Everyone loves Nitto products.

I’ve visited the factory several times, and every time I go I discover something new, so it’s definitely one of my favorite companies.

Nitto: Spirit and Japanese Culture

Unlike factories that can do anything, there are many restrictions, but I respect the fact that they are able to create products that are needed within those restrictions and traditions.

Personally, I like old things, and I have a habit of wasting my pocket money on second-hand clothes and film cameras, so I really love things with a classic feel. (The straps of LANCE, which unfortunately went out of business, are also classic.)

Because of my personality, there are products in the Nitto catalog that I really like, but they just don’t fit the way we play, so I’ve always felt frustrated.

So when I visited Nitto last year, I mentioned it, and Nitto’s President Yoshikawa said,

“Just make it! Which one do you want?” So I took him up on his offer and made one exclusively for Circles.

Introducing the wide versions of the B132 Grand Randonneur, and B136 Bee Bar.

B132 “Hanafuda” Grand Randonneur

This was exactly the handlebar I wanted.

It’s what they call a randonneur bar. A classic design, full of tradition and context. There are more and more neo-randonneur style bikes these days. This is my personal No. 1 handlebar that I would like to use with that interpretation.

The usual lineup is 390mm, 410mm, and 450mm, but this time we have made a special order for 460mm and 500mm. The wide tires are perfect for modern neo-randonneuring. They can effectively suppress the bounce on rough roads, and the wide width also absorbs the vibrations of the handlebars. They are very flexible.

The lineup also includes black, a color not included in the catalog.

It has a hunched shoulder and a slight flare. It is the perfect design for touring bikes that want to ride upright. (It is recommended that the stem is also pointed upward.)

And the shape seen from the side. You can see that it is very rounded when compared to modern drop bars. And the position parallel to the ground is so cool. Just by changing to this handlebar, it gives the bike a very classic style.

This shape means that it has a long reach and a deep drop, and I personally love the length of this reach because it gives you more options for handlebar positions and allows you to ride in a variety of positions.

The deep drop means that there is a big difference in position, so when you grip the lower handlebars, you lean forward quite hard, but when you are touring and the purpose is to ride leisurely, you hardly use the lower handlebars, and when you grip them, the balance of the weight changes significantly, so I think this can be refreshing when you are riding long distances (I rode about 1000km, and this is what I felt).

However, it is important to note that the reach is deep, so the handlebars will be far away. You may need to shorten the current stem extension by 10mm or more. Just be careful here! (We recommend that you have your position checked at a shop!)

B136 “Hanafuda” Bee Bar

The B136 is also a hard to beat randonneur bar (actually, it feels like it’s the perfect solution for neo-randonneurs, but we’ll talk about that later).

It has a milder shoulder rise than the B132, and is a short-reach randonneur bar. If you install this on a modern neo-randonneur, it will have a very classic feel.

The slight flare is nice.

When you actually hold it, the B136’s 110mm reach is quite good. There are many grip positions, but because it has a short reach, the distance to the bracket is short. This is a randonneur bar recommended for those who find the B132 style a bit tough. It has a classic style, but it also hits the spot, making it a model that has the best of both worlds.

I think that the reach of modern drop handlebars these days is probably around 80 to 90 mm. I think this profile is quite effective for people who ride by holding the brackets or who frequently grip the lower handlebars, but when it comes to riding long distances, I tend to get bored easily, so I want more variety in where to place my hands, and I want to refresh myself by changing my position drastically, so I like classic handlebars like this Type 2.

Also, when comparing the profiles, the B136 (drop 130mm) has a deeper drop than the B132 (drop 110mm), but the B136 has a gentler shoulder upsweep (the angle of the anchor is not that high) and the B132 has a deeper reach, so the perceived drop of the B132 feels deeper.

In other words, the B136 has a classic look, but in fact it has a short reach and a shallow drop handle. Personally, I have a stronger love for the B132, so I tend to recommend it more, but objectively speaking, the B136 may actually be the favorite to make a neo-randonneur into a classic.

For this handlebar, we recommend using a slightly shorter stem extension (but some people may be able to use their current stem as is).

NITTO B136 Hanafuda Bee Bar

Reach：110mm
Drop：130mm
Clamp Diameter：25.4mm
Width：470mm,500mm
Price：

Note: Original engraving

Oh, and there’s one more feature of this product. As part of this special order, we also custom ordered the engraving on the handlebars.

The motif is Hanafuda cards.

Facing the front, “Nitto” is on the right and “Circles” is on the left.

A combo of kanji and katakana!

When I was thinking of a motif, I thought, “I want to incorporate something Japanese,” so I went with something classic, something that feels like us.

When I was thinking about this, the first thing that came to mind was Hanafuda cards.

Oh, no, it’s not that I’m particularly familiar with Hanafuda cards themselves, but the reason I thought Hanafuda would be a good choice was because I remembered that Hanafuda were Nintendo’s first product. That thought was what led to this project.

This is because there are many passionate Nintendo fans at Circles who are honing their skills day and night, and the Nintendo spirit has had a significant influence on Circles.

Play seriously, think seriously, mess around seriously, and have serious fun.

This is extremely important for us who turn our hobbies into work.

We created the Hanafuda engraving with this feeling in mind.

By the way, Nintendo was originally a printing company that used its printing technology to create Hanafuda cards (founded in 1889! Apparently they were called Nintendo Karuta!), so isn’t it pretty cool that they made the Famicom about 100 years after they were founded? The innovation of such a long-established company is incredible. This is another aspect of Japan that is a little different from America, where new manufacturers keep innovating.

This spirit strangely synced with Nitto’s image, and this product was created.

A classic yet wide Randonneur bar. I think it will surprisingly fit the current mood, so do give it a try.

P.S.: It might look really good if you ink this engraving yourself.