Hello, this is Eri from the Circles web shop photo team.
We recently held our first Circles Girls Ride! It was such a peaceful ride: we cruised about 10km round-trip at a leisurely pace, headed to an entertainment-style café to get our sugar fix for the week, stopped by a flower shop, and made our way back. I'm really looking forward to the report blog!
Anyway, while U-chan was devouring something called a pancake parfait at the café, she murmured, "When I first rode a sports bike, I was actually pretty scared."
When I asked her what was so scary, she said it was the motion of braking, coming to a stop, and getting off. It was completely different from the way she had ridden mamachari bikes for nearly 20 years, and it looked like she wouldn't be able to reach the ground—she honestly thought it wasn't something she could ride, and that getting on and off would be difficult.
It’s true that bikes with a large front triangle—even if they’re the right size—might look like something that "isn't for me" to girls who are used to mamachari bikes. As I reaffirmed the importance of how a bike looks, I remembered that I once bought a step-through bike from the US on impulse because it just looked so cute.
Since I hadn't forgotten the girlish instinct (pardon me) to choose things based on "Cute! That looks easy to ride!", I nodded along, saying, "I totally get how you feel, U-chan."
The Origins of the Step-Through
Originally, step-through frames were developed as bikes for women. Since women at the time wore skirts or dresses, it was difficult to swing a leg over a traditional diamond frame. Thus, the "step-through frame" with a lowered or slanted top tube was devised.
The shift from the diamond frame to the step-through frame wasn't just a matter of form; it likely had a major influence on women's activities and thinking. It can be called a groundbreaking remodel that encouraged action—moving away from the traditional structure of "women = staying at home to guard the family" and toward going out on one's own, working, and getting around under one's own power.
Moving further ahead, around the 1980s when mountain biking was in its heyday, Californians wondered, "How can we get a wider range of people to enjoy mountain biking?" They arrived at an idea: "If we make them so women can ride them, they'll be able to enjoy them with their mountain-bike-loving boyfriends or husbands!"
And so, mountain bikes that lowered the standover height while maintaining strength, allowing women to ride with peace of mind, were born.
Fast forward to today, and the appeal of step-through bikes is that, by selecting the right cockpit components, you can change the ride feel while maintaining ease of mounting and dismounting. For example, you can start with a relaxed, mamachari-like position, and once you get used to it, swap in parts for a more forward-leaning, sporty ride.
The VELO ORANGE Polyvalent Low Kicker is the perfect frame to embody that concept. It comes with plenty of eyelets for fenders and baskets, so it’s great for daily use. Since the Small size accommodates heights from 155–165cm, its deep versatility—allowing it to be adjusted for everyone from petite women to those of average height through part selection without needing to worry too much about inseam length—is a major draw of this frame.
Its geometry—BB drop, standover, chainstay length, etc.—is set in a perfect balance between stability for riding gravel with luggage and a snappy, responsive ride. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a bike that’s easy to get on and off while carrying cargo.
VELO ORANGE / Polyvalent Low Kicker Geometry Chart
And so, the VELO ORANGE Polyvalent Low Kicker in Metallic Glacier is now in stock.
VELO ORANGE Polyvalent Low Kicker
Size: Small
Price: 165,000 yen (tax included)
The fact that all small sizes for the step-through styles we carry at Circles—the KONA Coco, BASSI Rachel, and CRUST BIKES Evasion StepThrough—are sold out really shows the motivation of girls who want to ride bikes.
I want Circles to be a place that supports girls as they take that first step, cherishing the feeling of "I think I can ride this! I want to try!"
Also, VELO ORANGE parts, such as handlebars, created with the goal of letting a wide variety of people enjoy cycling, have arrived along with the frames, so please take a look at those as well.
