His hobby is fantasy. Kenta Kobayashi of bicycle specialty store “tempra cycle” gives shape to “what I want to do”.

Customizing bicycles to fit the customer’s style

Celeina (MC): I heard that you moved your store from Gakugeidaigaku to Shinyurigaoka last September. How do you like the new location?

Kobayashi: We just moved in and it still feels like a flurry of activity, but both old and new customers have been visiting us. The manager is new, and we are enjoying a fresh start.

Celeina：I heard that tempra cycle is not only a bicycle shop in town, but also specializes in customization.

Kobayashi: Rather than just selling regular bicycles, we customize bicycles according to how they are used. We ask people what they want to do, such as carry their children, or where they want to go, and then make suggestions.

Celeina：I was told that you can provide bicycle consulting services.

Kobayashi：When a customer comes to us, we ask them how they want to use the bicycle. Even if they have a clear idea of what they want, they may end up choosing something different, and it would be a waste if they can’t use it after they buy it.

Celeina：How did you become a bicycle shop that makes suggestions?

Kobayashi：I have always liked vehicles, and I like things that are different from others, so I was interested in customizing them. I like the feeling of superiority that comes with becoming a beloved vehicle.

Takano (MC): I also like the concept of making something that doesn’t exist. I understand that you originally worked as a graphic designer?

Kobayashi: Yes, I have been working steadily for about 25 years.

Celeina：Today you are bringing original goods from tempra cycle. They are very cute!　I’m interested in this “Call me” sticker.

Kobayashi: I asked my illustrator friend Rui Nakamura to make this sticker for me.

Celeina: It’s cute because you can write your name and phone number on it.

Takano: Is this a magnet?

Kobayashi：This is a magnet to put on your car, written by JUN OSON. I really wanted to have this item made because there were no “baby on board” or “dog on board” magnets that I liked.

Celeina: I want to put it on my car!

Recent Bicycle Trends & Road Recommendations

Takano: I know it’s hard to ride a bike in the cold season, but what about the bicycle population?

Kobayashi: I have the sense that it has increased, partly because I was able to go out on a bicycle during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Celeina: I have the image that electric bicycles are also popular. What are the trends in the bicycle community?

Kobayashi：We do custom electric bicycles, and I have the impression that there are many people who buy used old mountain bikes from the 1990s and customize them, as well as vehicles that can be used on roads and in the mountains. There are also people who build cruisers for city riding. There is a trend toward something that can be used on a daily basis and still be a pleasure to own.

Takano: What Tokyo bicycle paths do you recommend?

Kobayashi: We recommend that you first come to our store from Shin-Yurigaoka Station, and then take the route toward Mt. There is a road called “Onekan” (commonly known as the Minamitama-One trunk line), which is moderately strenuous but also relaxing.

Takano: The scenery sounds wonderful.

Kobayashi: Yes. There are many places that are difficult to get to from Tokyo, but that is a good road to go to.

Pay attention to the snack culture that connects people with each other.

Celeina：Thank you very much.Mr.Kobayashi, as a “master of finding fun,” you are a transmitter of culture. Is there anything that you are currently paying attention to?

Kobayashi: This is going to sound geeky, but I like snack culture. My wife is from Miyazaki Prefecture, and I learned that the culture in Miyazaki Prefecture is completely different from that of Tokyo. In Tokyo, it is difficult for a single woman or a first-time visitor to go in, but in Miyazaki, everyone is welcome and it is like an izakaya. You can go alone or with your family, and you can even make snack friends who are about 20 years older than you. I find this difference interesting.

Celeina：So it functions as a place for communication.

Kobayashi: I thought the Showa-era retro image of snacks was really cool, so I rented a place called “Hanare_HANARE” (a rental kitchen space in Sasazuka, Tokyo) and held “SNACK Keiko and Toshiko” with my wife and the wife of a friend.

Takano: The name is wonderful.

Kobayashi: I’m thinking of doing this about once a month, while asking the wife to dress like that.

Celeina: Please check it out. Now, I am going to send you a song here. I asked Mr. Kobayashi to choose a song that he would like everyone to listen to together on the radio at this time. Please tell us the reason for your song selection.

Kobayashi：I originally liked the artist, and when we had a store in Gakugei Daigaku, the first manager was a camera operator, so he took artist photos. That was the opportunity for me to create a fictional team called “Jazzy Sport Cycle Team”. I chose them because they have been helping me both professionally and privately, holding events with the team, developing apparel, and releasing a CD for the 10th anniversary of the store’s opening. MAHBIE: “Space Brothers feat. Dengaryu & Bobby Bellwood”.

Hobby fantasies lead to interesting things

Celeina：Can you tell us again what kind of team is the “Jazzy Sport Cycle Team”?

Kobayashi: It is not an actual team, but we started it with the idea of creating a fictional team with “JAZZY SPORT” (a creative group that works on the concept of “bringing the world together through music and sports”). We don’t exist, but we make apparel, so everyone who buys our products feels like a part of our team.

Celeina: And in terms of music, you are also working like a label. tempra cycle is celebrating its 15th anniversary, so is there anything you want to do?

Kobayashi：I am in trouble because there are so many things I want to do. I want to realize snack culture, I want to make a CD for the 15th anniversary, and I want to do new things.

Celeina：There is a lot going on. I get the impression that you like a lot of things. How do you find things that interest you?

Kobayashi：I enjoy fantasizing, and I am often told that I am observant. I think I have a lot of inputs, such as listening to music and riding bicycles. I wonder if that leads to what I want to do and what seems interesting through my fantasies.

Takano: You have great power to realize your desires.

Kobayashi: Of course there are things that don’t come to fruition, but if I don’t do them quickly, someone else will, and I have many friends around me who help me. I think I am able to act because of the people around me.

Celeina：It is important to always remember to be grateful.

Takano: Speed is also important.

Celeina： “FIST BUMP” is a circle of friends connected by “goo touch,” so we ask members to introduce your friends, but what kind of people does Mr.Kobayashi introduce to us?

Kobayashi: It is MARCO-san, a junior member of the Bicycle Club.

Takano: In a word, is he a junior member of the Bicycle Club?

Kobayashi: He is my junior, but he is about as old as my nephew. But he talks to me openly, and I think he is a young man with both influence and centripetal force.

Celeina：I am curious about him as a nephew with centripetal force. Today we welcomed Kenta Kobayashi from tempra cycle. Thank you very much.

GRAND MARQUEE

J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann

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