Category Archives: Uncategorized

This René Herse Randonneuse is one of the last bikes made by the famous constructeur. It came to Seattle to be photographed for our book René Herse: The Bikes • The Builder • The Riders, and so I had the … Continue reading →

Like all of you, I reacted to the bombings at the Boston Marathon with horror, shock and then outrage. Terrorism never is the answer to a grievance. Amateur sports – and that is what the Boston Marathon is, despite the … Continue reading →

At Bicycle Quarterly, we appreciate our advertisers. Even though the magazine is financed by subscribers, the advertising revenue allows us to print a few additional pages of the magazine. Our advertisers tend to be small companies who believe in what … Continue reading →

Recent tests with bicycles have shown that even on a very smooth road surface, lower tire pressures increase comfort with no loss of speed (Bicycle Quarterly Spring 2013). Now even railroads have become persuaded that super-hard tires diminish both comfort … Continue reading →

Occasionally we receive a shipment of books that got damaged in transit. (For some reason, most book publishers have a hard time figuring out how to package books so that they are well-protected.) Usually the damage is slight, like a … Continue reading →

Our new book René Herse • The Bikes • The Builder • The Riders will be available with French text in addition to the English version. Therefore, this update is in French. Notre souscription pour l’édition française du livre René … Continue reading →

The Bicycle Quarterly charity drive was a success. We were able to raise almost $ 1500 for three charities. Checks are going out this morning to Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Thank you … Continue reading →

I enjoy the annual rhythm of the seasons. It encourages me to change my cycling and exercise, like a farmer rotating crops and leaving some fields fallow for a while. The early months of the year remind me of preparing … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

The Grand Bois “Promenade” handlebars are a classic, swept-back design for an upright riding position. Similar handlebars were used on the city and porteur bikes of many French constructeurs. Below is a custom Grand Bois equipped with these handlebars. The … Continue reading →

The Bicycle Quarterly web site provides a number of useful resources. Most popular is the Color Photo Supplement. It shows color photos of the classic bikes that have been featured in Bicycle Quarterly over the years. Most of the bikes … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s mail brought a nice surprise: the May issue of the Japanese magazine Cyclotourist, with an article I wrote about the history of randonneuring and of randonneur bicycles in France. Unfortunately, I don’t read Japanese, but from what I can … Continue reading →

TheBicycle Quarterly yard sale was a success. Not only did it clear out our workshop and storage areas, but it also raised a little over $ 3,500 (which we rounded up to $3,600) for charity, in part thanks to people’s … Continue reading →

The first day of our yard sale was a success. Most items are gone, and we’ve raised a nice sum for charity. We found a few more items, and list them below (underlined), together with those that still remain available. … Continue reading →

Time to clear out our workshop, so we are selling a lot of bicycle components that are surplus to requirements. All proceeds will go to charity. These items are used. Most of these were used for our technical articles, so … Continue reading →