02/15/2026
In a quiet suburb in Austin, Nao Tomii creates bike frames with his hands and an assortment of analog tools. I was invited to spend a few minutes with him in his workshop, both to get to know him and to see the fabrication of my new gravel frame. Here are my photos and thoughts from that atternoon.
First, it's hard to overstate the level of detail and precision that he uses. There are no shortcuts. He tig welds the front triangle and brazes the rear. He adds the etchings by hand. The motif is the desert west. Each frame takes him 3-4 weeks to make, and his annual production is ... 8 frames.
Next, I asked him if he's able to ride as much as he wants. Not really, but he gets out at least once week for a 30 miler with a coffee stop. "People think that because I make bikes, I'm good at riding bikes... but I'm not." * This doesn't mean that he can't balance, but rather that he enjoys a slower ride and isn't interested in group riding at faster paces. He is a wonderful combo of confidence and humility.
He grew up in Niigata, Japan, and has a background as a sculptor. He didn't fall into cycling until he moved to Boston for college and discovered a tight community of riders and builders.
He started seeing bicycle frames as rolling sculptures and began experimenting with building his own. He founded Tomii Cycles in 2012, then moved to Austin a couple years later (mostly for the weather). Today, he builds handcrafted steel bikes using high-end tubing and a process he describes as spiritual. "To build bikes, I have to be happy."
In his curio cabinet, I was thrilled to see a miniature of our Bike Law wagon. Placed next to a pin from Richard Sachs, so we're obviously in thin craftsmanship air.
What else is he working on? He also creates stem caps, bar ends, bells, and now, shift k***s (for older euro sports cars?!?) that are on par with jewelry. Turquoise, coral, and opal inlays. All etchings by hand. All made in his workshop by him. These are probably the most expensive parts that you'll ever come across, but considering the degree of craftsmanship, they're not a bad deal and maybe priced a little bit low.
Ty Nao, for the beauty you create. 🤙
