[OMNIUM Nano] A Bike for Everyday Life

For people who use a bike as their everyday way of getting around, this might be one of the best answers out there.

It isn't built for going fast, nor for conquering rough terrain.

To the supermarket for dinner ingredients, to the home center for DIY tools and materials, to the laundromat to wash your futon, to the riverbank for a BBQ.

For people who use a bike both to get around every day and as a tool for carrying things, OMNIUM's cargo bikes are about as appealing as it gets.

From the Cargo with its maximum load capacity to the Mini Max and Mini, the lineup consisted of models pairing a 20-inch front wheel with a 700c rear wheel. This March, a new model called the Nano joined them.

With 20-inch wheels front and rear, a first for the lineup, the bike's overall length comes in under 1500mm at 1,498mm, making it easier to park in shared apartment spaces and public bike racks.

The Cargo and Mini Max excel at carrying loads, but on the flip side there are times when storage space and maneuvering take a bit of care.

The Nano keeps the carrying capacity that defines OMNIUM, while being designed to fit more easily into everyday life.

For anyone who's thought, “I'm curious about cargo bikes, but where would I keep one…,” it's become a very attractive option.

The shorter wheelbase also makes it nimbler, so it's easier to ride around town and on crowded roads.

For these reasons, more and more people have been showing interest in the OMNIUM Nano.

The bike I'm introducing this time was bought for exactly that reason: for everyday shopping and short trips.

Until now, the owner had been enjoying everything from camping rides and easygoing weekend rides to daily shopping on a WILDE BICYCLE Rambler SL.

It's not that they were unhappy with it.

But using a bike to get around in daily life, they found themselves wanting one that could carry loads securely and easily, and that they could use without a second thought.

The answer was the OMNIUM Nano.

Customer’s Customized OMNIUM Nano

Precisely because it's a bike used so often as everyday transport for shopping and meals out, it should be something you want to ride every day, not just something functional. Having your favorite parts on it only makes you want to ride it more.

With that in mind, this time we started from the complete bike and swapped out some of the parts.

Upgrading the Crank Area with MIDDLEBURN and PHIL WOOD

For the crank we went with the MIDDLEBURN RO1 Square Taper Crank, along with its spider. The chainring is from WOLF TOOTH, and the BB is from PHIL WOOD.

On the MIDDLEBURN RO1 Square Taper Crank, the final polishing and the inking of the brand logo are done by hand, and the finish is beautiful.

Made from ”A7075,” an aluminum alloy favored by the aerospace industry, the crank is extremely strong and also very light.

The PHIL WOOD Square Taper BB combines outstanding rotational performance with durability.

It's not very visible, but it offers dependable function along with beauty in the product itself.

Going Dynamo with SON NABENDYNAMO

For the front hub, we used the SON NABENDYNAMO SON 28 15 disc 6-bolt. Actually, the OMNIUM Nano complete bike already comes built with a SHUTTER PRECISION hub, and we'd planned to use it, but for an overall sense of unity, we couldn't resist making the hub polished to match the crank.

This SON 28 15 disc 6-bolt also matches the OMNIUM Nano's front fork standard (15 x 100mm Thru). It's a model that isn't normally distributed in Japan, but we can order it in if you give us some time, so feel free to get in touch if you're interested.

The SHUTTER PRECISION dynamo hub is excellent too, of course, but we just couldn't give up on that one-point accent.

By the way, the owner is going to use the SHUTTER PRECISION hub on something else.

For the dynamo lights front and rear, we also went with SON NABENDYNAMO, the same as the hub.

Up front is the SON NABENDYNAMO Edelux II Up Side Down, and at the rear the SON NABENDYNAMO Rear Light Seatpost Mount.

The front light is mounted using a combination of the OMNIUM Dynamo Rack Mount and the NITTO Lamp Holder 7.

Normally it would mount with just the Dynamo Rack Mount, but this time we added the NITTO Lamp Holder 7 to make room for running the wire from the front light to the rear light.

Because this bike gets used so often day to day, a dynamo hub that frees you from charging or swapping batteries is a great match for it.

The light simply comes on whenever you need it. That peace of mind, too, supports your daily trips and your life.

Easy to carry things on, easy to park, and easy to use every day.

The OMNIUM Nano isn't a bike that competes on speed or lightness, but it's one that makes everyday life just a little more comfortable.

Custom Parts