It’s already been a whirlwind two weeks, but we’re safely back in Japan after finishing up MADE, the handmade bike show held in Portland.
For us at Circles, this show serves as both a chance to exhibit and a direct opportunity to connect with the builders we’ve worked with for a long time. It was bustling from start to finish, and it was easy to tell that both the number of exhibitors and attendees had grown compared to last year.
I know many of you are looking forward to a full report, but things have been hectic since our return. For now, I’ve been uploading the bikes I photographed at the show to our Bike Archive, so please take a look when you have a moment.
With that said, in this blog post, I’d like to introduce my personal best-in-show bike.
TOMII CYCLES / Flat Bar Gravel Bike
This is entirely my own subjective opinion, but this year, this bike absolutely stole my heart.
This is from TOMII CYCLES, the brand of Nao Tomii, a Japanese builder based in Austin, Texas. He stood out at last year’s MADE as well, and we carry the beautiful parts he makes at Circles. (Be sure to check out the blog below to learn more about the brand.)
Nao-san came back this year with yet another incredible bike.
Daring to go full-mechanical in the modern era
This bike’s design was inspired by the 1980s MANTIS Valkyrie X frame. In fact, Nao-san also displayed another bike at his booth inspired by the 1990s GT Triple Triangle. While most of the bikes at the show featured the latest state-of-the-art components, or even steel bikes finished cleanly with electronic shifting, Nao-san’s two bikes—built with full-mechanical components and scattered with intricate engravings done by his own hand—exuded an overwhelming sense of presence.
It’s even more surprising that both of these bikes were ordered by the same customer. It must be so rewarding to be able to place such an open-ended order.
A tire project was actually underway behind the scenes
The tires mounted on this bike are actually the result of a project SimWorks and TOMII CYCLES were working on in secret for the reveal at this year’s MADE—the Faraway Tire.
When I first saw the tire pattern Nao-san designed, I was truly surprised—it went far beyond my imagination and got me so excited. It’s a tire packed with Nao-san’s interpretation of the freedom a bicycle provides and the message: "Let’s have fun riding." It got a great response from many people at the show, and SimWorks is currently hard at work on the preparations with PANARACER, so please stay tuned for more news.
By the way, the size is 700x40c. It seems that’s the sweet spot for gravel riding in Austin, Texas. It’s interesting how regional differences emerge, as gravel riding isn't the same everywhere—the road conditions and the way you ride vary depending on which U.S. state you're based in.
A bike that was just pure fun to photograph
Photographing the thoughtful details scattered everywhere was truly a blast, and it felt like a treasure hunt, as if Nao-san was inviting me to find them all. That’s why there are so many photos of this particular bike (lol).
It’s also great to see how he skillfully incorporated SimWorks parts in certain areas.
The owner plans to use this for daily riding as well as gravel adventures, and it was impressive to hear Nao-san describe it as an "Ultimate Coffee Getter." Whether it's heading to a favorite coffee shop or exploring some gravel that caught your eye, you can do it all on this one bike.
Although I haven’t introduced it today, one of the stock frames we have Nao-san making for Circles was exhibited as a show bike, and that bike is slated to be unveiled at Circles Tokyo, so keep your eyes on TOMII CYCLES!
Also, this weekend starting from the 13th, Circles Tokyo will be holding a POP UP shop we’re calling "Souvenirs from the Afterlife" (a pun on the Japanese for "MADE souvenirs"). Our boss and I will be appearing as guest speakers for a talk show on the 15th (Sun), so those of you in the Kanto area, please mark your calendars!