Tomohiro, the traveling man

I met Tomohiro Kanamaru a few days ago at the Circles Bike shop. The young slightly tall Japanese approached me as I grilled a few hot dogs on the back of my bike. He ordered a dog with mustard and handed me his name card along with ¥200. As he ate my wiener, I took a moment to read his name card. Just below his email address he detailed how he is traveling around Japan learning all he can about food and hopes one day to have a job that is connected with his love for things culinary. A man after my own heart. Tomohiro is living the dream. The young man saved some cashed and several weeks ago set out from Tokyo with a year long mission to travel all over the land of Yamato and experience the life of a two-wheeled vagabond. I envied him. And to show my admiration, I gave him a second helping of mustard for this hot dog. Tomohiro keeps a blog of his travels which he updates with his mobile phone. Young Tomohiro is one of the reasons I love this country. To see people drop everything, pick up a bike and cycle with no real plan in mind fills me with hope for the future. It is for this very reason that I love cycling. For every time I place foot to pedal, I know that I will meet someone with an interesting story to tell. Or at least someone who has figured out a new way to take their pet along for a ride.

Living the dream, one bark at a time

The Circle continues...

Higashi Betsuiin Circles Bike Shop

I first met Shin Tanaka at his tiny bike shop in Nagoya City when I was shopping around for a new bike for my planned trip through the French countryside. Shin exudes "Bike Cool". He had spent some time in America, so his English was peppered with urban slang and decidedly non-Japanese gestures. I liked him immediately. Shin has a very simple approach to how he sells bicycles: He doesn't sell them. He's no pusher. He will usually steer his customers to spending the least in money and the more in riding. When I finally decided to purchase a Surly Traveler's Check for my trip to France, he suggested I pick up the frame during one of my visits to the States thus saving $500.


I took his advice and let him handle the final build. This is why, over the last three years, Circles has become the premiere bike shop for people who are serious about cycling. And with the growing popularity, came the need to move to a more spacious location. Last week Circles opened their new shop in Higashi Betsuiin section of Nagoya.

Nice collection of Japanese and International cycling wear

The first floor features a gear, bike and clothing store, as well as a back section used for bike building & repair and a separate area for customers to work on their own bikes. This last thing is the coolest part of the new Circles. Customers can now rent a work area complete with all the tools and pro advice you will need to work on your own bike. A one day fee of ¥1000 is all you pay. If you wish to have unlimited access to the work area, the yearly membership fee is only ¥12,000. I think this is a great way to learn about bike repair; hands-on, all the tools you need and Makoto or Sal within arms reach if you need a little help.

Makato san showing us the universal hand sign for carbon forks

The second floor is the "build room". Arranged like a tony boutique, here customers can get advice on customizing their Vicious frame set with a Brooks saddle, Lino drop bars or whatever their heart desires.

Second floor customizing room

Shin has gone out of his way to make the new Circles more than just a bike shop, but a place cyclists can grow a better appreciation for their bicycles through education and assistance. The staff at Circles are all top rate and if you need English language help, Shin or Sal can handle that too. At any rate, stop by the new shop and say hi to the guys.

Member's work Space

Circles Bike Shop


View Circles in a larger map
460-0012
名古屋市中区千代田4-14-20
tel:052-331-3232
fax:052-331-3231
・地下鉄名城線「東別院」駅1番出口より徒歩約5分
・都心環状線「東別院」出口より約5分

Showing Off

Took my Surly out for a ride today. The weather was superb and I couldn't resist taking a few photos to show off the new Toshio Handlebar leather tape I bought last Saturday. Looks nice huh? Trying to get a couple of the guys together this weekend for a ride in Seto Shi. Hope the weather holds.

Packing your Travelers Check!

When I first decided that I wanted to try cycling through Europe, I knew I needed a bike frame that could travel light and cheap wherever I go. Lo and behold, Surly came out with a new touring frame that promised to answer my needs. The Travelers Check is basically Surly's already popular Cross Check frame but with nice S&S couplers added to allow you to split the frame into two pieces. I bought the Frame and the way over-priced travel case in time for my cycling tour of France. Let me warn you if you're thinking of getting the Travelers Check; packing the bike into the special case is no picnic. It took me a month of trying different variations before I was able to get it all comfortably into the case. Surly and S&S websites offer little or very poor examples on how to pack the bike. In the future, I plan to make a video outlining how I did it. For now, here is a picture of the finished results. A bit of advice if you plan on getting the Travelers Check and the case; you'll need to remove the crank set, back derailers, handlebars and fork. And forget about placing the front wheel on top of bike parts as suggested on the S&S website. It doesn't work. You'll need to shove the wheel into the top half of the travel case as shown in the picture (deflate both tires beforehand). After a few tries, you'll get the hang of it. I can now pack the bike in about 45 minutes.