This is Nao-san of TOMII CYCLES, who recently held a POPUP event for us at Circles Tailored.
Lately we've met up in Austin, ridden together in Niigata, and had him hold a POPUP in Nagoya — we've gotten to be pretty good friends.
He's a maker bringing a completely new style to the world of American handmade bikes, rendering Southwestern motifs with the spirit and skill of Japanese craftsmanship.
As he himself puts it, the bike accessories he makes are "Bike Jewelry."
He expresses the artistry from his own background in the world of bikes.
There are a fair number of makers who bring traditional, artistic expression to rugged bikes, but his style — treating a super-simple TIG-welded bike as a "canvas" and pouring incredible technique into it — is one of a kind. Search the whole world and you'd hardly find anyone else working this way.
Precisely because the bike design itself is so simple and pragmatic, the motifs he engraves onto it really stand out.
For more details, check out this blog post I wrote before the POPUP.
To celebrate Circles' 20th anniversary, Nao-san of TOMII CYCLES made us a special accessory.
Handmade Brass Top Cap Circles 20th Edition
A style unlike anything he's done before. A Stem Cap packed with expression. It would be a shame to over-explain it up front, so take a look at the photos first.
The body of the Stem Cap is brass, inlaid with his signature materials such as turquoise, opal and coral.
The motifs and design are inspired by Native American work from the Southwest.
And can you spot how the inlaid stainless steel forms the "C" of Circles?
His work is usually built on uniform patterns, but this time the style shifts a little, with a few pieces featuring patterns that seem to express something more abstract.
And while his usual pieces are mostly polished, this time the unpolished "satin finish" looks really good.
This finish is exclusive to the 20th Limited.
Being handmade, of course, no two are the same. Even so, the level of finish is so high you want to shout, "How can anyone make something this precise?!" Seriously amazing.
The materials themselves are expensive and a huge amount of work goes into each one, so it's a correspondingly pricey item — but the more you look at it, the more it captivates you.
Also, since it's brass, you get to enjoy its own unique patina.
Patina is the character something takes on as it changes with age.
The Stem Cap in particular, by its very position, is where sweat drips down while you ride.
Brass changes color and texture as it oxidizes, so the more you ride your bike, the better it gets. Of course, polishing it regularly to keep it clean is fine too. But personally, I like letting it age.
At the POPUP, lots of wonderfully obsessive people who love both Indian jewelry and bikes came by.
We had a limited number made, and quite a few actually sold at the POPUP. The remaining pieces will be sold at Circles Tailored and on our Web Shop. (At Circles Tokyo, we'll set up a chance to buy them at a trunk show at a later date.)
As a treat for yourself. For a special occasion. Any excuse works — this is one we'd love you to find a reason to buy.
What's on the Web Shop is all there is, and we won't be getting this type in again, so please do consider it.
TOMII CYCLES Handmade Brass Top Cap Circles 20th Edition
Price: ¥88,000 (tax included)
Oh, and for the first time in a while, we also have his spacers, bells and bar ends in stock — personally my favorites.
The spacers come in three types: 5mm, 20mm and 15mm Tapered. Personally, I think the chunky 20mm one looks great, with its large engraved surface.
Stacking a 5mm spacer on the Stem Cap side is another cool way to use them.
Just between us, the 15mm tapered spacer is based on the SIMWORKS Brass Tapered, which personally makes it an especially exciting item for me.
These don't come in very often either, so don't miss them.
We've also put soft goods online, including T-shirts, caps, key rings and decal sets, so be sure to check them out.
This post focuses mainly on the 20th Limited, but we'll also introduce his Fat Canvas frame, which arrived at the same time, a little later.
