The Seven Cycles / Sora we delivered to him a while back is still covered in the dirt from his daily trail rides, radiating that same aura of a bike that has been truly lived in. He came by today to have his long-serving Chris King ISO hub inspected and overhauled.
Come to think of it, Jin apparently started surfing recently. He takes the train from Matsusaka to Ise, then rides to a friend's shop where he keeps his board. He strapped his wetsuit to his bike for the trip—a classic #BikeTo style move.
He spoke happily about how he even picked up a part-time job at Patagonia Surf this summer.
Jin has been cycling for 47 years now. I asked him what he loves about it.
"When you're riding a bike, if something catches your eye, you can just stop whenever you want, right? It’s those kinds of encounters and discoveries that make it so interesting."
Of course, just being on the bike is fun in itself, but for him, the bicycle is a tool that connects his lifestyle with his play. When he heads somewhere on his bike, there's always something extra to be found. A bicycle as a means of transport for the sake of enjoyment—that’s surely what adds color to Jin’s life.
His current goal is "to live with as little gasoline as possible." He’s a soft-spoken man, but his back looked so imposing to me again today.
