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Author Archives: Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly
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
Supporting a 600 km Brevet – Part 1
During our pre-riding the planned route for the Seattle International Randonneur’s “Mountain 600 km Brevet,” we realized that it was not safe to have riders descend from Windy Ridge at night. It would be too cold, and the road has … Continue reading
Posted in Rides
19 Comments
Autumn 2012 Bicycle Quarterly
The Autumn 2012 issue of Bicycle Quarterly will be mailed next week. This issue celebrates 10 years of the magazine. That’s right: Ten years ago, the first issue of what was then Vintage Bicycle Quarterly was mailed. It’s been a … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycle Quarterly Back Issues, Product News
15 Comments
A Nice Encounter
Yesterday morning, I got a phone call: “Gerolf here. I am in Seattle.” Gerolf Meyer is one of the people behind the German magazine Fahrstil, for which I had written a few articles in the past. I knew that he … Continue reading
Posted in Rides
16 Comments
Shipping Costs
Sometimes I am surprised by how much I am charged for shipping when I order things. When a company obviously charges more than it costs to ship the order, I feel taken advantage of. At Compass Bicycles, we only charge … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
Bike Tests: Design Specifics vs. Intended Use
There are two common yet different approaches to testing products: You can compare design specifics. For example, you test hybrid bikes with disc brakes. Or in the car world, mid-size SUVs. You figure out which company makes the best one … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech
23 Comments
“Pre-Riding” the 600 km Brevet
Last weekend, Ryan and I were fortunate to have glorious weather for our “pre-ride” of the Seattle International Randonneurs 600 km brevet. A “pre-ride” is done by the ride organizers to make sure the route sheet is accurate, instead of … Continue reading
Posted in Rides
43 Comments
Silver Cups for SKF Bottom Brackets
More than three years after their introduction in North America, the SKF bottom brackets have lived up to their promise as the most reliable bottom bracket on the market. Many have been ridden for tens of thousands of miles in … Continue reading
Posted in Bottom brackets
5 Comments
Doping in Randonneuring?
With the recent news that Lance Armstrong effectively admitted to a large-scale doping conspiracy on his teams, the issue of doping has been front and center in the cycling news. A few readers have asked whether doping exists in randonneuring, … Continue reading
Posted in PBP Preparation, Rides
34 Comments
Are “Safer” Cars a Menace to Cyclists?
Today’s papers report of a new government safety initiative: Cars talking to each other, for example, to warn the driver that cars ahead are stopped at a red light, or that another car is about to ignore a stop sign … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
58 Comments
People who have inspired us: Mike Kone
One of the greatest influences that led to Bicycle Quarterly and Compass Bicycles has been Mike Kone (center above, discussing a historic photo with Robert Limouzi (right), who rode on the René Herse team in the 1960s, and the author … Continue reading
Posted in People who inspired us
8 Comments
Suspension Losses
Suspension losses often are overlooked, but they are an important factor in tire performance. When we first tested the performance of tires in a roll-down test, we found that very high pressures offer almost no improvements of performance. This contradicted … Continue reading
