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Category Archives: Testing and Tech
History of Aluminum Cranks
During the development of our new René Herse cranks over the last two years, I have been thinking a lot about crank design. Modern cranks are an interesting story of standards that evolved until nobody remembers why they were adopted … Continue reading
Posted in Product News, Rene Herse cranks, Testing and Tech
42 Comments
The Dangers of Narrow Tires
It is unfortunate that most “road” and even “hybrid” bikes are sold with tires so narrow that you cannot cross streetcar tracks at an oblique angle without risking a fall. The Seattle Times reported recently about a rail line that … Continue reading
Posted in Cycling Safety, Rides, Testing and Tech, Tires
27 Comments
The Big Picture
It’s amazing to me that the big picture often gets overlooked. I am not talking about willful distortion, but about well-intentioned people looking at only one part of the equation in an attempt to arrive at a good but simple … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech, Uncategorized
45 Comments
René Herse Crank Weight
In our original announcement of the new René Herse cranks, we wrote that they were lighter than Campagnolo Record Carbon cranks. A few readers asked us to substantiate this. We weighed the cranks on Bicycle Quarterly’s precision scale (above). We … Continue reading
Posted in Product News, Rene Herse cranks, Testing and Tech
19 Comments
PBP Preparation: Reflective Vests and Rapha Jersey
Rapha recently introduced their “Paris-Brest-Paris Jersey.” It is designed specifically for randonneuring, and as a bonus, it comes with a reflective vest. The vest has generated considerable interest among randonneurs… Randonneuring requires riding at night. To improve rider safety, randonneuring … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech
33 Comments
René Herse Cranks – Strong Enough?
When we presented the new René Herse cranks last week, a number of people wondered whether they would be strong enough. After all, most cranks have four or five spider arms, whereas the Herse cranks use only three. And what … Continue reading
Posted in Product News, Rene Herse cranks, Testing and Tech
27 Comments
Fully Equipped Bikes – Follow-Up
A little while ago, we talked about how sports cars are equipped with lights and fenders, and nobody thinks they are less sporty for it. Performance bicycles don’t have lights and fenders, because most “weekend warriors” don’t think they need … Continue reading
Posted in A Journey of Discovery, Testing and Tech
24 Comments
Fully Integrated Design
Car drivers are lucky: They can buy sports cars that are fully equipped to be driven in the rain and even at night. And their fenders rarely rattle loose, their lights don’t fall off, and most car owners think little … Continue reading
Posted in Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
25 Comments
Preventing Flat Tires
Every cyclist knows the sensation: You ride along, feeling at one with your bike and the world. Suddenly you notice your tire going soft, often accompanied by a hissing sound. Like Icarus, who flew too high and got singed by … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech, Tires
13 Comments
How Durable are Grand Bois Tires?
Tires are the most important component of your bike. Supple high-end tires roll faster and are more comfortable. A set of great tires transforms your bike’s feel. The down side is that high-end tires can be more fragile than sturdy … Continue reading
Posted in Our Bikes, Product News, Testing and Tech, Tires
23 Comments
The Cover Photo
A number of readers have asked where the cover photo of our blog (above) was taken. Here is the story: An old road above Leschi in Seattle switchbacks though an Olmsted Park, with a set of S-curves that we use … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech
17 Comments
Bicycle Stability – Everything Works Together
New theoretical research in bicycle stability shows that many parameters interact to make a bicycle stable. No single parameter (e.g.: trail, head angle, wheel size, weight distribution) determines whether a bicycle is stable or not. When one parameter is altered, … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech
12 Comments
Braking Technique
For an article in Adventure Cyclist, I needed a photo on braking technique, so my children and I went to a steep hill in Discovery Park. They rode up and down the hill while I snapped photos. Even though the … Continue reading
Posted in Testing and Tech
13 Comments
A Journey of Discovery, Part 7: The Future
In this series, we have explored how our preferences changed from mid-trail geometries, 700C x 28 mm tires and saddlebags to low-trail 650B bikes with much wider tires and handlebar bags. What will come next? Will we soon ride fully-faired carbon … Continue reading
Posted in A Journey of Discovery, Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
21 Comments
Which Bike to Ride?
Most of the time, I ride two bicycles: My 1973 Alex Singer Randonneur for spirited rides with friends, and my Grand Bois Urban Bike for rides that involve carrying loads that do not fit in a handlebar bag. (Due to … Continue reading
Posted in Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
38 Comments
A Journey of Discovery, Part 5: Frame Stiffness
In the previous parts of this series, we have looked at how our preferences in bicycles changed over time. We started out on “state-of-the-art” bikes with mid-trail geometries, 700C x 28 mm tires and saddlebags. How did we come to … Continue reading
A Journey of Discovery, Part 4: Front-End Geometry
How did our preferences change from our familiar bikes with mid-trail geometries, 700C x 28 mm tires and saddlebags to low-trail 650B bikes with much wider tires and handlebar bags? In the previous parts of this series, we related how we … Continue reading
Posted in A Journey of Discovery, Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
23 Comments
A Journey of Discovery, Part 3: Wide 650B Tires
How did our preferences change from our familiar bikes with mid-trail geometries, 700C x 28 mm tires and saddlebags to low-trail 650B bikes with much wider tires and handlebar bags? In the first two parts of this series, we talked about … Continue reading
Posted in A Journey of Discovery, Our Bikes, Testing and Tech
17 Comments
A Journey of Discovery, Part 2: Handlebar Bags and Aluminum Fenders
In the last installment of this series, we looked at the bikes we rode when Bicycle Quarterly got started almost a decade ago. How did our preferences change from our familiar bikes with mid-trail geometries, 700C x 28 mm tires … Continue reading
Tire Sizes
Making tire molds continues to be an inexact art. For decades, riders have complained that many tires, especially wider ones, do not run “true to size.” In most cases, tires were narrower than their stated width, which caused Sheldon Brown … Continue reading
Posted in Product News, Testing and Tech, Tires
10 Comments
