Hello everyone! It’s Uno-chan, here at Circles for my 5th year. It’s been a while since I’ve picked up the pen, so I’m wondering if I can still write properly! (laughs) Well, let’s give it a good go!
It’s late June 2021, and we’re still living in a "new normal" where we can’t let our guard down. That said, I find myself thinking these days that we all have to look out for each other and live with consideration for one another while navigating this same life.
Our business operations at Circles have also changed, so I would appreciate it if you could take a look at yesterday’s post. Thankfully, we have many requests for everyday shopping bike repairs and overhauls, and we’re working away with deep gratitude to our customers.
Anyway, I hope you’ll have a little chuckle while reading my Uno-chan blog! Something happy happened the other day, so let me share it with you!
Visiting Oguchi Town, Aichi Prefecture
Since I started working at Circles, I’ve been able to experience things that are, in my own humble way, irreplaceable in life—the joy of riding bikes, selecting parts and building them with my own hands, and using those tools to connect with people, all leading to new discoveries.
Now, I feel that I want to cherish every piece of play equipment, not just bicycles, and I want to imagine better things and turn those imaginings into reality to use to my heart’s content.
I recently began feeling some stress with the positioning of my favorite bike, and as I’m an adult who likes to address feelings immediately (laughs), I visited Shin Hattori Fabrications, a workshop based in Oguchi Town, Aichi Prefecture!
When I said, "Shin-san, I want to make a stem!", he immediately replied, "Sure! Let's get right to it," and things moved along pleasantly.
It might not be my place to say, but one of the virtues of Hattori Fabrications is that rather than just making what the creator envisions, they value the sense of the user, supporting their cycling life and guiding their personal "obsessions" into reality.
Meeting Shin-san
It was probably when I had just joined Circles. Honestly, I don't remember much (laughs). There was a moment when we were introduced, and I took a liking to his humorous and kind personality when he said, "I'm a fledgling frame builder. Pleased to meet you!" When I first visited the workshop, he welcomed me kindly, and by hearing things I don't usually get to hear—from idle chatter to what inspired him to become a frame builder—I feel like we’ve built a relationship where I can now honestly convey my thoughts.
And, whether or not it’s useful is up to you (laughs), but there is a podcast program called "#Sakurei" where people met through bicycle culture talk about the theme of "making," and it's excellent, so everyone, take my word for it and give it a listen! Of course, Shinya Hattori, the head of Shin Hattori Fabrications, is one of the regular speakers!
Shin-san himself expresses what he sees while gaining various experiences on the bike, and he teaches people proper craftsmanship on the stage of made-to-order, making me feel like I’m learning an attachment to tools.
And, although I’ve already popped up a few times (laughs), the main goal this time was to go pick up the custom bicycle stem I had ordered! I must say, it’s a pretty cool stem!!
By the way, as to which bike I’m installing it on—it’s the "MASH AC-1." This is a stem (140mm) ordered specifically for this fixed-gear bike. In terms of design, it’s finished with the specifications of the Rhonda Stem, which is familiar from SimWorks by Nitto.
It really feels reassuring to have a simple, sturdy stem in my hands that I can use for a long time!
I’ll introduce the bike with the installed stem at a later date!!
...Wait? I hear from here and there, "Isn't your stem too long?!"
There is a reason for this. My height is 176cm and the frame size is 54cm, which was the correct size choice, but my wingspan is about 190cm (sweat). As a side note, the Japanese Olympic swimmer Rikako Ikee has a wingspan of 186cm. Sorry, that’s unnecessary information (laughs).
So, I honestly shared my personal "obsessions" and had the best stem made for me!
Hattori Fabrications is a reassuring partner who supports not only us at Circles, but also SimWorks, which handles original product development, and Kyutai Paint, which was started with the goal of providing Circles’ perfect overhaul service! We look forward to continuing our work together.
Let's peek into Hattori Fabrications' workshop
But what is it like where a real frame builder works? I was curious, so I took a look!
The scenery I introduced first is the original workshop where he renovated a small prefabricated hut to produce custom frames.
Honestly, when I saw it, I thought, "It's a small workshop." But it reflects Shin-san’s meticulous nature; everything is organized, and I felt that he is someone who does work that is incredibly thorough, down to how he handles his tools.
When I visited the current workshop, I headed there by bike from my house via the Seto area.
It’s nice to stop and gaze at the natural scenery sometimes, you know!
If I had to pick a personal favorite spot, it would be the Shiromine Bridge, where I always stop to stare out at the view. Especially since I haven't ridden much lately, it was even better!
As for the current workshop, it’s more than twice as large. When I visited, I was able to see the manufacturing process of the Doppo ATB, an all-terrain bike frame familiar from Doppo by SimWorks. Looking up at the ceiling, there were John Cage products created by SimWorks lined up before being die-cut; I was happy to get a sense of a workspace that you don’t often get to see.
Seeing a scene like this again, and as long as I am involved in the bicycle industry, even if only in a small way, I want to continue my cycling activities even better so that I can provide the best presentation to people all over the world who say, "I want to try riding! I want to have fun!"
In closing
We work with bicycles every day in the Chiyoda district of Nagoya City.
In the midst of that, there are happy things, sad things, and sometimes, luckily, we receive great appreciation from our customers. I understand that it is thanks to our customers that we receive our daily energy.
As things stand, honestly, there is no way for us but to refrain from bold, big events, but when people in Japan and around the world regain their health, we at Circles will walk forward, hand in hand, so that our customers can enjoy themselves with the biggest smiles! We will continue to strive to provide the best performance! Thank you for reading.
