A Reversal of Order, or Metal’s Answer to the Universe of the Body

December Light and a New Laboratory

December 1st. On the very day of our founding anniversary, Circles opened a new door: "Circles Tailored." We have already received many warm wishes, and I am once again reminded of the pull of "en" (fate/connection) that defines this place.

Looking out from the counter of our new shop at the custom handmade bikes on display and the stream of people passing by under the railway tracks, I find myself ruminating on the question: "Why 'Tailored' now?" After 19 years, we have arrived at an answer. It is a paradigm shift in the "order" of the relationship between humans and the machine known as the bicycle.

I hope you will allow me to delve into a slightly complex topic this time. It concerns a "paradox" I have come to believe in after building countless bikes, conversing with builders around the world, and continuing to ride myself.

The Cage of "Averages" Known as Mass Production

Most industrial products we see in our daily lives—especially bicycles, which are "mass-produced"—harbor a fatal contradiction. It is a somewhat violent order in which the "fixed material of the bicycle" comes first, and the "fluid, individual human" must then be forced to fit into it.

Open a catalog, and you will see size indicators like S, M, L, or 48, 50, 52. Based on massive amounts of anthropometric data, manufacturers design their frames to suit the peak of a "bell curve"—the "average human." But look at the real world. Where in this world does an "average human" actually exist?

Someone with arms long relative to their torso; someone with an imbalance in hip flexibility due to a past injury; someone with the contradictory desire to enjoy the scenery on a weekend long ride while also wanting to push hard on a mountain pass. Each of our bodies is complex, like a small universe, and utterly unique.

And yet, choosing an existing complete bike often becomes a "series of compromises." "If it fits my top tube length, the stand-over height is wrong." "If I get the saddle height right, the handlebars are too far away."

What happens as a result? We try to adapt our bodies to the bike by making the "stem" extremely short or long, or adjusting the "seatpost" to its limits. Society calls this "fitting," but to be blunt, it is not. It is "after-the-fact processing" to fill the gaps from the design stage—merely a laborious correction process to bring a negative closer to zero.

Reversing the Zero: The Blueprint is Born from Your Body

The world of custom handmade bikes that we have always wanted to propose, and the realm that Circles Tailored aims for, shifts this vector 180 degrees.

"You do not adapt to the bike. The bike comes to adapt to you."

This is not just a catchy slogan. It is a physical and engineering fact. The greatest advantage of a custom order comes down to this single truth: "The fitting is already complete the moment the frame is born."

I still vividly remember when we visited the "SEVEN CYCLES" workshop in Boston. (*See previous article: 【SEVEN CYCLES】Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

Thousands of titanium and steel tubes covered the factory walls. That was not just a stockpile of inventory. I believe it was a "stockpile of possibilities" for cyclists yet to be met.

In Seven’s design process, the builders first thoroughly analyze the rider's body data. Not just height and inseam. They quantify flexibility, core strength, preferred handling, and even the story of "what kind of scenery you want to see on that bike."

The resulting geometry (blueprint) has absolutely no compromises. For instance, if you request, "I don't want my neck to hurt after 100km, but I want razor-sharp handling on descents," the head tube length, angles, and stay lengths are all determined to the 0.1mm to achieve that.

There is no need to fudge things with stem length like on a mass-produced bike. The moment you straddle the finished bike, the handlebars exist naturally where they "ought to be," and the pedals are waiting at the "position where you should step." What you have there is not "correction," but "intuition." The boundary between body and equipment dissolves, creating a sensation as if your own limbs have been extended. This is what I believe to be true "fitting."

Tube Butting as a Symphony

Let me talk about something a bit more geeky. The true essence of handmade is not just about matching "size (length)." The real core lies in tuning the invisible sensory realm known as "Quality of Ride."

Ready-made frames are often built with the maximum possible safety margin so that they won't break whether ridden by a 50kg person or a 90kg person. However, for a 50kg rider, that frame is nothing more than a "stiff stick," and they will likely suffer from road vibrations and harshness.

In contrast, handmade builders freely manipulate a tube's "butting"—the thickness of the pipe walls. "For your weight and power, this thickness for the down tube, but let's increase the rigidity of the chainstays slightly for better response." The tubes selected in this way are, even before being welded, already vibrating, flexing, and preparing to move for you.

The sounds I heard in the Boston factory—the whir of lathes, the abrasive sound of belt sanders, and the faint sparks of the welding torch. That was a "symphony" for materials to meet their rider. The moment a mere chunk of metal is reborn into a special instrument just for you. Because of that experience, I can say with confidence: a handmade bike is not an industrial product, but a deeply personal "work of art."

Functional Beauty as a Vessel Carrying the Past into the Future

And there is another aspect of this custom order world that is highly practical and one I truly love: the perspective of "part compatibility."

The cycling industry these days changes its standards at a dizzying pace. Proprietary seatpost shapes, dedicated stem-integrated handlebars, specialized bottom brackets... These might indeed save a few watts of aerodynamic drag, but I definitely feel there are times when it looks like an act of discarding parts that cyclists have loved and used as "relics of the past."

However, in the world of custom handmade, you can even decide the standards. If you have Chris King hubs with bearings you've used for 10 years and become wonderfully accustomed to, or a meticulously polished White Industries crankset, you should simply design the frame so they fit perfectly. You are free to build with the latest electronic components, but I think it is also a beautiful choice to build with silver parts that hold your own personal history.

You don't need a special variable stem to compensate for poor posture, nor a bulky seatpost with a large, awkward setback. If the frame, as a "vessel," is perfect, the contents (parts) can be freely swapped to match your style. This could be said to be a quiet resistance against a modern society that tries to accelerate consumption cycles. To love one thing long and deeply. That is a philosophy I have always cherished at Circles.

Constructing a Work Starting from Dialogue

"Circles Tailored" might just be a laboratory for realizing such paradoxical craftsmanship.

Unlike a typical bike shop, at Tailored, we won't show you a catalog right away. First, take a look at the bikes actually on display; test rides are possible if one catches your eye. Then, let us begin a dialogue. About your body, your history with cycling, any pain you've experienced, and the future you want to draw. Taking our time, I want to bring the contours of you as a person into focus.

When many people stand at the entrance to this custom order world, they hesitate, saying, "It's still too early for me" or "I'm not even racing." But let me state this firmly: it is the ordinary, non-racing cyclist—whose body is not built up like a professional racer and whose flexibility has limits—who can receive the maximum benefits of a bike that "adapts to you."

The new way of interacting with a bicycle that Circles proposes in its 19th year is, I believe, a liberation from the cramp of forcing yourself into pre-existing frames.

We are already prepared to connect with the best builders around the world. All that is left is for you to tell us the stories you’ve experienced and the dreams you have for the future.

A one-of-a-kind piece that generates your own unique power. Its blueprint is already sleeping within you. If you would like to start the process of unraveling it together at Circles Tailored, that would be my greatest pleasure.

Wishing you all the best, and see you next week.