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Myth 13: Leaning without Countersteering
Glancing at the photo above, you might think that I am turning right (seen from the rider’s view). Actually, I am beginning a left turn. What you see is countersteering – literally the only way we can...
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Rene Herse 11-speed Chainrings in New Sizes
Chainrings choice. It’s one of the main attractions of our Rene Herse cranks – together with light weight, supreme reliability and, dare we say it, good looks. So when we presented our first 11-speed...
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Night Ride through the Tahuya Hills
With the Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting approaching – Sept. 8 and 9 – I wanted to double-check the course. I had never ridden the new route out of Bremerton that by-passes the busy highway. And in the...
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Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting Routes
After last weekend’s ‘pre-ride,’ we’ve finalized the routes for the Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting. What is the Un-Meeting? It’s simply a great weekend of riding off the beaten path: Everybody is...
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New Parts from SON
SON has introduced a few useful products that have us quite excited. First, there is the 12 mm Thru-Axle Adapter. You may know the dilemma: As the days get shorter, you really want to equip your bike...
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Great Times at the BQ Un-Meeting 2018
The 2018 Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting brought together a great crew of old and new friends. We want to thank all for making this a great weekend! On Saturday morning, about 60 riders met at the...
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International Mysteries of Cycling History
The history of cycling has brought us many useful things. If old randonneurs hadn’t talked so fondly about the supple, wide, handmade clinchers of the 1940s, we might never have developed our Compass...
View ArticleBQ 65 Preview: Traversing the Sawtooth Range
The Autumn Bicycle Quarterly take you on a trip across the Sawtooth Range. Long-term BQ readers know that it’s been a bit of a holy grail for us to find a passage across this mountain range, with our...
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Myth 14: More Lumens Make a Better Light
As the days get shorter, many cyclists are thinking about lights. How do you measure the quality of a headlight? It’s tempting to look at how many lumens the light puts out. After all, brighter is...
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Why We Don’t Do OEM
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could buy a complete bike that is already equipped with Compass tires? Take a bike like the Masi Speciale Randonneur (above), roll out of the bike shop and into the...
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Why We Like Custom Gearing
Our Rene Herse cranks are available with chainrings from 24 to 52 teeth, in single, double and triple configurations, including 11-speed compatible versions. We even offer tandem cranks. That way,...
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Autumn 2018 Bicycle Quarterly
The Autumn 2018 Bicycle Quarterly is at the printer and will be mailed soon. It’s another action-packed edition that will bring many hours of reading enjoyment. What better way to test the Masi...
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Myth 15: Marginal Gains
‘Marginal gains’ are the latest buzzword in cycling. The idea is that many tiny improvements can add up to make a meaningful difference. Make 10 changes that each save 3 Watts, and you’ll have gained...
View ArticleBQ Skills: Ghost Riding
Most of us remember when we learned to ride a bike. The incredible feel of balancing on two wheels – it felt like flying. Over the following days, months and years, our skills improved. First we...
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How Long Do Compass Tires Last?
One of the less-noticed results of the ‘Wide Tire Revolution’: Our tires last a lot longer these days. When I rode 20 mm-wide tires, I rarely got more than 1300 km (800 miles) out of a set of...
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Tubular Stays and Other Fender News
Years ago, a big magazine published a note about Honjo fenders, which were just starting to trickle into the United States, and noted: “We are charmed by the idea that there actually are fender...
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Back in Stock: MKS Allways Pedals and Kaisei Fork Blades
The MKS Allways pedals are back in stock. The video above shows how the super-smooth cartridge bearings make these spin almost forever. The slightly concave platform allows optimum pedaling efficiency...
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Guest Post: Natsuko’s Trip to Rishiri Island
Mount Rishiri-Dake (1721 m) is a popular hiking destination. In this guest post, Bicycle Quarterly editor Natsuko Hirose takes you to Rishiri Island, off Hokkaido’s coast in northern Japan. Translated...
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New Curved Stays and OS Bottom Bracket Shells
Fitting wide tires and/or fenders between road cranks can be a challenge. René Herse was a master of frame design, who curved his chainstays ‘just so’ to create the room he needed. On the tandem...
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Fire in Paradise – Update on Mitch and Alistair and Ways to Help
Alistair Spence and Mitch Pryor have been my friends for a long time. They both live in Paradise, CA, which was devastated by fire last week. Both are OK; they got out just in time. Their homes...
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