Tomii Cycles own Nao Tomii, and the journey toward the creation of the ‘Faraway’ tire

Art and bicycles.
These two worlds may seem far apart, but they’re constantly colliding, and overlapping.

Nao of Tomii Cycles studied fine art and built a career in sculpture, but now he makes handmade bikes under the sunshine of Austin, Texas. There seems to be a special story behind this.

Manipulating metal and crafting shapes has clear collolaries between sculpture and handmade bikes.
However, adding the purpose of “riding” to the mix may have given Nao’s work more vitality.

Tomii Cycles and SimWorks have joined hands to create a new tire called “Faraway.”
As the name suggests, it is a tire that has a bit of magic baked in, and makes you want to go venture somewhere far away.

“What if we could leave a memorable mark in the desert…”
This project began with that sentence, and will make its way to you, wrapped in the desert air and stepping on the shadows of the cacti.

Nao’s origins, the landscape he sees, and his consistent philosophy of “making things for fun”.
All of this is embodied in this tire.

Why did Nao start making bicycles?
How did he move from the world of fine art to frame building?
And what are the thoughts he puts into the unique Faraway tire?
To find out more about the background to this project, we spoke with Nao of Tomii Cycles.

Greetings Nao. Can you remind us once again, where are you from? And where do you live now?

I’m originally from Shirane, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, and currently live in Austin, Texas.

You are currently active as a frame builder, but originally you made a mark in the art world. What was your career before you became a frame builder?

After graduating from high school, I studied fine art at a design college for two years, then moved to the US in 1998 and spent two years at the University of the Arts in Boston (fine art, three-dimensional art, sculpture). After graduating, I worked at a sculpture company for about 12 years.

At the company, I mainly worked on creating, restoring, and making molds of traditional bronze statues.

I also created my own works outside the company and had solo exhibitions.

It’s definitely a world of fine art. So how did you first encounter bicycles? Can you tell us about the first bicycle you bought, and any memorable events.

Around 2006-2007, I bought a cheap bike for exercise. I wasn’t satisfied with just riding it as it was, so I started replacing parts and painting it. I still wasn’t satisfied, so I wanted to try making my own parts, and had a chainring made at a local machine shop.

I see. So right from the start you moved from customization to manufacturing with incredible momentum.

Soon after I bought my bike, I got to know some local bike riders and builders and discovered the world of handmade bikes. I learned that there are many famous frame builders in Boston and the surrounding region, and after doing some research and visiting them, I was drawn to the appeal of handmade bikes and wanted to try making one myself.

These are the items I made when I launched a brand called 3RRR and made small parts, before starting TOMII CYCLES.

Once you knew you wanted to be a frame builder, how did you actually learn frame building?

There are a lot of builders in Boston, and my friend Ian (Icarus Frames, no longer in operation) taught me how to make frames using soldering. After that, Nishikawa-san (currently Kualis Cycles), who was at Seven Cycles, taught me to TIG weld.

Who has been your biggest influence in frame building?

When I first learned about handmade bikes, I was attracted to the artistic quality of frames using traditional lugs. I am also a sculptor. The bikes of legendary builders such as Richard Sachs, Peter Weigle, and Peter Mooney are truly beautiful.

I love the beautiful TIG welded bikes that Nishikawa creates, and I also like the fun branding of Fat Chance, and there are a lot of great builders in Japan.

So it’s hard to say who has influenced me the most, I’ve been influenced by so many talented builders.

Besides frame builders, are there any people in the art world who have influenced you?

Lately, my inspiration for bicycles and the objects I make doesn’t come so much from other bicycles. It comes from other genres and everyday life. The buildings, colors, and shapes I see when I go out into the city.

Austin is a city that inspires me so much, I like it.

The idea of ​​the desert and cacti came to me after moving to Texas, and I’m also really influenced by Arizona’s Aztec design and Navajo art and color usage.

I think TOMII CYCLES is now unique in the world of handmade bikes. What do you think is important when it comes to frame building and craftsmanship?

I’m glad to hear you say that, thank you!

There are many important aspects to the frame making process, such as the design, fit, welding, finishing, etc., and all of them are important, difficult, and fun work.

But the most important thing is my feeling that I want to have fun making it. If I don’t have fun making it, it probably won’t be fun to ride.

This may sound a bit spiritual, but I think with handmade items, the feelings of the maker are infused into the materials. While I’m making something, I imagine scenarios such as:

Where is the owner going with this bike?

Will they be happy to see this stem cap while cycling?

Where will they ring this bell?

I make things while thinking about fun things like that.

And I really want to cherish the connections with customers who are interested in what I make.

I often keep them waiting a long time… but they wait without complaining. I’m really grateful.

Photo by @nobuhikotanabe

Given that, what made you want to make tires? I’d like to know if there was any particular incident that prompted you to make tires, or if there was a tire that you liked and had been using up until that point.

There are a huge number of good tires on the market today.

There are cool tires, tires that run well, and strong tires, but I don’t think there are any “cute tires”. So I wanted to make a tire that is cute and evokes a fun ride.

I want people to use it for real gravel rides in the desert, and I want them to use it on city bikes too. The concept is cute, too. I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of bikes they’ll put it on, and who will use it. I want a lot of different people to use it.

What inspired the unique tread pattern? It’s a simple pattern, but what inspired it?

I used a cactus, which is often used on Tomii Cycles bikes. The image is of the Southwest desert, which I love.

The center is smooth and speedy. The idea is that the cactus, mountain, and moon give grip in the corners.

I think the 700x40c size is perfect, but I’d like to know why you chose it. Also, there was already a positive response to last year’s MADE, but do you have an idea of ​​what size would be good for the next one?

I think 700x40c is a fantastic all-purpose size. Even though it’s meant for gravel riding, I feel many people also ride on paved roads. I asked a lot of local cyclists and decided this size was best.

Other sizes I’m considering are 700C x 50 / 650B x ​​2.2 / 650B x ​​48. I was often asked this at MADE, but it seems that shorter riders would like to use 650B.

Let’s move away from cycling for a moment. Is there anything else you’re into besides cycling?

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved anything with wheels. I love old things. I have a small old car at home, and it’s fun to ride around in it.

Also, lately I’ve been into radio-controlled cars. Lol

I put cacti or the Tomii logo on everything. I just can’t be satisfied unless I put them on. I even made a small course in my backyard. Lol. It’s a good way to change my mood during breaks from bike building.

But it’s interesting because all genres are connected.
When I go to vintage car meetups, there are a lot of people who love bicycles, and I can make connections there.

What genre or artist is your favorite music? Do you have a favorite music to listen to while creating?

I like a lot of different kinds of music, but recently I’ve been working while listening to music that reminds me of the Southwest. I really like Khruangbin and Leon Bridges, and they evoke images of the desert!

You’re deeply immersed in the Texas desert culture, but your hometown is Niigata, so you come back to Japan every now and then. Is there anything you always look forward to when you come to Japan?

It’s always nice to go back to your hometown. I’ve spent more than half my life in America, but when I go back I feel at ease. It’s fun to see family and old friends, and the food and hot springs are great too.

Since I started cycling, I’ve been able to make connections with a lot of Japanese people, and I’m looking forward to meeting them and new people. I’m really proud to share my bikes with them.

In the end, it’s all about human connections.

Nowadays, wherever you go, there are many good and interesting people. Some people get along with you, and some people don’t. I think that there is no perfect place in the world, so you have to make it perfect yourself.

Nao, thank you very much for your time and great work. It’s been a pleasure to work with you!!