【BIKES OF MINE】KYUTAI’S DOPPO ATB PROTOTYPE

I remember ordering a bike frame from Shin Hattori Fabrication about four years before the DOPPO ATB was released by SimWorks.

Hattori-kun had just finished his frame-building apprenticeship in the U.S. and decided to strike out on his own, so I figured I’d have him build me a bike. I had him bring to life a utility bike I had imagined for myself at the time. I remember asking him to do it with the feeling that, since he was a young builder pushing forward and trying to carve out his own path through trial and error while relying on passion and seeking experience, it might serve as good practice for him.

At the time, I didn’t for a second think that it would eventually become the foundation for the SimWorks DOPPO concept.

I’ve owned countless bikes over the years, but once I became fully immersed in this line of work, I ended up building bikes not based on what I wanted to ride, but rather on what others wanted to build or simply following the latest ideas. This time, however, since I was commissioning a local young builder, I decided to build an "ALL IN ONE BIKE" based on my own experience.

For some parts, I provided specific requests, while I left the rest of the design up to the creator. I remember pulling the dusty old term "All Terrain Bike (ATB)" from the back of my mind and patting myself on the back for the idea and the naming sense, thinking, "This is actually what a bike should be."

The original frame featured custom homemade racks for both the front and back, and it was set up with flat bars for a concept of touring, daily commuting, and light, casual trail riding. When we released the DOPPO ATB in 2016 (this bike served as the basis for the idea, of course), the DOPPO was born by adding minor refinements to the details, rear triangle geometry, component specifications, and the production of an original fork.

The DOPPO ATB underwent new specification changes this past February, making it an even more modern ATB.

In line with that, I updated my own ATB to the same color as the current DOPPO and asked Hattori-kun to add the rear mid-eyelets that it had been missing, making it an even more versatile bike.

Additionally, I built it up with Shimano’s hidden gem of a component group released this year, GRX-Limited. The biggest hurdle was figuring out how to install flat-mount disc brakes—which didn't even exist when this frame was made—onto a frame that only had international standard mounts.

That’s where the World Wide Web came in. I started researching immediately and found that, as expected, there are many cyclists out there dealing with the same problem.

A.S.Solutions, a garage brand started by Andre Sutton in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is a manufacturer of mount adapters that are precision CNC-machined in small batches. They develop "bike hack" style items that allow you to combine flat-mount brake calipers with disc brake mounts that have become difficult to work with due to the ever-changing tide of standards.

It allows you to install road or gravel disc brakes onto beloved MTB frames you've been riding for years, expanding your customization options.

*Depending on the combination of frame, fork, and disc brake calipers, additional washers, adjustments, or special machining may be required, so this product is sold in-store only. If you live far away and are really interested, please feel free to inquire via email.

In reality, the specs of recent frames and components have become very rationally standardized; when the user's intended use is clear, bikes are much easier to build and easier to use.

However, as the old saying goes, things don't always go according to plan, and in recent years, we've seen the emergence of countercultures in the American market—the return to off-road principles, the "shed-build" crowd, and the casual "dad bike" tribe.

This trend also signals the creation of a new generation of cyclists who, alongside a longing for the inherent freedom of the bicycle, have discovered the joy of bike building by fully leveraging their imaginations based on their ride experience.

In the pursuit of specs, perhaps the elegance and charm inherent to bicycles were somewhat lost in the modern component-specific constraints and the sea of all-black products.

However, a sudden shift has occurred. I strongly feel that the arrival of the GRX component series from Shimano—which I adopted for this build and which isn't aimed at competition—as well as component groups from microSHIFT, will firmly support the new, evolving market.

I believe this movement will help bring your overflowing imagination to life, and at Circles, we deeply empathize with that idea and openness, and we are actively recommending these options.

Lastly, regarding the GRX-Limited (GRX Silver Edition) used on this DOPPO ATB, supply is starting to become limited.

As I mentioned, silver parts have become nearly extinct due to the recent drive for efficiency and profitability, but after building this bike and bringing it to completion, I feel a genuine sense of joy from the indescribable luster that metal itself possesses.

A bike built only with black parts can tend to look cool, but when you use plenty of metallic silver, you get an organic, warm atmosphere that you might not otherwise experience from a bike.

While I have nothing but respect for Shimano regarding this special GRX Limited project, I would like to ask them, as well as all other component manufacturers, to keep in mind that while the pursuit of functional specs is very important in manufacturing, it isn't everything.

If you look closely at the current market, you can clearly see that there are many excellent, non-competitive cyclists out there. I have a strong vision that "romantic, elegant" specs will be necessary in the new world where bicycles become the center of mobility, and I strongly hope for product development from various perspectives.

I assume manufacturers read this blog, so as a representative of cyclists, I’m adding this note. I appreciate your consideration. m(_ _)m

We introduce various bikes through BIKE OF THE WEEK and the Circles Bike Archives, but from now on, I’d like to gradually update this [BIKES OF MINE] section to show off our staff’s personal bikes. We are professionals, after all, so we surely have our own thoughts on our own bikes. I hope to introduce bikes that will stir your curiosity, so please look forward to it.

Until next time!

Kyutai’s DOPPO ATB Proto type