Category Archives: Components

Tire Wipers

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Many cyclists are tempted by the performance and comfort of supple tires, but they are afraid that they might get too many flats without puncture-resistant belts and reinforced sidewalls. Tire Wipers improve the flat resistance of your tires without detracting … Continue reading →

Posted in Tires | 30 Comments

Berthoud Handlebar Bags without Side Pockets

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

On my own bikes, I use Gilles Berthoud handlebar bags without side pockets. The side pockets tend to get in the way of my hands when I ride bikes with narrow handlebars. Furthermore, the pockets probably increase the wind resistance … Continue reading →

Posted in Racks/Bags | 39 Comments

Spring Bicycle Inspection

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

The beginning of the season is a good time to check our bikes carefully. The last thing we need the evening before a ride is to find out that our chainrings are too worn to work with a new chain, … Continue reading →

Posted in Components, Our Bikes | Tagged bicycle brakes, bicycle inspection, bicycle repair, bicycle safety, bicycle tune-up | 34 Comments

SKF Bottom Brackets with French Threads

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Many wonderful bikes have been made in France in past decades. Not just the great machines from small constructeurs like René Herse and Alex Singer (above), but also more common bikes like the Peugeot PX-10, the nicer Gitanes and many … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom brackets, Product News | Tagged bicycle | 23 Comments

Grand Bois Leather Handlebar Tape

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

I’ve been on the fence about leather handlebar tape. It’s expensive, and the leather-wrapped handlebars of the 1980s were slippery when wet. However, my friend Hahn has used Brooks leather bar tape and found that he liked it. (Except the … Continue reading →

Posted in Handlebars, Product News | 17 Comments

Trouble with STI Triples

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Triple cranks are a good choice for some riders. The most common shifting system for triple cranks, Shimano’s STI, only works with Shimano chainrings. Unfortunately, Shimano’s chainring combinations are of limited use to most riders. If you want to customize … Continue reading →

Posted in Rene Herse cranks, Testing and Tech | 61 Comments

How Wide a Tire Can I Run?

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Many cyclists want to ride on wider tires, but are limited by the clearances of their bikes. So they want to use the widest tires their bike can fit. How do you determine your bike’s maximum tire width? You need … Continue reading →

Posted in Tires | 27 Comments

Fake Metal vs. Honest Plastic

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Few taillights available today complement the aesthetics of a classic randonneur bike, where you want to see finely detailed components, typically in metal. Most modern lights are chunky black plastic, but one succeeds in being more understated: Busch & Müller’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Lighting | 50 Comments

Grand Bois Extra Leger in All-Black

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

The black Cyprès Extra Léger 700C x 32 mm tires are in stock now. Our first run of 700C x 32 mm Grand Bois Cyprès Extra Léger tires sold out within a month. The reason is not just higher-than-anticipated demand, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Tires | 37 Comments

Winter Projects

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

At this time of year, we plan our rides for the summer. There are so many places we want to explore! We pore over roads and look at event calendars. And we think about changes to our bikes. Some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Components, Our Bikes, PBP Preparation | 16 Comments

Does My Bike Take Fenders?

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

We often extol the virtues of aluminum fenders over plastic ones: They keep rider and bike drier and cleaner, they last longer, they don’t make noise on rough roads, and they are lighter. (I also think they look better.) Metal … Continue reading →

Posted in Fenders | 46 Comments

Passing the Test

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

When we designed the new René Herse cranks, our goal was to create a crank that was as reliable and safe as any on the market. After all, we ride these cranks ourselves. We are especially proud that these cranks … Continue reading →

Posted in Rene Herse cranks | 16 Comments

Bottom Brackets Demystified

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Replacing a square taper bottom brackets can seem a bit daunting. What threading do I need? How long should the spindle be? Which taper? It’s really quite simple, and here is how to figure it out. Threading The bottom bracket … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom brackets | 27 Comments

Will I be able to get chainrings?

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Question from a potential customer: “If I purchase a Rene Herse crankset with its non-standard bolt-circle diameter, what guarantee do I have that Compass Bicycles will continue production of the chainrings for 5, 10 or 15 years?” Compass Bicycles makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Rene Herse cranks | 22 Comments

Overview of SON Generator Hubs

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

When “Schmidt’s Originaler Nabendynamo” (SON) was introduced more than a decade ago, the choice was easy: There was only one model. Today, Schmidt offers three models of their revolutionary generator hubs. Here is what distinguishes them: SON Delux: Weight: 386 … Continue reading →

Posted in Lighting | 18 Comments

Grand Bois “Extra Léger” Tires

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

Grand Bois tires are hard to improve, but that hasn’t kept us from trying. The result of years of research and development are the new Grand Bois Extra Léger (French for “extra light”) tires. This special casing is usually reserved … Continue reading →

Posted in Rides, Tires | 53 Comments

100% Quality Control

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

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

Why We Don’t Need Rain Bikes Any Longer

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

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

Compass 26″ x 1.5″ Tires

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

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

How to Choose Your Chainrings

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

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