that expresses this vibe while fitting into everyday life in Tokyo?"

Now that it's built, the result is even better than I imagined.
Let me introduce the details.

Tough and vast gear range hidden in a single-speed aesthetic

The most significant feature is the drivetrain. Aiming for both a clean, single-speed look and daily convenience, I assembled the SHIMANO ALFINE 8-speed internal gear hub.

Using a rear derailleur on a 20-inch small-wheel bike naturally limits the clearance between the mechanism and the ground. There is always a risk of hitting and bending the derailleur when going over bumps or parking. However, with the ALFINE, where all gears are housed inside the hub, you can avoid such mechanical issues.

This system is almost completely unaffected by rain or mud. Even with daily, tough use, it requires less frequent lubrication and cleaning and provides stable shifting performance over a long period. Furthermore, because there is no lateral chain movement during shifting, the chain line is always kept straight, which is a major benefit for significantly extending the life of the entire drivetrain.

Above all, it's worth noting the breadth of the gear range, which you wouldn't expect from its appearance. The final gear ratio obtained by combining the 40T front crank with the ALFINE 8-speed is 1.17–4.78. When converted to a typical external derailleur system, this is equivalent to a wide range of roughly 8T to 34T.

Small-wheel bikes often have a reputation for not going anywhere even when you pedal hard, but this configuration is different. From a top gear equivalent to an 8T, which allows you to get up to speed quickly, to a light low gear equivalent to 34T, which lets you spin easily even when climbing Tokyo's steep hills. It’s truly impressive that such a wide-range cassette and derailleur are packed into that compact hub.

Plus, you can shift gears while stopped, so starting from zero at traffic lights, even when loaded with cargo, is very smooth.

For the crank area, I adopted the newly released polished color of SHIMANO CUES. Beyond the undeniable presence of the long-awaited silver Shimano crank, I intentionally chose a model with a chain guard.

It saves you the trouble of rolling up your pant legs or wearing a strap, allowing you to hop on and ride in your everyday clothes. It’s packed with details meant to make city riding comfortable.

Street-conscious wheels and cockpit

For the rims, I chose the Cliffhanger from VELOCITY, which boasts the highest durability in their lineup. Pairing them with MAXXIS BMX Grifter tires not only creates a street style but also provides guaranteed cushioning and durability thanks to their high air volume. They roll lightly, have low road noise, and the well-defined tread makes them safe to ride even on rainy days—they are the perfect tires for city riding!

For the heart of the cockpit, I chose the robust THOMSON X4 Block Stem.

THOMSON is an American brand that originally manufactured aircraft parts. Their components, machined with extreme precision from a single block of aluminum, boast overwhelming stiffness and durability.

To go with that rugged stem, I selected the Mowmow Bar, a low-riser bar that SIMWORKS is proud of. The moderate rise and backsweep create a relaxed, upright riding posture while further enhancing the rugged aesthetic.

For grips, I chose the glow-in-the-dark type from OURY, adding a touch of playfulness for riding through the city at night. The crisp feel of the DIA-COMPE MX-2 levers is also a nice touch!

Furthermore, functional options are available to match Japanese housing conditions. By using the Tilting Rack Bracket, the otherwise bulky front rack can be tilted vertically without tools. You can also easily remove the rack itself by pulling the quick-release pin. This makes indoor storage much easier and ensures the large rack won't be a hindrance in public bike parking areas.

With one more trick, you can make it even more compact. By loosening the bolt and turning the stem 90° to the side, the maximum width of the bike fits within the widest part of the stand (about 40cm). With just these steps, the barrier to indoor storage is dramatically lowered.

Cargo bikes are often thought to have high hurdles in Japan, especially in urban areas like Tokyo, regarding storage and maneuverability in exchange for their overwhelming carrying capacity.

However, this OMNIUM NANO smartly clears those challenges with its compact 20-inch front-and-rear design and the gimmicks that accommodate the Japanese living environment. By combining it with tough parts we trust and a clean drivetrain that you can ride without hesitation in your daily clothes, we’ve completed the ultimate bike that you can use to its full potential every single day.

From buying cases of cola or mineral water at the supermarket to traveling with your beloved pet, and even for a little extended BIKE to CAMP trip. For me, if I have this NANO along with a bike meant purely for enjoying the ride, I feel like most things in my life—from urban living to weekend activities—could be completed by bicycle.

Bicycles as a part of life. Isn't this exactly the kind of bicycle that fits perfectly into life in Tokyo?

It is currently on display at the Circles Tokyo storefront, so please come by to see the actual bike to check the size, the rack-folding mechanism, and the clean finish of the internal 8-speed. Of course, we also accept custom builds based on this! We look forward to seeing you at our shop.