LOVE CYCLIST is a Japanese cycling media outlet, and at the same time a community of cyclists who love life on the bike. Here we share refined products and stories that resonate with our own style, carefully unpacking the background behind each of them.
Why We Run This Media
Since its start in 2016, LOVE CYCLIST, the style we built together with our members has shaped how many cyclists picture the sport, as something recognizable as "the Love Cyclist look."
Lovecy focuses on a specific territory within cycling: road bikes and gravel bikes. That is simply because we are deeply obsessed with this genre. In recent years, "cycling × something" crossovers have multiplied, opening up new ways to enjoy the bike from all kinds of angles. But we believe the essence of road cycling doesn't depend on those combinations. It lives in the riding experience itself, at the speeds this machine was made for, and that is a value we hold dear.
Cycling is an equipment sport, and there is no denying that the barrier to entry is higher than in other activities. At the same time, precisely because it is an equipment sport, the differences between gear can be savored like in no other pursuit. Great gear and apparel amplify the exhilaration of the ride, and they elevate the fulfillment of a lifestyle built around this passion to another level. We are always searching for new products through a single lens: what will heighten the way we ride?
Information about performance bikes once circulated mainly through print. Today its sources and content have become fragmented, and exaggerated, sensational coverage chasing short-term attention has become the norm, leaving readers to judge carefully what to trust. Against this backdrop, we take a step back to read the flow of the entire market and where it is headed, selecting products and information of real value. Then we carefully unpack the stories behind them and share them with you, in a style that is refined.
 | Tats | Based in Tokyo Editor-in-Chief of LOVE CYCLIST. He loves unpacking the sports bike industry, road cycling above all, through a marketing lens. With a wide network of friendships across overseas brands, he uses the media to propose new styles of riding and living with the bike. He is also active as a photographer and videographer, shooting for numerous cycling brands both in Japan and abroad. Standert Kreissäge RS / Factor LS @tats_lovecyclist | X @lovecyclist |
 | Anna | Based in Tokyo From Fukushima Prefecture. A Specialized rider (S-Crew). Loves riding and heads out to different mountains whenever she has time off. Spontaneous and full of energy, she'll even take a day trip to Bandai-Azuma Skyline on a whim. She talks the entire way. A fan of festivals featuring Western music of any genre. Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 @annannanna1002 |
 | Atsushi | Based in Nagoya Works for a major automaker. A Café du Cycliste ambassador. While stationed in Nice, he became a model for Café du Cycliste, riding mainly through the many mountains of France, which is how he became a hill climb enthusiast. His motto: stylish and fast. Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 / Standert Stichsäge / Lauf Seigla @atsushi_nice_sun/ |
 | Beki | Based in Fukuoka A Café du Cycliste ambassador. Enjoys riding centered around brevets and hill climbs. Completed the full 1,200km of PBP 2023 within the time limit in August 2023. Founded the cycling community "Saddle up!", expanding a free and close-knit circle of cyclists. TREK Madone 9 / Respirare @beki_no_ikubeki |
 | Gaku | Based in Tokyo Has been focused on competitive cycling since his student days, and now races CX seriously as well. He quickly rose through the ranks to ME2, making his mark early. He also treats film photography as a lifelong pursuit, enjoying riding in many styles beyond just training rides. Giant TCR / Standert Pfadfinder @mt.sakana03 |
 | Hiroki | Based in Tokyo Immersed in motorcycling as a teenager, becoming champion at the 2016 Asian Championship race. With strong physicality, skill, and powerful muscles, he draws a mainly male fan base. Specialized Crux @zenkai_nh |
 | Hiroko | Based in Tokyo Belonged to a cycling club during her student years, touring the country on a chromoly bike. She loves playing in the mountains, and beyond cycling she's skilled in a range of activities, from traversing the peaks of the Northern Alps to alpine skiing. Cannondale SupreSix EVO Hi-MOD / Cervélo Aspero-5 @ihirob |
 | Kanata| Based in Tokyo Prefers gravel riding, actively taking on snowy roads as well as gravel. A huge Dragons fan, he heads to the ballpark often during the season. Wilier Rave SLR @kana_dragons |
 | Karen| Based in Tokyo Serves as an assistant MC on "Shibuya Radio's Shibuya Cycling Club," while also supporting runners as a trainer through the running app "LiveRun." Beyond road cycling, he takes on a range of activities including running, mountaineering, and triathlon. DE ROSA AVANT @karen_maruyama |
 | Masanaga | Based in Tokyo Lives in Chiba Prefecture. Favors a simple and clean style that makes the most of her height. Also loves driving, and enjoys combining drives with rides to explore cafes and gravel roads around Chiba. 3T Strada @masa_caadondale10 |
 | Masayuki | Based in Tokyo Holds achievements including the Mt. Fuji Hill Climb Silver Ring, Everesting, and Vertical Everesting. Recently got hooked on brevets too, earning his SR (Super Randonneur) in 2023. On regular rides he obsessively seeks out hills and back roads, so his distance and elevation gain keep reaching superhuman levels. Canyon Aeroad CFR @stumsky |
 | Mei | Based in Osaka One of LOVE CYCLIST's founding members. Through exploring different ways to enjoy cycling, from brevets to hill climbs, she met Tats and Ryuji and joined the project after connecting with the media's concept. She has continued to expand new style proposals from a woman's perspective, holding a distinct influence both within and beyond the community. Cervélo Caledonia-5 @meisan_no_yakata | X @Meitter_RS8_com |
 | Miharu | Based in Tokyo Spent three years on her school's competitive cycling team, standing on the podium multiple times. Though she has retired from road racing, she still favors rides with plenty of speed and excitement, and continues to race CX. TIME ALPE D'HUEZ 21 @mih.tokuyama |
 | Miki | Based in Wakayama Owns a road bike, gravel bike, and cyclocross bike, and rides all kinds of surfaces with ease thanks to her strong physicality. Her account name comes from her favorite rider, Alberto Contador. Always driven by curiosity, her motto is "the desire for gear never stops." Specialized S-Works SL7 / Canyon Grail CF @miki___berto |
 | Mochidome | Based in Tokyo A professional cyclist with Team Eurasia. Loves coffee, and visits roasteries wherever his travels take him. His palate and knowledge sometimes surpass those of the baristas at the cafes he visits. @omochi68 |
 | Non | Based in Chiba Often rides with cyclists met through shops or social media. Loves driving, and particularly enjoys the style of loading his bike into the car, driving to a destination, and riding once he gets there. LOOK 795 Blade RS @___nonpic |
 | Ran | Based in Boston A cyclist first, doctor second, in her own words. She has taken on a wide range of cycling related activities, including a column series in FUNRIDE, the #Ino Tadataka Project (using GPS to trace the map of Japan), and running the cycling culture radio show "Pedamimi." She moved to the US in 2023 and is currently raising a child there. TBD @31_ran_ |
 | Riku | Based in Tokyo Previously competed in road racing and now focuses mainly on the top category of cyclocross. He practices a riding style that combines both competitive edge and personal style, saying he wants to be, in his words, "the cool guy who's also fast." Ridley Fenix SLiC @rikuchan.jp |
 | Rin | Based in Tokyo Has met fellow riders through various communities, shaping her own riding style while sharing values along the way. She studied abroad in Vancouver, where she joined the local cycling community and enjoyed riding there, engaging with cycling through many different perspectives. Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL6 @f430_lisa_ |
 | Rokuto | Based in Osaka Grew up in an environment where riding bikes was simply part of everyday life from a young age, and still lives surrounded by all kinds of bikes today. His refined lifestyle has earned him many fans close to home. Equilibrium Elysion @rokuto521 |
 | Ryuji | Based in Ehime A company executive and POC ambassador, and one of LOVE CYCLIST's founding members. Formerly a competitive racer with podium finishes to his name. He had been reading LOVE CYCLIST since the site first launched, and after a chance meeting with Tats, discovered they shared the same vision, leading him to join the operation. He brings fresh energy to the project, drawing on his experience and network from editing a cycling magazine and working at an apparel maker. He moved to Ehime in 2022 and remains as active as ever. S-Works Tarmac SL8 / Cannondale SuperX @ryuji_ride |
 | Ryosuke | Based in Tokyo Works in AI research and development. When he first started road cycling, he trained hard with a close knit group of friends. After he began wearing Pas Normal Studios, he joined both the PNS and LOVE CYCLIST communities, and now enjoys riding while drawing inspiration from each community's distinct style. Equilibrium Brutalist @r_miki1991 |
 | Saad | Based in Tokyo From Bangladesh, and has lived in Japan for five years. Once he starts having fun, he speeds off and disappears from the group in no time. He's skilled at making curry that recreates the flavors of his home country, and completely wins over the group's stomachs at the curry parties he regularly hosts. Canyon Aeroad CF SLX | Scott Foil RC @why_so_saad |
 | Taka | Based in Tokyo A Specialized, MAAP, and BOOKMAN ambassador. Favors rides that link together multiple mountains for over 4,000m of elevation gain in a single outing, earning him the affectionate nickname of "the maniac" from those around him. Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 / S-Works Aethos 2 @koolt4884 |
 | Takuya | Based in Tokyo Frequently seen at MAGNET, leading many to suspect he actually works there. A beloved character known for his love of beer and watching baseball. Specialized S-Works Aethos @takuya.116 |
 | Yukari | Based in Tokyo A Ridley ambassador. Got hooked on the manga "Yowamushi Pedal" while studying abroad in London, and bought a road bike as soon as she returned to Japan. Drawing on the drive that took her backpacking through 18 European countries, along with the sense of style she's honed through her fashion career, she's involved in a wide range of cycling related activities. Ridley Falcn @hii_road |
 | Yukihiro | Based in Osaka A mechanic at ".Canvas". Has an eye for genuinely well made products and provides customers with careful, high quality service. He also continues to launch original projects one after another, building a new community in the Hokusetsu area. Allied ECHO @tategu_nobody |
 | Wataru | Based in Sendai Having grown up with Twitter (now X) always by her side, she tweets about daily life as naturally as breathing. Lives with a rabbit. BMC Teammachine R 01| Cannondale SuperX @watastagram178 |
