Model 01 — Kyoto, 2024

A machine for walking farther.

The KADO Model 01 weighs 14.6 kilograms. It carries a 360 Wh battery inside the down tube, a Gates carbon belt where a chain would be, and a 250-watt motor in the rear hub. Three assist levels. Eighty kilometres of range. A charger that fits in a messenger bag.

14.6

kilograms

battery included

First deliveries: January 2025. Batch 06 sold out in four days.

A matte charcoal electric bicycle with a slim down tube housing a concealed battery, Gates carbon belt drive visible at the rear, swept-back handlebars, displayed against a warm cream studio backdrop, shot from a slight three-quarter angle showing the clean belt drive and rear hub motor, soft directional lighting from the left, 50mm lens, muted warm palette, artisanal product photography

01 — Frame

Hand-brazed in Fushimi

Each Model 01 frame is built from Tange Prestige chromoly steel in a single workshop in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. Brazed over gas flasks, not TIG-welded. One builder per frame. Eleven hours across three days. The lugs are investment-cast in Nara — the same foundry that produces architectural hardware for Kengo Kuma's office.

Paint is a two-part polyurethane enamel — mixed by hand, sprayed in a single pass, cured at 120 °C for 45 minutes, hand-buffed with #2000 grit, and left unlacquered. The finish will dull. It will scratch. It will mark. This is the point.

Tange Prestige is double-butted to 0.4 mm at the thinnest wall. Down tube centre section: 0.7 mm. Frame weight: 2,140 g (54 cm). The lugs are sand-cast in batches of twelve.

02 — Specification

The numbers

14.6 kg

Total weight, battery included

80 km

Range in Eco, 75 kg rider, 25 °C, rolling terrain

3.2 h

Full charge, 0 → 100 %

250 W

Rear hub motor, 40 Nm peak

360 Wh

Samsung INR-21700 cells, 36 V, 10 Ah

128T

Gates CDX carbon belt, 9 mm pitch

03 — Order

Batch 07 opens March 2025

Model 01 ships in batches of 60 units. Deposit: ¥50,000. Delivery: 8–10 weeks from order confirmation. Frame sizes: 48, 52, 54, 56, 58 cm. One colour: Nara ash.

Place deposit

Batch 06 sold out in four days. Batch 05 in six. Average build queue: 11 weeks. Each frame is stamped with its batch number and builder's initials.