Unveiled on International Single Speed Day on November 2nd, here is the new release from the RAL label: Exposure.
Pre-orders start today, November 28th. The pre-order window closes on December 25th, with deliveries scheduled for May–June 2026.
You can place your order through Circles, Circles Tokyo, or any CWD dealer across the country.
The Platform For Your Idea
Exposure is not a perfect bike. In fact, as a frameset alone, it is perfectly incomplete.
At a glance, it uses standards that are slowly being forgotten, and I have intentionally omitted the details you might brag to your friends about or that would make your fellow riders swoon. That is because this bike is like a canvas for you to paint your own favorites on, or like a roll of film for a camera.
As for specifications, it features durable and sturdy chromoly tubing and track ends for single-speed use. The design, too, has been stripped down as much as possible: 26-inch wheels, a 1-1/8” head tube, a unicrown fork, and TIG welding. The frame comes in only one color: "Grey Card," a reproduction of what is known as 18% grey.
A roll of film isn't valuable on its own; it gains value when you press the shutter and capture your perspective. This is a bike I want you to color with your own ideas in the same way.
Yes, all this bike needs is your own wild imagination and the will to push the pedals.
To be able to enjoy it on any terrain, to be as simple as possible, as easy as possible, and affordable. And for it to be a limitless vessel for the rider's imagination.
Because of that, I believe the RAL Exposure will be the simplest, most rule-free single-speed bike of 2026.
From city streets to the trails. From asphalt to dirt tracks.
The RAL Exposure is a trail commuter driven solely by your own legs and ideas. (And it comes with a little something extra to spark your imagination.)
Back to Analog
On a personal note, I’ve been taking more photos with a fully manual film camera over the last few years.
The latest digital cameras are convenient; set them to full auto, press the shutter, and everything is adjusted for you, allowing you to check the results on the spot. Retaking a shot is easy.
But gradually, it began to feel like I was being "made to take photos by the machine."
With a full-manual camera, how you capture the world is decided by that simple configuration of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (the relationship between these three is called "exposure").
There is a "proper exposure," but there is no "correct exposure." The correct answer isn't decided by others or machines—you have to decide it yourself. That is the fun of manual cameras. It’s also nice that each individual body has its own quirks.
And the result caught on film? You don't know it until you develop it.
This is a deeply unstable, ambiguous, physical, and intellectual experience. Such a simple, analog experience possesses a depth that cannot be measured digitally.
I feel that this "instability" and the "sense that you have to decide for yourself" that I feel when shooting with film is somewhat similar to riding a bicycle.
The fact that you can fix it yourself if you put in a little effort. The little tricks you learn. The joy that comes from trial and error. It’s good because it’s a bit of a hassle. It’s fun because it takes time. I believe that is the essential pleasure of the analog bicycle.
RAW：Ride Alternative Way
The latest trends, the latest fashions... we live in an age where, if you open your smartphone, information floods in without you even having to access it.
Even when trying to buy something, are you really the one choosing it? Or are you being made to choose by an algorithm? It has become impossible to draw a clear line between the two.
Sometimes it feels like the world we live in is being processed at high speed by a giant CPU. Something is updated the moment you look away, moving at a speed where, before you know it, you are left behind, "not knowing."
Maybe the reason phrases like "it’s come full circle, this is still best after all" are used so commonly is that the world is moving too fast.
So many things are being updated so rapidly.
Current affairs and trends change before our own thoughts can even keep up. Swept into that whirlpool, we are gradually losing our "own speed."
At times like this, choosing not to conform to someone else's values, intentionally slowing down, and creating things purely your own—at your own power, your own pace, and based on your own values—is, I believe, a modest form of resistance against being swallowed by this world.
That is what a film camera and a bicycle are to me.
I wanted to create a tool that would allow people to experience that "sense of deciding for yourself" and "reclaiming your own speed" in a more accessible way.
Like a film camera, a tool to keep a distance from digital optimization and to touch the world with your own body and imagination.
The RAL Exposure exists as an extension of that.
A bicycle is a vehicle that lets you go where you want to go using your own will and power. But (even with an electric bike) it won't move a millimeter unless you take that first step yourself.
Highly optimized efficiency is fine, but I don't want my hobbies and my own sources of enjoyment to be made convenient and simple.
Because the era is becoming increasingly complex, we need simple choices. Simple functions, simple standards. Nothing unnecessary.
You decide what to add and how to ride. I believe true freedom lies right there.
TTL – Time To Low-Tech
The "instability" and the "sense that you have to decide for yourself" that I feel when shooting with film is something I find similar to a bicycle.
There is also an "optimum" for a bike: gear ratios, geometry, standards, safety. But there is no "correct answer."
Instead of an optimal solution decided by someone else, you decide for yourself, based on your mood, your body, and the direction you want to go.
That is a sense completely different from efficiency, speed, or the shortest distance.
In a sense, just like with a film camera, I think the process of verifying every single choice with your own hands is itself "Exposure."
In an age where the world is too fast, everything is automated, and things are being turned into manuals, thinking, feeling, and deciding at the speed of the body is key.
That "margin" or "negative space," just like with a film camera, allows you to reclaim your own senses.
That is the concept at the core of the Exposure: "TTL – Time To Low-Tech."
Bike Spec
| Frame Material | TTL CrMo Tubing |
| Frame Color | Gray Card |
| Fork Color | Gray Card |
| Head Tube Size | 1-1/8″ |
| Headset Standard | EC34 / EC34 |
| Brake Mount | V-Brake |
| BB | 73mm BSA / JIS |
| Fork End | 100mm QR |
| Rear End | 135mm / Track End |
| Seat Post Size | 27.2mm |
| Seat Clamp Size | 30.0mm |
| Tire Clearance | 26 x 2.5″ [1] |
| Chainring Size | Max 36t (Chain Line 53.5) [2] |
| Frame Weight | 2,240g (Size L) |
| Fork Weight | 1,100g (Each) |
[1] Clearance varies depending on the tire and rim combination.
[2] The chainring size listed assumes the most difficult case. Clearance with the frame depends on the components and build.
*Comes with a little extra something.
Size / Geometry
| Frame Size | Small | Medium | Large |
| Head Tube Angle (deg.) | 71 | 71 | 71 |
| Seat Tube Angle (deg.) | 73 | 73 | 73 |
| Head Tube Length (mm) | 100 | 105 | 115 |
| Seat Tube Length (C to C) (mm) | 410 | 480 | 510 |
| Effective Top Tube Length (mm) | 550.0 | 587.7 | 604.1 |
| Standover (mm) | 738 | 765 | 797 |
| Stack Height (mm) | 519.9 | 524.6 | 534.0 |
| Reach (mm) | 391.2 | 427.3 | 440.8 |
| Chainstay Length (mm) | 415 | 415 | 415 |
| Fork (Axle to Crown) (mm) | 408 | 408 | 408 |
| Rake (mm) | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| Head Tube Extension (mm) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| BB Drop (mm) | 44 | 44 | 44 |
※Assumes 26×2.5″ tire size
※The bike shown on the blog is a Size M.
RAL Exposure – Trail Commuter Frame Set
Price: 88,000 (tax included)
Frame delivery is scheduled for May–June.
Available for order at Circles, Circles Tokyo, and CWD dealers nationwide.
ASA：Almost Satisfied Analog
Finally.
Exposure has certain limitations, but it is basically designed to accept parts from various eras.
The form itself isn't individualistic, but its depth—in accepting parts whether they are new or used—is a characteristic of the Exposure.
There are almost no complex parts, so with some knowledge, enthusiasm, and tools, you could assemble it yourself.
Having encouraged your DIY spirit, let me say one more important thing.
You can also purchase the Exposure at any CWD product dealer, which acts as the wholesale department for Circles.
Given the nature of a bicycle as a local vehicle, I recommend purchasing and requesting assembly from a trusted local bike shop.
They can provide better maintenance, it builds mutual trust, and it leads to good things in the future. Let’s liven up the local bicycle culture.
Please consult with your local dealer. (Of course, Circles handles them as well.)
Also, be sure to check out Kyutai-san's entry on Exposure. You'll be able to learn more about this frame.
