Uncle Rinne: Coffee, Reincarnation, and Riding Everything

I've followed Uncle Rinne on Instagram for years. His art captures cycling culture in a way that speaks to every cyclist. It's not just racing, but gravel, bikepacking, coffee rides, and the growing women's side in the sport. Even as Instagram keeps making it harder to find the content I actually want in my feed, I always make time to check for his latest post. I've long wanted to hang one of his pieces on my wall at home, or maybe up at Cedar Stand Coffee.

Turns out he'd been following me back for years: my photography, my riding, the bikepacking stories I've shared along the way. So I did the only reasonable thing: I slid into his DMs and asked for an interview.

What I got back was less a Q&A than a window into his whole philosophy. Rinne's been riding bikes for 48 years and drawing for 26, working out of Tokyo, where he used to DJ at cafes. We talked about where Sara came from, why his characters have no fixed story, how Buddhist ideas about rotation and rebirth ended up baked into a bicycle drawing, and why he refuses to pick a side between road, gravel, track, and bikepacking. It's a bigger conversation than I expected and one I am stoked to share on our Arts & Culture page.

Meet Tetsuro Ohno, the Artist Behind Uncle Rinne...

When did you start drawing, and when did bikes specifically become the subject?

After working as a product designer at a major home appliance manufacturer for nine years, I became a freelance illustrator. My work primarily consists of illustrations centered on fashion and interior design for magazines, advertisements, and CD covers. I had been doing this for about 20 years when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Around that time, my son, who had just started high school, began competing seriously in cycling. He competes in both track and road cycling. At the same time, he joined RAVAENRO, one of Japan's traditional club teams. This was influenced by the fact that he had always watched races like the Tour de France on TV since he was a child.

Since I've been riding bikes since I was a child myself, I'd long been thinking about how I could use my illustrations and art to help make cycling more mainstream in Japan. That's why I created this character, "UNCLE RINNE."

Step Inside the Rinne/Sara Universe

You draw a character with your own name and signature. Is Rinne you, an idealized you, or someone else you're watching from outside?

People often assume that I must have a thick beard just like "UNCLE RINNE," but unfortunately, our physical appearances don't look alike at all. However, I have a vast array of hobbies: I ride all kinds of bicycles and absolutely love tinkering with them. I'm also deeply into fishing, camping, cars, and motorcycles, and I used to do mountain climbing and skiing as well.

In that sense, almost everything UNCLE RINNE does is exactly what I do. Of course, UNCLE RINNE competes in the Tour de France, which I obviously do not.

How did Sara come into the work? What was missing before she existed?

When I first started sharing UNCLE RINNE on Instagram, I noticed that I had a lot of female followers. It also happened to be a time when female riders were gaining a lot of attention in the road racing world. Overall, though, the number of female riders was still small, and I really wanted to see that community grow. I also wanted to show my support for female cyclists, so I created the character SARA. The response when I first introduced her was massive, and I received so many wonderful messages from female riders.

Do Rinne and Sara have a story, even a loose one or are they more like moods you return to than characters with a continuity?

There is no consistent, overarching story for these characters. But precisely because there isn't one, they can ride any kind of bicycle and appear in any given situation. This allows the viewers to freely expand their own imaginations. By having the same characters freely riding different bikes in various contexts, it helps people realize that all these different forms of cycling are part of one single bicycle culture. They allow them to feel just how inherently free bicycling really is.

Is there ever temptation to add another regular character? Why have you limited the character set to two main people?

Actually, a few other characters have already made appearances, though they rarely pop up. This is because, rather than having a bunch of different characters talking to one another, I find it much more interesting and imaginative to have multiple copies of the exact same bearded UNCLE RINNE having a conversation.

Depending on how you look at it, it can appear quite surreal. To some viewers, it might look like a man having a dialogue with himself. Also, when characters with the exact same face exhibit completely different personalities, it gives the audience a lot to think about. It all started with the funny idea: "Wouldn't it be hilarious if an entire peloton of dozens of riders all had the exact same bearded face?"

Has the work ever felt like it boxed you in, that readers/followers expecting more Rinne-and-Sara when you wanted to draw something else?

The work of UNCLE RINNE has a specific purpose. It is to help people all over the world who ride different types of bicycles realize that, regardless of the type of bike they ride, they are all part of one single bicycle culture.

I often use an analogy to explain this. When people think of "surf culture," they can easily picture the music, the fashion, and the interior design style that goes with it. However, very few people have that kind of cohesive image when it comes to bicycles. I feel that we could create a shared, common imagery for what bicycling is. I always hope that UNCLE RINNE can be one of the things that helps people feel that connection. Therefore, I want to keep continuing UNCLE RINNE and SARA until the term "bicycle culture" spreads much more widely around the world.

As I mentioned earlier, I am also still continuing the fashion and interior drawings that I used to do. In fact, I actually have three different artist names that I use.

Step into the Process

Where do you draw? Where does the actual art take place?

Almost all of the drawings I share on Instagram are done on an iPad. Part of my intention with these approachable characters is to make art that isn't dictated or restricted by the physical choice of art supplies. Of course, I do sometimes draw by hand, and that might increase in the future.

Walk me through how a piece like "Zen Coffee Aroma" actually comes together. Sketch first, color first, or is it the experience that exists first?

I forgot to mention this earlier, but coffee is also one of my hobbies. I've even been taught how to brew by several coffee roasters. While I wouldn't say I'm overly obsessive about it, I sometimes roast my own beans as well. In this way, I experiment with combining my own experiences and knowledge, or the experiences of my many diverse friends, or various things I ponder in my daily life, with bicycles to see how it can create a cooler aesthetic.

Additionally, my family background is a bit complex religiously, and I think the fact that I have spent a lot of time thinking about philosophical matters also influences my work. When I am conceptualizing a drawing, the layout comes before the color.

Why the bold single-color backgrounds? What does that choice protect or simplify?

As I mentioned before, I deliberately try to create art that is not influenced by the textures of art materials or canvas surfaces. This is a practice I've maintained since my days of doing fashion illustration. Drawing on a computer often makes you want to use a lot of gradients, but I prefer the exact opposite: solid colors. Because of this, if I ever do hand-drawn work, I might place a much heavier emphasis on the texture of the materials.

Is there a piece you look back on and don't like anymore, or wish you'd drawn differently?

There are many. In fact, I have redrawn the exact same theme several times. Even with the same theme, I believe it's perfectly fine to have different pieces that reflect the shifting emotions of that particular moment in time.

Is there a piece that stands out to you as a favourite? Why?

There are many. In everyday life, I am a very sensible, conventional person, but internally, I have a duality where I am constantly questioning common sense. This isn't about simply criticizing the current state of the world, but rather thinking about whether there might be a better way to do things. I make it a point never to forget to question what is taken for granted. This has been a consistent thread since my days as a product designer. Whenever I create something new, I always question conventional wisdom.

I do the same with UNCLE RINNE. I feel happiest when I manage to create a drawing that successfully expresses that skepticism. When you do that, the result naturally takes on a sort of rock 'n' roll edge, but I think it's vital that this edge is never just superficial.

The Rinne X Beyond kit collaboration took your line work onto an actual jersey. What changes when the art has to be ridden in, versus framed on a wall?

Pearl Izumi releases a new collaboration jersey with a new design every year. Beyond that, I also have an apparel line with Shimano Europe that is sold almost worldwide. My drawings are also a form of philosophy. It makes me very happy when people use or wear my work simply because they think it's cute or interesting. At the same time, it is incredibly rewarding when people look deeper, discover the underlying philosophy, and resonate with it. If they find value in putting that philosophy on their bodies and riding their bikes, nothing could make me happier.

Currently, many new collaborations are underway. Just the other day at EUROBIKE, Winspace announced a collaboration frame featuring my design. This particular design is interspersed with many spiritual and philosophical words. I think there is something really interesting about riding out into the world accompanied by those words.

The Cultural Connections: Coffee, Bikepacking, and Racing

Coffee shows up constantly in your work. Is that about the ritual of riding, or something more personal?

One of the core themes of UNCLE RINNE is "Rinne" (Samsara), the concept of reincarnation that originates from Buddhism and earlier Indian religions. However, I interpret this concept more broadly, connecting it to the idea that the very foundation of the universe is entirely made of rotation. From the cosmos down to electrons, everything revolves. Even the religious worldviews imagined by humans involve a cyclical rotation, traveling back and forth between this world and the afterlife. At the same time, time moves forward. The universe, as far as we know, expands eternally. I felt that this exact sensation perfectly matches the bicycle. A bicycle consists of various rotating parts, which humans set into motion by spinning the pedals. Yet, the bicycle moves forward. I found it truly incredible how deeply the bicycle reflects this fundamental principle of the universe.

There is a school of thought in Buddhism that "Rinne" is not just blindly looping around in circles. The world shifts, time progresses, and whether we are evolving or regressing remains unknown, but things are constantly changing while spinning around. It is exactly like a bicycle. This is the very theme I want to express through UNCLE RINNE.

At the same time, when trying to emphasize the essence of the bicycle, I find it interesting to contrast or juxtapose it with another element. Fortunately, because I have a wide range of interests and hobbies, placing them alongside bicycles helps heighten the inherent coolness of the bike and serves as the perfect vehicle to express the philosophy I just mentioned.

Coffee is exactly one of those elements. While the fact that I love coffee is obviously important, brewing coffee also requires various rotational movements. Furthermore, the traits of brewing, such as intense focus and calming the mind, create a very compelling contrast when paired with cycling.

In Japan, within the world of Zen, the act of preparing tea is considered just as vital as Zazen (seated meditation). The act of preparing matcha itself, and sharing that experience with others, is deeply valued as the core of the Zen spirit. My mother was actually a tea master, so I occasionally prepare matcha myself. At the same time, you can achieve that exact same mental state through brewing coffee. I feel there is immense meaning in connecting this mindset to cycling.

Classic road culture and bikepacking are almost different tribes in cycling, yet your work merges them without seeming to notice the seam. Was that ever a deliberate choice?

That is precisely the other major theme of UNCLE RINNE. Within the world of bicycles, I love absolutely everything: road racing, track racing, gravel, touring, MTB, BMX, cycling as fashion, cycling as street culture, and cycling as a custom hobby. Yet, as you noted, the people who engage in these different disciplines are often categorized as separate "races."

Sometimes, these groups don't get along well, or they speak negatively about each other's worlds. I find that incredibly boring. We should place far more praise on human beings for taking the bicycle, a remarkably simple, straightforward machine and tool, and using it to invent such a vast, diverse array of ways to play. This is what true culture is. And new ways to ride, new types of bicycles, are still being born. On social media, I see boys in places like Africa or Southeast Asia riding custom bikes I've never seen before, in ways I've never imagined. Seeing that fills me with excitement.

Because local cultures naturally emerge in different regions, I can understand why it becomes difficult to comprehend "the other," leading to a tendency to speak ill of them. It is exactly the same as "language" or "culture." In other words, the bicycle itself might actually be a language or a culture. When languages differ, misunderstandings arise, and relationships can sour. Yet, what people are actually thinking is often surprisingly identical. Once misunderstandings are cleared up, people can become friends. If the people who play with the exact same machine can recognize cycling as a shared, common culture, where everyone cross-pollinates, enjoys all types of bikes, and gets along, that is nothing short of world peace itself! That is the ultimate ambition of UNCLE RINNE.

You've got fixie and track/bike-polo pieces alongside the gravel and bikepacking work, which is a wide span of bike culture. Do those scenes feel like separate worlds to you, or all the same world from a different angle?

In reality, I have many friends who ride all kinds of different bicycles. While the bike polo community in Japan is quite small, I have friends who play it. I have friends who do MTB, and friends who enter fixie races. My son does road and track racing, and I also ride on the velodrome myself. I've been bikepacking for a very long time. There were also periods in my life where I did fishing, camping, skiing, and mountaineering. Because I have walked through these various worlds firsthand, I am perhaps able to naturally find the common threads that connect them all.

Coffee shows up enough that it's basically a third character. Is there an actual coffee ritual in your own riding life, or is it more about what coffee signals?

Both coffee and bicycles are simply part of my daily life. Mentally and physically, the two share an incredibly high affinity with one another, and together, they naturally make for a beautiful picture.

Drawings of drinking coffee at a campsite, drinking coffee while gazing at epic landscapes during a bikepacking trip, or staring out the window drinking coffee on a rainy day when you can't go out for a ride. I will definitely continue to create many more drawings themed around coffee and bicycles in the future.

Looking Ahead

What's been your favourite collaboration so far with cycling brands? Why?

Every single collaboration has been a wonderful experience, and the brands have understood the world of UNCLE RINNE incredibly well. It's very difficult to choose a number one, but as my latest collaboration, the frame design for Winspace is deeply memorable to me.

I designed almost the entire thing myself; UNCLE RINNE is drawn on one side, and SARA is on the other. I love the idea of both men and women owning this frame. Furthermore, this frame doesn't just feature drawings; it is interspersed with many spiritual maxims and quotes that appear throughout the UNCLE RINNE series. Hidden on the inside of the front fork, the words "JUST RIDE" are inscribed. And in various places across the frame, phrases like "Pedaling is meditation," "Pedal deep, think nothing," "CYCLING IS FREEDOM," "GO ANYWHERE, GO EVERYWHERE," "CYCLING COMMUNITY BEYOND BORDERS," "LOVE ALL BIKES," "PELOTON RIDES THE WORLD AHEAD," and "NEVER GIVE UP!" are written. On top of that, on the back of the seatpost, a single flower is drawn alongside the word "PEACE."

Do you appreciate the larger collaborations that help you reach more people or simply making beautiful artwork that can be framed on a wall?

I find both equally appealing. Even with large-scale collaborations, I would never partner with a brand that doesn't understand the worldview of UNCLE RINNE. At the same time, compared to Europe and the West, Japan doesn't have a widespread culture of hanging art on walls. This is naturally a reflection of national character, and there are many different cultures like this around the world. Therefore, I would be happy to see various collaborations and different types of items created, so that the world of UNCLE RINNE can be embraced by people all over the globe in many different forms.

What is a dream collaboration that hasn't happened yet, but you hope does soon?

Since collaborations require a partner, I never know how things will turn out, but my dream is to hold solo exhibitions in various countries. Ideally, I would love to travel to that country directly and present the exhibition myself, but even if only my artwork is displayed, that is perfectly fine too.

In the past, I have exhibited in cities like London, Glasgow, and Shanghai. In Glasgow, during the UCI Cycling World Championships, I illustrated all of the disciplines, and the work was exhibited inside Glasgow Central Station. In London, my art was showcased during a conference themed around cities and bicycles.

Because UNCLE RINNE covers such a wide spectrum, it is perfectly suited for creating exhibitions tailored to specific themes. The theme for my next upcoming exhibition in Tokyo is "Fishing and Bicycles." I look forward to receiving offers from everyone!

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