Nature enriches my mind and spirit, makes the creative process fun and ideas emerge.
At times, it feels as though we are all caught in a rhythm of producing and consuming, rarely stopping to ask why. But then there is the bicycle shop Circles, and with it, a brand called SimWorks.
So I travelled to Nagoya (and Portland) to sit down for an earlybirds breakfast with Rie Sawada and Shinya Tanaka. Over bacon and eggs, toast and coffee, I listened to the remarkable story of a bicycle shop that isn’t really a bicycle shop at all.
“Good people make good things. They make things for the right reason,” Rie told me during our online conversation.
SimWorks USA sits in the corner of the Chris King building in Portland, Oregon, in what she describes as a “sketchy part of town.” Her accent carries the trace of a life lived across continents, more than half of it spent moving between cultures. Now she lives and works full-time in what she fondly calls “my beloved America,” leading the small team that is SimWorks USA.
Always going with the flow, entrusting myself to my intuition.
As she spoke, I listened to the story of someone guided less by plan than by instinct — bikepacking from Germany to Portugal, planning her own route while running a small bicycle café, CharRie’s Café, along the way. Making the most of the final months of her visa. Capturing every possibility time allowed.
Tanaka-san often tells me this too, but my special skill is ‘socialising.
While living in Berlin, Rie worked in a bicycle shop making coffee, and as a sushi chef at a vegan Japanese restaurant. During this time she began working remotely with Tanaka-san, assisting with English–Japanese communication. Several times a year they travelled to America to meet the people making frames, parts, and the small details that shape cycling culture. Together they built connections, sharing time, experiences, and ideas with everyone they met.
By blending into the community, I became something like a special-ops captain for making friends.
Rie documented their travels, workshop visits, community rides, and daily life through photography, while Tanaka-san added his words, shaping the stories shared through SimWorks. Gradually, these stories became a bridge between the cycling cultures of America and Japan — laying the foundation for her many roles at SimWorks USA.
As I listened to Rie and Tanaka-san, one word kept returning to me: relationships. SimWorks, Circles, even the bicycle itself — all are built on connection. When done well, a bicycle shop is not simply selling products, but trust. Purchasing a new bicycle is the beginning of something ongoing — a relationship with the shop, with your own body, and with the landscape you ride through. Those outdoor experiences follow you home as stories of adventure and discovery, shared each time you return for a tune-up or meet a fellow cyclist. A trusted shop is there year after year, offering advice, repairs, encouragement and upgrades as you and your riding evolve.
And the connections extend further still. A good bicycle shop becomes a bridge between rider and maker — between you and the people who crafted the transformative vehicle carrying you to new places, both physically and metaphorically.
When I see things in nature—animals, flowers, landscapes—or experience something, I want more people to experience it too, to see it too, and that’s what makes me want to take photographs or think whether it might be possible to organise a SimWorks bikepacking ride in this place next time.
Every SimWorks part, no matter how small, carries the story of the people behind it. From established makers such as Nitto and Panaracer to Bob at Bob’s Shirts, the artist duo GHOOOST, and Molly Sugar’s Desert Animals collection.
SimWorks is a community of storytellers who also happen to make bicycles.
Returning to something both Rie and Tanaka-san said: “Good people make good things.” Things made with pride, products carrying their name, and with it a sense of purpose and philosophy. SimWorks products are designed to simply work, and to be easily understood. This may be more significant than it first appears. If you can understand something, you can repair it. If you can repair it, you can use it for a long time — perhaps a lifetime.
That, and cycling itself, may be one of the most practical ways to care for the natural world and yourself. We are unlikely to stop making and using things. But we can choose to make them responsibly, to use them well, and to keep them in motion for as long as possible. A healthier cycle of making, using, and repairing, with more time spent outdoors together.
Rie has followed her intuition full of momentum and curiosity, moving from place to place, from interest to interest, continually reshaping her understanding of herself, the world, and most importantly, her values and those of SimWorks. I asked her what she thought of success.
“For me, success means being able to connect with people through SimWorks, and seeing those people, everyone involved, living their lives in a healthy way, both mentally and physically, and enjoying each day with a positive mindset. If SimWorks can enrich someone’s life even a little and help create moments of health and happiness, then being able to feel that is, to me, the greatest success of all.
As for SimWorks itself and our community, to never stop creating, learning, and continuing. If we can keep learning, keep creating, keep updating, then I believe that is success. To maintain curiosity, not fear change, and to have an environment where we can continue to grow, this to me, is what it means to live a truly fulfilled and vibrant life.”
My conversation with Rie and Tanaka-san continues to have a profound effect on me — a lesson in the quality of things and relationships. When the cadence of society no longer matches your own, it can leave you feeling slightly out of step. But meeting them, I’m reminded that I’m not alone in my curiosity and passion for things well designed, an early breakfast, a good story, and the outdoors.
SimWorks is a community encircling us all.
And so it goes…
James
Ride the Katsuo Trail with SimWorks & One Tree Academy
Shinya Tanaka and Masashi Kimura (Circles / SimWorks) will be joining Lucas B.B. and myself at One Tree Academy Kawane this coming May. Held over May 30th–31st, this two-day gathering offers a chance to explore the world of bikepacking—riding a section of the Katsuo Trail, learning about gear and approach, and sharing time together in nature. Alongside the ride, there will be talks, workshops, campfire cooking, and sauna… and plenty of stories along the way.
Trail Walks & Campfire Talks #02
May 30–31, 2026 | Kawanehoncho, Shizuoka
One Tree Academy returns to the Katsuo Trail with a two-day bikepacking gathering centered on riding, learning, and time spent outdoors.
▶︎Click here to apply
One Tree Academy
By Trail Learning from inspiring examples and sharing our own experiences, One Tree Academy provides the space to intentionally design our lifestyle and unlock our highest creative potential. Through shared events, talks, workshops, and creative storytelling, we’ll connect the wisdom of local communities, artists, and everyday explorers—linking Japan with the wider world.
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