Within Reach

Hello everyone, it’s been a while.

I’ve decided to move “How to Build a Sphere,” which I had been writing weekly, to a monthly schedule starting this month, after taking a little time off.

There were things I could see by writing continuously every week, but I believe that by taking a short break, I can also see things from a different distance and perspective.

About bicycles.
About the shop.
About people.
And about the kind of time we choose to spend.

Just because it’s monthly doesn’t mean I intend to change things drastically, but I hope to continue writing while thinking a little more deeply and looking a little further ahead.

The first installment is about the idea of being “within reach.”

When summer comes, the time we spend riding our bicycles changes.

Many cyclists likely start their rides in the early morning, before the city wakes up, to avoid the heat of the day.

Even in the early morning, you can still feel the lingering heat of yesterday radiating from the asphalt.
Yet, when you head out along the river, the breeze might feel a little cooler. Then, at the very next traffic light, you’re instantly drenched in sweat, and the water in your bottle turns lukewarm in no time.

However, I believe there is a special comfort to that time that exists only in that moment.

Generally, riding a bike tends to focus on speed or covering long distances. But in reality, it’s about:

Which time of day you choose.
Which roads you take.
Who you ride with.
Where you stop to rest.

I believe it’s an act of deciding all of those things for yourself.

Time is truly a mysterious thing.
It seems to be given to everyone in the same way, yet it starts to take on completely different meanings depending on how you use it.

There is time spent choosing things you can get instantly,
and there is time spent putting in the effort, waiting, and engaging in dialogue to shape something into existence.

There are things that satisfy you quickly, cheaply, and easily—like fast food—and there are experiences like a full-course meal, where you savor the time itself. But as always, this isn't a conversation about which is right.

However, that distinction in time certainly exists in the world of cycling.
And one such example is the choice of a handmade bike.

The True Meaning of “Handmade Bike”

Perhaps thanks to the opening of “Tailored,” Circles’ new custom-building facility, I’ve been hearing the term “handmade bike” more frequently from our customers and on social media lately.

With shows like MADE in Portland, where SimWorks exhibits every year, and the Bespoked handmade bike shows in Europe—which are held in the UK and Germany, and are scheduled to take place right here in Osaka, Japan this year—I feel that this world is gradually and surely beginning to heat up again.

However, to be a bit level-headed, there is almost no such thing as a bicycle in this world that hasn’t been touched by human hands.

Even with mass-produced bicycles, there are people who design them, people who weld them, people who assemble them, and people who inspect and pack them.
Bicycles don’t just spring into existence through machines alone.

That is why I believe the value of a handmade bike lies in more than just the fact that it is “made by hand.”

What matters is who it is made for.
What is being thought about during its creation.
How far human eyes and hands have reached.
And what kind of person is making it.

That is where I believe the true meaning of a handmade bike lies.

Not to an Average, But to the Individual

A custom handmade bike is a bicycle made for a specific person.

The rider’s physique.
The places they have ridden.
The cargo they want to carry.
Their comfortable speed.
The bicycles they have ridden before.
The places they want to go in the future.

We listen to these things one by one, think about them together, and bring them to life.

Of course, technical elements like frame materials, design philosophies of geometry, welding, and painting are important.
But those are merely the means.
What truly matters is whether that single bike properly fits the life, riding style, and, of course, the body of the person right in front of us.

Off-the-shelf products have their own merits.

The price is easy to understand.
The delivery time is fast.
The quality is consistent.

Modern mass-production technology is truly excellent, and it has enabled more people to ride high-performance bicycles.
I have no intention of denying that benefit.

However, off-the-shelf products inevitably aim for something that “doesn't deviate too far for most people.”
On the other hand, a custom handmade bike is produced for one person alone.

Rather than an average, it is honed to be as close to the individual as possible.
I believe that in that process, there is a different kind of time flowing through every step, one that mass-produced items lack.

Tools Born from Dialogue

Building a handmade bike isn't just about filling in numbers on an order form.
Rather, I think it’s closer to the process of gradually putting your own identity into words.

What kind of roads do you want to ride?
What do you feel is comfortable?
What kind of speed are you seeking?
What kind of things do you want to carry?
Or do you just want a reliable companion for going far away?

You confirm these things through dialogue with the builder and the shop.

Of course, not everyone can put everything into words clearly from the start.
In fact, it is often vague.

“I like this kind of feel.”
“This part of my previous bike bothered me a little.”
“I want to take a trip like this someday.”

From such fragmented words, the outline of a bicycle begins to emerge little by little.

And what exists there is not merely a purchase.

The builder’s experience.
The rider’s memories.
The shop’s perspective.
The time that will be spent using it.

These things blend together to become a tool.

That is why a handmade bike has value that doesn’t end the moment you buy it.
It doesn’t end when it is completed; I believe it only truly becomes yours after you continue to ride it.

Stripping Away to Make it Last

As you engage in that dialogue, you realize that a custom handmade bike isn’t just a matter of including every wish you have.
In fact, it is often the opposite.

What is this bike for?
Where is this bike intended to be ridden?
At what speed and with what feeling should it be ridden?

By pursuing these questions, unnecessary things are stripped away little by little.

I can do this too.
I can do that too.
I might use this someday.

Instead of trying to hold onto all those possibilities, we accurately identify what is truly necessary for that person.

The word “custom” gives the impression of adding something. But in reality, I think it’s closer to the process of leaving only what is necessary, rather than piling on this and that.

Removing what isn't needed.
Avoiding the excessive.
Getting closer to a form that is honest to its purpose.

A bicycle born that way might not be flashy.
But it has very little uncertainty. Perhaps that is why, as a result, it can be ridden for a long time.

We often use the term “a lifelong item.”
But that shouldn't just mean something that is sturdy and hard to break.

It means that because it was thoroughly thought through from the beginning and the essential parts were properly kept, its core remains unshaken even as time passes.

Instead of changing its shape to fit trends or changing specs, the philosophy behind that bike remains timeless.

That is the reason you can stick with it for a long time.

A custom handmade bike is not a bicycle that can do anything. It is a bike that clarifies what is truly necessary for that person, and what they want to cherish while riding.

There are things that become richer by adding. But there is also a strength that can only be born by stripping away. And that strength is something that cannot be easily replaced, no matter how much new technology advances.

What Remains Even As Technology Advances

In recent years, new technologies have been entering the world of custom handmade bikes as well.

3D-printed lugs, yokes, and dropout components.
New structures using titanium and carbon fiber.
An environment where even small workshops can access advanced design and processing.

Thanks to this evolution in technology, the possibilities for handmade bikes are expanding even further.

Things that could once only be done by large manufacturers can now be achieved by independent builders and small workshops.

This is a very interesting trend.

The same thing is often said in other fields, but no matter how advanced technology becomes, the thing that remains most important in the end is “human judgment.”

Which material to choose.
Where to make it strong, and where to let it flex.
What kind of ride feel to aim for.
What to add, and what not to add.

New technology gives us more options. But only humans can decide how to use those options.

The value of a handmade bike isn't just about protecting old technology. It’s about adopting new technology while ultimately making judgments based on human experience and observation. I believe the intrigue of today’s handmade bikes lies in that very balance.

Within the Reach of Human Hands

Circles doesn’t want to be a place that simply sells bicycles; we want to be a place that continues to think about the relationship between bicycles and people.

What kind of bike suits this person?
How will they use it?
What kind of future might it lead to?
Thinking about these things together is also an important part of being a bike shop.

Custom handmade bikes don’t just have good points. They are certainly not cheap. It takes time to complete them. For someone who wants to ride immediately, it might feel like a bit of a detour.

But there is a value that can only be found in that detour.

The time spent waiting.
The time spent thinking.
The time spent talking with someone.
The time spent confirming one’s own feelings.

These might seem to exist outside of the finished bicycle, but in reality, they are properly contained within that very bike.

A handmade bike is a bicycle made within the reach of human hands. It is not just the hands of the builder; the rider’s thoughts, the shop’s dialogue, and the time that will be accumulated from here on out all become part of that single bicycle.

That is precisely why it holds a value that cannot be measured by mere performance.

Beauty for the Sake of Riding

Custom handmade bikes are beautiful. However, that beauty is not for the sake of being displayed.

Getting wet in the rain,
getting covered in mud,
getting scratched,
carrying cargo,
sometimes taking you to unknown roads.

I believe they are beautiful precisely because they are used as tools in that way.

A handmade bike is not only for special people. But, perhaps, it might not be a necessity for everyone either.

However, for those who want to spend a long time with the tool that is a bicycle, those who want to live their time just a little more carefully, and those who want to verify for themselves the value that cannot be measured only by speed or lightness—for those people, a handmade bike can be an answer.

Choosing to pick a bike that is intentionally made over time in an era overflowing with things that can be acquired instantly.

I think this is not just about buying an expensive bicycle, but about choosing “what kind of time you want to cherish.”

Just like riding in the summer morning while looking for a slightly cooler breeze.
Just like how there are unexpected sceneries along a longer road.

The choice of a handmade bike may also be something that takes you to places you cannot reach through efficiency alone.

With that, everyone, farewell, and let’s meet again.