【MONDAYS】RETROTEC / Funduro Twin-Top ATB

　
After two consecutive three-day weekends, the shop has felt a bit slow today, on the final day.
According to the calendar, it’s the Harvest Moon, so if the weather is good tomorrow, we should be able to enjoy the long autumn evening while watching the full moon.
　
　

Now, the Trail Development Project / OPEN INABU, which began in earnest at the end of last year, was launched with this mindset: "Mountain biking isn't something special outside of daily life; it should be as habitual as breathing. Just as a surfer keeps an eye on the ocean, users should be coming up with ideas and taking action."
　
And there are many companions who agree with that. In that environment, needing the tools to breathe became a completely natural thing.
　

The answer we arrived at was RETROTEC, created by the big man from Napa, California, Curtis Inglis. Among his bikes, the FunDuro mountain bike was born based on his experience riding trails all over California. It’s a hardtail bike built with the main premise of having fun.

　
With a 142mm rear thru-axle, a slacker head angle compatible with forks slightly longer than typical XC ones, a 44mm head tube designed for stiffness, short rear stays optimized through constant trial and error to refine the best performance, and seat tubing compatible with a dropper post, it covers all the necessary bases. But more than that, at the heart of this bike's concept sits something solid and unchanging—something that will never go out of style no matter how much the times move forward or change dizzyingly fast.
　
It tells the rider that the mountains are always fun, and that this should be a natural activity, like breathing, and not something special at all.
　
　

　
Of course, there are other reasons why the owner chose Retrotec. It was a long time ago, but he is the one who ordered a road frame from Curtis. And both Curtis and the owner are vehicle enthusiasts, after all. You want to entrust what you ride to a man you can trust.
　
　
Bicycles are the ultimate mode of transportation, not just in the city, but in the mountains as well. Just as we say "share the road" in the city, I want the term "share the trail" to become more widespread in the mountains. Even though the activities—biking, running, hiking—may be different, I hope to see more "rich lives" emerge where people understand the concept of diversity and combine their hobbies with their lives, side-by-side with the mountains, as naturally as breathing.

Photo By : Ryota Kemmochi