In a world of fancy paint work and electronic groupsets, it’s easy to forget about what lies underneath it all: the craft of the frame builder and their skill with the torch, their heat control and finishing. It takes a bike like this tourer by Kimura Cycleworks to remind us.
Yuji Kimura is an industrial designer residing in Germany, and he founded Kimura Cycleworks after a career in entertainment electronics and the automotive sector. Maybe you’ll recall his angelic Kranich fast randonneur we featured a while ago.
The bikes produced by Kimura are designed to stand alongside the constructeurs of France; his beloved Singer and De Rosa bicycles. They’re designed by Yuji and built by Fukuda-san of Raizin Works in Japan.
Yuji specified Kaisei 019/022 tubes after consultation with Fukuda-san, an especially robust tube set that can handle the weight of a fully-packed set of touring bags. The frame is fillet brazed with a bi-laminate head tube and windows in the lugs.
His ‘Ciel’ tourer is designed for a smaller rider, using 650b wheels and a top tube inspired by the Meral brand, which allows extra standover height. The rack is of a modular design: the choice can be made for side panniers or simply a top bag.
The panniers pictured here are by Japan’s Watanabe, and there’s a solar-powered Bridgestone tail light which avoids unnecessary wiring. The front light is a Supernova E3 powered by a Schmidt SON dynamo front hub.
Yuji tipped his hat to the French constructeurs by the traditional color of the paint and even installed an Ideale 90 saddle to further reference the Golden Era of Cycling. With a 2×11 drivetrain controlled by Dia-Compe downtube shifters, who needs eTap?
Kimura Cycle Works Website
