[Circles Tokyo] Why I Ordered a Handmade Bike, the BREADWINNER A-Road

100km. 80% on-road, 20% off-road.
With some ups and downs.

That's my favorite kind of ride.

The partner I've spent almost all of those rides with so far is my RITCHEY / Swiss Cross.

When I was on assignment in Nagoya, I decided it was the ideal bike for fully enjoying the mountain passes and dirt roads I rode with the Circles staff, so I built up this RITCHEY.

That said, when I built it I didn't really know what frame geometry suited my body and riding style. I gathered a lot of information, listened to my senior colleagues, and kept coming back to the question of how I wanted to ride this bike as I chose the frame and parts and put it together.

I'd go on a ride, check the fit, change the stem length, adjust the column spacers, swap the handlebar...
Through plenty of trial and error, I gradually made it my own.

There's real joy in finding your own best answer through trial and error, and I grew attached to a frame that responded to whatever kind of riding I wanted to do each time.

But the longer you ride, the more what you want slowly changes. I want to see views a little farther away.
I want to ride a little faster.
I want a little quicker response.
If the chainstays were a little shorter, if the top tube length were...
Just a little more...

I started thinking things like that.
Even when I felt "this is good," there was still a lingering sense that something was "a little lacking."

Performance and design were beyond reproach.
But somewhere I had the feeling I was fitting myself to "a right answer someone else had decided." (*It's also true that this process was absolutely essential for finding my own best answer.)

I wrote a little about the appeal of handmade custom bikes in my recent BIKE FRIDAY travel blog. Once I'd experienced the thrill of riding a bike that fit me perfectly, with frame geometry designed around my riding style, "ordering a handmade bike again next time" was the natural next step.

That's not to say mass-production frames are bad at all. In fact, I know full well that for someone like me who mostly rides for fun, a handmade bike is overkill.

So why do I want such a high-spec bike?
The reason is simple.

I love bikes, I love riding them,
and I want to make the limited time I spend riding the best moments possible.

For that, I had no hesitation about ordering a handmade bike.

Arm length, leg length, flexibility, past injuries, and what I want from the bike.

The frame adapts to my favorite way of riding.

Of course, it isn't cheap. But if I was going to do it, I didn't want to compromise. I wanted to build a bike that would make my time on the bike the best moments of my life.

And out of all the handmade bikes out there, the one I ordered was a BREADWINNER CYCLES.

BREADWINNER CYCLES

BREADWINNER CYCLES is a small bicycle workshop brand from Portland, Oregon, USA.

Every custom handmade frame is built by Tony Pereira, a multi-award-winning frame builder with more than 20 years of experience designing and building custom frames, and each one brings together craftsmanship, quality, beauty, and the joy and freedom you feel when you ride.

When I first saw one of these bikes, I felt a warmth and character that mass production can't deliver, and an honesty with something old-school and classic about it. Simple and rugged, yet obsessive about the details.

The deeper I dug, the more a simple desire welled up inside me: I absolutely had to ride this BIKE.

BREADWINNER offers a range of models, and you can order one tailored to your lifestyle.

The model I chose was the A-Road.
Its concept answers my favorite riding style and my wishes as fully as possible, so I felt it was the best model for creating those best moments.

It rides beautifully on pavement, and if the mood strikes, you can head straight onto gravel. You don't have to choose one or the other.

The freedom to choose based on "how you want to ride" rather than "where you'll ride."
That versatility won my heart.

The experience of ordering

The time spent ordering a BREADWINNER
wasn't just shopping; it was a time to take a fresh look at myself.

What kind of roads do I want to ride?
What kind of time do I want to spend?
What experiences do I want to share, and with whom?

The process of gradually giving shape to those answers reminded me all over again what kind of bike I love.

And one of the things I loved about ordering a handmade bike this time is that you can install the parts you already own and love.

You don't have to be tied to the latest standards.
You can even decide the standards yourself.

In fact, I moved over almost all of my existing parts.

As you all know, bikes come with all sorts of standards, and they get updated at a dizzying pace.
Instead of the beloved parts that have shared all kinds of experiences with you becoming unusable, you can match the frame to them and install them.

It gives you a different kind of reassurance from building up with brand-new top-spec parts, and deepens your love for the bike itself.
Using the same frame and parts for a long time is, I think, something truly wonderful and beautiful.

Bike Check

I took it straight out for some rides over the New Year holidays, and it felt so good I couldn't help laughing.

Even over long distances there's little stress on the body, and the ride feels so light it makes you want to keep going farther. Usually, somewhere past 70km, something starts to hurt or fatigue sets in, but none of that this time.

Where I really felt the difference was on the climbs.
You might think I'm exaggerating, but when I got out of the saddle, the drive was so strong I wondered if it was electric!? Honestly, I was blown away by how different it was...

Then there's the CHRIS KING / 40th Limited Color headset, newly added to my beloved parts. And the pump I ordered with matching paint along with the frameset. (Match-painted pumps can be ordered too.)

Geometry that suits my riding style, a just-right size, position, classic design, my favorite colors, beloved parts...

And above all, it looks so cool...

This is exactly the bike I'd been looking for.
Time on this bike lets me forget all the everyday frustrations and creates the best moments.

How ordering a BREADWINNER works

Finally, here's a quick overview of the ordering process.

People tend to think ordering a handmade bike is difficult, but
"what you've experienced through cycling so far" and "what you want to do with this bike from here on"
once those are clear, it's really not that hard.

① Choose a model

BREADWINNER bikes are semi-custom: you order by choosing from several models.

Popular orders at Circles include
G-Road, Continental, Lolo, B-Road and A-Road,
and the lineup also includes Holeshot, Vera, Arbor Lodge, Komorebi, JB Racer, Bad Otis / Goodwater and more.

From these, you choose the model that suits your riding style.

② Choose a color

Pick your favorite from the 9 standard color schemes. On request, various special paint finishes done in the US are available for an upcharge.

③ Body measurements

To build the bike closest to the owner's ideal, the frame is first designed around the owner's body measurements.

We can take your measurements at Circles Tokyo.

④ Info on the bike you ride now

You enter information about the bike you currently ride.
This is very important information for the new bike.

If you bring your bike in, we'll measure it accurately at Circles Tokyo.

⑤ A questionnaire about you, your current bike and your riding style

Your job, your usual riding style, your flexibility, past injuries, what you want from the new bike, and which components and parts you plan to use.

There's a detailed list of questions for you to answer.

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These five items go on the order sheet, which is sent to Tony.
A drawing then comes back, and after going back and forth with questions and requests while looking at the frame geometry, the frame moves into production.

This, above all, is the appeal of ordering handmade. You can talk and consult directly with the builder.
Working closely with you, sometimes with suggestions from Tony, a frame that's one of a kind in the world takes shape.

Lead time depends on when you order, but mine was delivered to Tokyo in about three months.

If handmade bikes have sparked even a little interest, please come by the shop and talk to us.

We've experienced their appeal firsthand.
We're ready when you are.

And to everyone who always comes out on RIDES with me: it's finally built, so I'm waiting for your RIDE invites.