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Author Archives: Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly
Gift Ideas from Compass Bicycles
With the holidays approaching, many relatives and friends wonder what to give their favorite cyclist. So here are some great gift ideas. Forward them to anybody who asks “What would you like for …” Click on the links for more … Continue reading
Posted in Product News
René Herse Book Update
The good news is that the René Herse books are on the way to Seattle. We received a few advance copies, including the Limited Edition with its beautiful slipcase (above). The book turned out even nicer than we expected. The … Continue reading
Posted in books
5 Comments
100% Quality Control
Some customers of our René Herse cranks have noticed that their brand-new cranks show traces of having been mounted on a bottom bracket. Did they receive used cranks by accident? No, the cranks are brand-new. As part of our quality … Continue reading
Posted in Rene Herse cranks
16 Comments
Bicycle Quarterly Winter 2012
The Winter 2012 edition of Bicycle Quarterly magazine has returned from the printer and will be in the mail shortly. In this issue, we focus on titanium racing bikes and modern shifting systems. A titanium bike shoot-out in Bicycle … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycle Quarterly Back Issues
29 Comments
An Impromptu Ride
On Monday, Seattle experienced a huge rainstorm as the rainy season arrived in earnest. By noon, more than 2 inches of rain had fallen in my neighborhood, and the wind gusts reminded me of Hurricane Sandy, which I experienced in … Continue reading
Posted in Rides
46 Comments
Why We Don’t Need Rain Bikes Any Longer
I moved from Texas to Seattle 20 years ago and continued to ride and train year-round. At first, I refused to use fenders. I did not want to spoil the beautiful lines of my racing bike. After one miserably wet … Continue reading
Posted in Fenders, Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
77 Comments
René Herse Book Update
Printing a book is a long and exciting process. During the last few months, almost every week, we have received a courier package with yet another step in the process for approval. First the plotter printouts, then the digital color … Continue reading
Posted in books
11 Comments
Compass 26″ x 1.5″ Tires
We now offer the Compass 26″ (559 mm) tires in a slightly narrower 1.5″ (37 mm) width, in addition to the popular 1.75″ (44 mm) model. These tires are great for an existing mountain bike, touring bike, or 26″-wheeled tandem. … Continue reading
Posted in Tires
37 Comments
Ride the Bike You Have
“You ride the bike you have, not the bike you might want or wish to have at a later time,” said a famous secretary of defense. (More or less. He was talking about armies, not bikes, but both are tools … Continue reading
Posted in Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
18 Comments
How Germans vote
Today, I am reminded of my grandfather in Germany. Not of his cycling exploits during the 1930s, when he rode hundreds of kilometers with his friends on weekends. Instead, I am thinking of him voting. When my grand-father was in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
49 Comments
How to Choose Your Chainrings
When we received another shipment of René Herse cranks recently, we built up and filled our pre-orders first. Some are shown above. All the cranks shown have different setups, except two. (Can you spot the two identical ones?) There are … Continue reading
Posted in Rene Herse cranks, Testing and Tech
23 Comments
How Many Bikes Do I Need?
I ride my bike for enjoyment, fitness, travel and transportation. Bicycles fill more than 90% of my transportation needs (with trains, airplanes, rental trucks and cars making up the other 10%).* For all these needs, I only require two or … Continue reading
Posted in A Journey of Discovery, Our Bikes
55 Comments
Decaleurs for Aluminum Stems
Compass Bicycles now offers Grand Bois’ decaleur for classic aluminum stems. A decaleur is a small bracket mounted near the handlebars to secure the handlebar bag (the front rack holds the handlebar bag’s weight). A decaleur system has two parts: … Continue reading
Posted in Racks/Bags, Stems
7 Comments
Unimprovable: Gilles Berthoud Handlebar Bag
Gilles Berthoud handlebar bags are among the few things in this world that are so well-designed and have proven themselves for so long that they have become unimprovable. These bags first were introduced by Sologne in the 1950s, and they … Continue reading
Posted in Racks/Bags
41 Comments
Come See Us at the Philadelphia Bike Expo
We are excited to go to the Philadelphia Bike Expo next weekend. Unlike the typical consumer shows that are held in many places (including Seattle), the Philly Show’s focus is similar to what we do at Bicycle Quarterly: Artisans, Activists, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
Rene Herse – The Book
Our new book! Instead of telling you about René Herse, I’d like to tell you how this book came about. While I was visiting René Herse’s daughter Lyli many years ago, we talked about restoring the tandem that placed first … Continue reading
Posted in books
11 Comments
Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles in Paris
A sharp-eyed reader spotted our book The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles in this photo on the BBC Travel web site as part of a feature about art in Paris. It is very nice to see our book featured in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
5 Comments
René Herse Cranks in Stock
We just received a new shipment of René Herse cranks. In addition to the double and triple cranks, this production run includes the single-speed cranks (shown above). We also have all chainring sizes in stock (except 50 teeth, which are … Continue reading
Posted in Components, Product News, Rene Herse cranks
5 Comments
Supporting a 600 km Brevet – Part 2
Last week, I posted about the first day of the Seattle International Randonneurs’ Autumn 600 km brevet. When we sent our riders on their way in the early hours of this second morning of the ride, we did not know … Continue reading
Posted in Rides
12 Comments
BQ’s Calendar of Classic Bicycles 2013
For 2013, we are proud to introduce the Classic Bicycles calendar featuring studio photos of thirteen classic bicycles. The “cover model” is a 1965 Cinelli Supercorsa, built up by the legendary Spence Wolf of the Cupertino Bike Shop. Other racing … Continue reading
Posted in Product News
5 Comments
