Smart Light vs Stupid Light
When I wrote about the Rene Herse components that are the lightest of their kind, I was reminded of a reader who once asked: "Why are you so focused on saving a gram here or there? For the 99.999% of us who are not...
Why we offer different 15 TPU tubes
Jan Heine2026-01-10T17:08:04-08:00When another company recently introduced their TPU tubes, they offered three models. With two carefully chosen widths, they cover 700C tires between 24 and 64 mm wide, with no overlap. For their narrower tubes, they offer two valve lengths; for their wider tubes, only one. From a production and warehousing...
Straz Sealant Funnels
Jan Heine2026-01-09T04:14:42-08:00With all the excitement over our TPU tubes, it might seem like we're about to abandon tubeless. Nothing could be further from the truth! All our gravel pros ride their Rene Herse tires tubeless. (They carry TPU tubes as spares, just in case.) It was Ted King who turned us...
Back in Stock: TPU, SON, Apidura, RH front derailleurs
Jan Heine2026-01-06T02:21:17-08:00For most of us, cycling is a way of life. Our bikes aren't just tools; they are extensions of ourselves. A reliable supply of tires and components is essential. That's why, at Rene Herse Cycles, we do everything we can to keep our parts in stock at all times. As...
And he’s off: Adrien’s Africa Adventure
Jan Heine2026-01-08T15:19:17-08:00As the new year started, our friend Adrien Liechti embarked on his biggest adventure yet: Traversing all of Africa, from the northern tip to the far south. If he succeeds, he'll be the first unsupported cyclist to connect the farthest points of the African continent—ever! Ahead lie 17 countries, a distance...
The Science of Tire Tread
Jan Heine2026-01-06T09:48:27-08:00Tread patterns are the most noticeable part of a tire, yet there seems to be little agreement of what makes a good tire tread. With road tires, some are completely slick. Others have small scallops or longitudinal lines. Off-road, some tires have knobs that are round, others are square, or...
Happy New Year!
Jan Heine2026-01-01T06:17:50-08:00All of us wish you a great 2026 with health, happiness and many great rides! Jan, Natsuko & the RH team
The Lightest Parts in the World
Jan Heine2025-12-30T05:20:41-08:00Looking over the most popular articles in the RH Journal this year, our front derailleur made it into the top five! Clearly, this unusual derailleur has caused quite a stir: It's operated directly via a lever behind the seat tube. Derailleurs don't get more analog than this! Readers liked that the...
Ted King Looks Back on 2025
Ted King2025-12-26T06:45:50-08:00It’s human nature to look forward. Whether we’re thinking about the next event, whether we’re anxious about getting through the next interval, or whether we’re planning next year’s race calendar, we’re programmed to look ahead. Reflection, by contrast, takes a bit of work. It requires patience, it taps into our...
Happy Holidays!
Jan Heine2025-12-25T03:56:49-08:00All of us at Rene Herse Cycles wish you Happy Holidays! We are grateful for your support during the past year. We look forward to being part of your rides and adventures in 2026! Natsuko, Jan & the Rene Herse team
When the Holidays Come Early: Natsuko’s New Bike
Natsuko2025-12-22T02:44:56-08:00I mostly ride cyclotouring bikes, and they work very well for me. But I'm always curious about other bikes. Years ago, I ordered a custom-built steel road bike with 23 mm tires to find out what that feels like. I've ridden a few modern carbon gravel bikes for Bicycle Quarterly...
Plan your Good Night 2025 Overnighter!
Jan Heine2025-12-21T19:54:41-08:00As holiday and year-end preparations are winding down, it's a great time to head out and spend some time away from it all. That's the idea behind the Good Night 2025 Bikepacking Overnighter. In collab with bikepacking.com, we invite everybody to slip away for a quiet night under the stars...
We Support the Classics
Jan Heine2025-12-18T14:36:51-08:00It's no secret that we love classic bikes at Rene Herse Cycles. In fact, classics are one reason Rene Herse Cycles was reborn in the Cascade Mountains. Jaye Haworth and I rode a 1946 René Herse tandem in the 2003 Paris-Brest-Paris—and received the trophy for the fastest mixed tandem.
Adrien Liechti: Salida-to-the-Sea
Adrien Liechti2025-12-14T00:23:53-08:00Editor's Note: Adrien Liechti has been a fixture of the bikepacking world for many years. Winner of the inaugural Hellenic Mountain Race in 2023, he's been a consistent top finisher in the biggest races: The Rhino Run, Atlas Mountain Race, Silk Road Mountain Race, The Transcontinental... What I like about...
Everything Matters: Wool Jerseys
Jan Heine2025-12-11T08:42:19-08:00We just received a small shipment of our ultra-soft Merino Wool Jerseys... That's a good opportunity to revisit why we go through the trouble of making our favorite jerseys in tiny numbers: They are a key component for our rides and adventures. It's no exaggeration to say that these...
A Few Good Reads from the RH Journal
Jan Heine2025-12-09T08:24:30-08:00The dashboard for our website lists our most popular articles for the day, month, year and all-time. It's fun to see that some older articles have real staying power. That's the beauty of good science and good history—it doesn't become outdated quickly. Here are four articles that continue to be...
When the Tour de France Charged Admission
Jan Heine2025-12-06T23:41:44-08:00The recent furor around 'privatizing' the last kilometers of famous mountain stages in the Tour de France, and charging admission, has died down a bit. For now, those ideas have been dismissed by Tour organizers... In all those discussions of how free viewing is an essential part of the Tour...
Jenna Rinehart: My Year on Rene Herse Tires
Jenna Rinehart2025-12-07T23:04:43-08:00During much of my 20s, I raced mountain bikes, before taking almost a decade off to focus on my bike shop, Nicollet Bike and Ski in Mankato, Minnesota. I returned to racing at the top level in 2023, now mostly on gravel, but with plenty of mountain biking in the...
Gift Guide: Explaining to Loved Ones
Jan Heine2025-11-29T09:37:42-08:00Gifting is about giving and receiving joy. Ideally, both giver and recipient are equally excited about the gift. That's where it can get tricky for us cyclists—how do we explain to our family and friends that bike parts make ideal gifts? Here's a slightly tongue-in-check guide on how to make...
Indispensable: Rohloff Chain Checker
Jan Heine2025-11-28T14:27:58-08:00Most of us have been there: During the cycling season, we head out for rides and adventures whenever we can, and maintenance is reduced to checking that there's enough air in the tires, and maybe a quick glance at the brake pads... And then we suddenly realize that we haven't...
RH Canti Brake Pre-Order Extended
Jan Heine2025-11-27T08:20:29-08:00We’ve extended the deadline to pre-order the Rene Herse canti brakes at the old price, until Sunday (11/30/2025). It’s our way of saying ‘Thanks’ to all who help us keep rim brakes alive and well. After that, the price will go up 10%. The last production run was a few years...
Join the Good Night 2025 Campout
Jan Heine2025-11-25T22:22:36-08:00Together with our friends at bikepacking.com, we invite everybody to slip away for a quiet night under the stars sometime between the winter solstice and the new year (December 19–31). That's the idea of the Good Night 2025 Campout: As the year winds down, riders everywhere will pedal out for...
Bicycle Quarterly: Challenging the Status Quo for 20+ Years
Jan Heine2025-12-19T01:46:03-08:00Wide tires on performance bikes. A new understanding of front-end geometry. A different view of frame stiffness. Of course, we didn't do it all alone... And yet, when we started researching these topics, they weren't on anybody's radar. It may comes as a surprise that we didn't set out to...
Restock: Fenders, Lights, Hubs, Handlebars, TPU Tubes
Jan Heine2025-11-19T09:42:06-08:00Our long-awaited shipments have (finally) arrived. The ship actually arrived almost three weeks ago... With all the new tariffs, the custom's people are overworked, and it can take weeks to inspect and clear a shipment. Here is what's back in stock: Fenders If you've been anywhere near the West...
Four Bikes with Canti Brakes
Jan Heine2025-11-17T20:40:55-08:00The crowdfunding for the Rene Herse canti brakes has been a resounding success. Over the weekend, we blew through the 75 pre-orders that made another forging run for these brakes possible. A big 'Thank You!' to all of you who stepped up to the plate! In this day...
NEW Autumn 2025 Bicycle Quarterly
Jan Heine2025-11-16T21:10:17-08:00The new Bicycle Quarterly has come off the press. Copies are in the mail to subscribers all over the world. And we've got the new edition in stock at Rene Herse Cycles, too. If you're BQ-curious, you can just add a copy to your order of components, books or other...
Video: Ted King’s rides the VTXL
Jan Heine2025-11-16T09:10:01-08:00A few weeks ago, Ted King rode across the entire state of Vermont on the epic VTXL bikepacking route, a non-stop ride of 301 miles (484 km). The route takes in many 'Class IV' dirt roads, a local designation that, as route creator Joe Cruz describes, "indicates a public right...
Crowdfunding Rene Herse Canti Brakes
Jan Heine2025-11-26T23:11:26-08:00Update: The crowdfunding was successful. Thank you! The brakes are now in production. They will be delivered in March 2026. As a company, we don't like asking our customers for favors. We hope you'll buy our products (and read Bicycle Quarterly) because they make your cycling experience better and more fun—and...
Urban Night Rides
Jan Heine2025-11-12T16:24:42-08:00As much as I love my carbon gravel and road bikes, it's the steel rando bike that gets ridden the most these days. The reason is simple: Here is Seattle, it gets dark early, and the weather is unpredictable. Having a bike that I can just roll out of the...
TPU Tubes: Learnings after 2 Years
Jan Heine2025-11-10T07:53:03-08:00When Velo-News recently talked about '7 Road Bike Trends We Expect in 2026,' TPU tubes were on their list: "You’re going to swap your tubeless setup for a TPU tube," predicted tech editor Alvin Holbrook. He continued: "Why would someone want to swap...
Autumn Bicycle Quarterly
Jan Heine2025-11-04T07:51:13-08:00The Autumn Bicycle Quarterly is coming off the press this week. And in case you wondered based on the photo above: We aren't going to publish the first bike magazine with a cover that doesn't show a cyclist at all! Here's the full cover: This is one of my favorite covers...
Why we’re ETRTO members
Jan Heine2025-10-31T17:07:25-07:00The European Tire and Rim Technical Organization (ETRTO) usually works behind the scenes. If you look at the the sidewalls of a car tire, you see a bunch of numbers like P185/70R14. Those are the ETRTO specs of the tire, and they guarantee that you can buy a tire almost...
Sale: Hurricane Ridge with Cosmetic Flaws & FMB Cross Tubulars
Jan Heine2025-10-28T07:36:59-07:00Tire manufacture is a bit of a black art. Rubber for the tread is mixed and rolled out in huge sheets like making pies in a giant bakery. The casing fabric is impregnated with a different kind of rubber. Then everything gets assembled by hand, together with puncture-proof layers (on...
ETAs and Pre-Orders
Jan Heine2025-10-24T08:37:45-07:00We've been waiting for a few big shipments that will fill holes on our shelves. One of them just arrived; the others are scheduled in early November. We're taking pre-orders now, so you'll be among the first to get your long-awaited parts. Why were so many parts out of stock? Rando,...
Sofiane is Coming Home!
Jan Heine2025-10-23T00:17:41-07:00Good news: Sofiane Sehili, the world-famous ultra-distance cyclist, will be released from Russian prison shortly. Here is the update from his partner Fanny Bensussan: “Sofiane’s court hearing was today. Our Russian lawyer did remarkable work to get a decision as quickly as possible—and a positive decision, too! We kept all this...
Poteau Mountain Semi-Slicks in All Casings
Jan Heine2025-10-16T11:30:04-07:00The wait is over! All casings of the new Poteau Mountain semi-slicks are in stock. That means you can get our revolutionary semi-slick tread, with its round profile and gradual transition from slick center to side knobs, in the two most popular widths—44 and 48 mm—with a choice of casings...
Summer Send-Off at Treehouse Cyclery
Hailey Moore2025-10-14T14:30:46-07:00Late one afternoon last month, as I threw a leg over my bike and pushed off, I looked up at the sky—the clouds were the color of cold metal. I could feel the wind picking up as I started the short ride from my home in Boulder, Colorado, to Treehouse...
Is waxing chains better that wet lube?
Jan Heine2025-11-08T17:15:58-08:00Ever since waxing chains has become popular again, some proponents say that everybody should wax their chains, all the time. They usually point to the (marginally) lower resistance of a waxed chain compared to lube. Yet others prefer to wet-lube their chains, as they've done for decades. Their reasoning is...
Arkansas High Country Race: Bikes & Tracker
Jan Heine2025-10-04T00:38:33-07:00And they are off! As we post this, the riders of this year's Arkansas High Country Race are on the road. Headed by well-known racers like Tour Divide winner Justinas Leveika, Matt Pike, Nick Elliott, Andy Zolyak and Bryan Dougherty, they are racing not just for the win, but also...
Seattle with Adrien Liechti
Jan Heine2025-10-03T12:59:43-07:00"I'll ride Salida to the Sea in September. After that event, I won't be far from Seattle. Perhaps we can go for a ride together?" A message from Adrien Liechti, the Swiss bikepacker, ultra-racer and adventurer. Adrien is famous for his monumental mustache, his fun-loving attitude, and sense of humor....
Video: How to Install Tubes
Jan Heine2025-09-28T00:21:46-07:00Why would we make a video showing how to install tubes? For most of us, that was one of the first things we learned when we started cycling! Well, for most of us, that was also a long time ago. Since then, rims have changed. Tubes have changed. And tube installation...
How Do You Make Tires? (German Podcast)
Jan Heine2025-10-02T22:33:41-07:00Every summer, I'm a guest on my friend Gerolf Meyer's popular German podcast 'Antritt.' This year, we spoke about what it takes to make tires. How do you develop tires? What are the considerations when you choose casings, tread rubber and other materials? How do you get the tires made?...
Arkansas High Country is Calling
Jan Heine2025-09-24T10:12:34-07:00One reason we're working with racers and also enter events ourselves is R&D: It's the best way to check whether our ideas, calculations and tests work in the real world. There's a second reason why we love races: They're great fun. The Arkansas High Country Race ticks both boxes: The course...
Top-10 Finishes at Gravel Nationals
Jan Heine2025-09-22T14:03:01-07:00The national championships! Which American bike racer doesn't dream of donning the stars-and-stripes jersey for a year? (I once came close, as a student, when our team finished a very close second at Collegiate Nationals.) The opportunity to race against the very best is a wonderful challenge. The championships are...
Gravel Nationals: Inside the Peloton
Brennan Wertz2025-09-22T13:21:10-07:00Brennan Wertz was the defending champion at last weekend's Gravel National Championships. Today he takes us inside the action from the race: Early in the race, a break of 7 racers got up the road and quickly opened up a big gap, while many in the main group looked at each...
TPU Tube and Sealant Restock
Jan Heine2025-09-18T08:23:21-07:00An eagerly awaited shipment showed up at the Rene Herse headquarters here in Seattle. All TPU tubes and the innovative TPU sealant are back in stock. However, with pre-orders taken care of, some models are already running low again. Why has production still not caught up with demand, more than a...
Wins, Podiums and FKTs on RH Semi-Slicks
Jan Heine2025-09-15T12:31:21-07:00At Rene Herse Cycles, racing is an important part of our R&D. It helps us improve our products. Racing inspires us to make our tires faster and grippier. Racing helps us to create reliable tires that withstand the toughest courses and highest power outputs. And once a tire is released,...
Poteau Mtn Launch Party & Ride
Hailey Moore2025-09-09T07:55:05-07:00Colorado-based Rene Herse ambassador Hailey Moore here! For the last four years, I've relied on RH rubber for everything from my daily training rides, to three finishes at the Unbound 200, bike tours across the US and abroad, and bikepacking races (and ITTs). Based in Boulder, I feel lucky to...
Sofiane Detained in Russia
Jan Heine2025-09-08T08:23:39-07:00Some of you may already have heard that Sofiane Sehili, the bikepacker and ultra-cyclist, has been detained in Russia at the end of his World Record Attempt. Here is what happened: As the clock ticked toward 64 days, 2 hours and 26 minutes—the current record for cycling all the way across...
Every Detail Matters: Light Mount
Jan Heine2025-12-10T20:24:59-08:00Recently, I talked to a famous racer who is planning an attempt for an FKT (Fastest Known Time) over a bikepacking route. We discussed timing: During the summer months, there was heat and smoke to contend with. "But if I wait until late September, the days are getting short," worried...
A New Tire!
Jan Heine2025-09-04T23:34:16-07:00If you've been at a big gravel race lately, you may have noticed some unfamiliar tires on the bikes of racers like Ted King, Brennan Wertz and Jenna Rinehart. Well, they are now official: The 700x48 Poteau Mountain uses the same patented technology as our revolutionary 44 mm Corkscrew Climb...
Meaghan Wins Silk Road Mountain Race
Jan Heine2025-08-28T17:39:58-07:00A huge congrats to Meaghan Hackinen, first woman across the line in the 2025 Silk Road Mountain Race, and 10th overall in a field stacked with the world's fastest ultra racers. The Silk Road is arguably the hardest of the three 'Mountain' races, traversing the high mountains of Kyrgyzstan on...
Introducing the World’s Lightest Front Derailleur
Jan Heine2025-08-25T10:55:19-07:00What is going on at Rene Herse Cycles? One day we talk about the latest Enve carbon wheels and why they have hooks again. And then, just a few days later, we introduce a direct-lever derailleur that is about as far from modern carbon...
Return of the Hook: Enve’s Newest Wheels
Jan Heine2025-08-19T07:19:39-07:00Enve raised quite a few eyebrows with their new SES 4.5 Pro wheels. Made specifically for Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates, the new wheels are narrower than their predecessors. They also incorporate a bead hook, after years of hookless Enve wheels. What is going...
Meaghan’s Bike for Silk Road Mountain Race
Jan Heine2025-08-16T09:41:22-07:00And they are off! The Silk Road Mountain Race started yesterday. As I'm writing this, it's already heating up to become an exciting race, with the top-three riders just a few kilometers apart as they traverse the inhospitable mountains of Kyrgyzstan. In 9th overall, and first woman, is Meaghan Hackinen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4aPXsU5p68 Just...
Sofiane’s World Record Attempt: a True Adventure
Jan Heine2025-09-06T07:28:00-07:00When Sofiane Sehili set out from the southern tip of Portugal 44 days ago, he knew that trying to ride all the way across Europe and Asia in record time would be an adventure. That was part of the appeal. As Sofiane put it: "This route starts in the familiar—Europe—and...
Winning the Hellenic Mountain Race
Meaghan Hackinen2025-08-09T23:21:39-07:00When Meaghan Hackinen won the Hellenic Mountain Race a few months ago, we wanted to know more about this epic race and Meaghan's experience. Here is her story: The Hellenic Mountain Race (HMR) lived up to its reputation as a wild and unforgettable ride into the rugged Pindus Mountains of Greece....
BQ Fundraiser: $10,422 for MSF and Save the Children
Jan Heine2025-08-06T22:26:23-07:00The Bicycle Quarterly fundraiser for children in need was a big success! Thanks to all who bought subscriptions, past editions of Bicycle Quarterly, as well as our books The All-Road Bike Revolution and Rene Herse: The Bikes • The Builder • The Riders, we raised $ 10,422...
Restock: TPU Tubes and Ladelux Lights
Jan Heine2025-08-04T23:31:05-07:00This is just a short note about two shipments we received. Our popular TPU tubes are back in stock. Even more than a year after we introduced these superlight and superfast tubes with patented leak-proof all-metal valves, demand outstrips the production capacities of our supplier in Germany at times. A...
BQ fundraiser for children in need
Jan Heine2025-08-03T09:23:29-07:00Originally, today's article was going to be about small details that matter, like the position of the headlight for descending gravel roads in the dark. Then Becca Book won the Dark Divide 300 on Fleecer Ridge tires after a tough race. That's certainly a cause for celebration. But there are...
The Science of Winning the Tour
Jan Heine2025-07-29T08:57:20-07:00On Sunday, I was chatting with Ted KIng. The Tour de France had just ended, and Ted compared this year's Tour with the ones he raced a dozen years ago. "What an exciting race!" exclaimed Ted. "There were so many highlights. Take Stage 20: For Kaden Groves, a guy who...
SON Ladelux High/Low Beam Headlights
Jan Heine2025-08-09T13:17:00-07:00After years of R&D, the new SON Ladelux headlights are here! It's fair to say that these are the ultimate generator-powered bicycle headlights. The goal was simple: Make a headlight that has a high and a low beam, and that allows charging your electronics by directly plugging them into the...
Sofiane: Updates from Italy and Slovenia
Jan Heine2025-07-19T22:07:48-07:00On July 1, Sofiane Sehili left the westernmost tip of Portugal to embark on his biggest adventure yet: Ride more than 16,000 km (10,000 miles) to traverse two continents, all the way to Vladivostok on the eastern edge of Siberia. Now on the 20th day of his ride, Sofiane has covered...
“The most influential bike magazine you’ve never heard about.”
Jan Heine2025-07-15T23:14:37-07:00That's how Marie Autrey characterized Bicycle Quarterly in a 2009 article in Bicycle Times. She was referring to our research and also our style of riding, predicting (correctly) that both would soon have a lasting impact on mainstream cycling. Back then, our findings that wide tires could be as fast...
Product Development: Racing vs Touring
Jan Heine2025-07-14T15:35:07-07:00A few weeks ago, we talked about our love of cyclotouring, and I alluded to the fact that the bike industry's focus on racing has neglected R&D in some important areas. Let's look at what that means in practice. With the Tour de France happening...
Update: Sofiane’s World Record Attempt
Jan Heine2025-07-07T12:15:49-07:00On July 1, Sofiane left southern Portugal to embark on his biggest adventure yet: a world record attempt for the crossing of Euroasia. Sofiane has 64 days to cover the distance of more than 16,000 km (10,000 miles) to Vladivostok in eastern Siberia. After a somewhat...
Thinking of Texas Hill Country
Jan Heine2025-07-07T10:04:50-07:00Our hearts go out to the people of the Texas Hill Country after the devastating flash floods. Far too many children have died in recent years all over the world. Each of them is incredibly precious. Last week’s events hit close to home for me. This is where I started racing...
The Epic Race Most Have Never Heard of
Jan Heine2025-07-05T08:43:45-07:00Some events are so famous that the name recognition is a big part of the appeal. Boston Marathon, Kona Ironman and Unbound Gravel are household names that speak for themselves and command respect. And to be honest, these events are famous for a reason. With people coming together from all...
Back in stock and ETAs: Tires, TPU Tubes, Cranks…
Jan Heine2025-07-03T08:22:32-07:00This is just a brief notice that all Rene Herse tires are back in stock. This includes the 700x38 Barlow Pass and 700x44 Snoqualmie Pass Extralights that have been out of stock, as well as our popular 700x44 Corkscrew Climb semi-slicks. More TPU tubes are on...
Brennan Wins SBT GRVL
Jan Heine2025-06-30T13:35:54-07:00Yesterday, SBT GRVL confirmed its place as one of the most important events on the U.S. gravel calendar. The field read like a veritable Who's Who of gravel racing, with all the big stars lining up for the 116.9-mile pro race in the mountains near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The race...
Sofiane: Winning Gravel Birds and World Record Attempt
Sofiane Sehili2025-06-29T00:07:40-07:00Things do always go as planned, but there's usually a second chance. After a disappointing end to my Atlas Mountain Race earlier this year (I had to scratch due to a smashed derailleur), I was looking forward to lining up at the start of an ultra race again, to get...
Our Handlebars are not UCI-compliant—and we don’t care!
Jan Heine2025-06-25T16:20:59-07:00Just a few weeks ago, we suggested that the UCI might limit tire widths for road bikes in the future. Apparently, we weren't too far off: Now the UCI has announced new rules regulating the width of ... handlebars. A closer look at the...
Why we love cyclotouring
Jan Heine2025-07-12T11:03:05-07:00The bicycle world tends to focus on racing. If you look at mainstream cycling news websites, you might think that cycling is a spectator sport centered around the big European races. These days, even gravel seems to focus more on professional racers than on the joys of exploring small roads...
Jan Sets FKT on OR Cascades Volcanic Arc
Jan Heine2025-06-24T13:25:40-07:00"What is the hardest ride you've done," I sometimes get asked. Usually I demur. I ride to discover beautiful places, to enjoy the flow of beautiful climbs and descents (on gravel or pavement)—and, yes, to explore the limits of what my body (and mind) are capable of doing. But I...
Attempting FKT on Oregon Cascades Volcanic Arc
Jan Heine2025-06-11T18:14:58-07:00Summer hasn't quite started yet, but I've decided to head out for a big adventure: I'll ride the Oregon Cascades Volcanic Arc, a bikepacking route created by Ryan Francesconi as an alternative to the Oregon Outback. Where the Outback is all about the wide-open spaces of eastern Oregon, the OCVA...
Keeping Prices Low: Credit Card Fees
Jan Heine2025-06-04T18:36:44-07:00Is there anything more boring than tariffs these days? With everything going on in the world, it seems selfish to focus so much on price increases. Unless you run a company, of course. At that point, tariffs are a fact of life, like all other taxes, too. Taxes usually don't...
Report from Unbound
Jan Heine2025-06-02T14:06:12-07:00If anybody had doubts whether gravel is still growing, this year's Unbound answered that question with a definitive "Yes!" Never before has Unbound seen so many top-level racers, so many product launches, so much media coverage. The race itself is one of the most fascinating on the calendar, too, because...
Unbound Perspectives: Brennan Wertz
Brennan Wertz2025-05-30T22:21:11-07:00Ed.: Unbound, the world's most important gravel race, is today! For a week, professional racers and mere mortals from all over the world congregate in Emporia, Kansas, to celebrate gravel cycling. Unbound is truly special. There's the course, which combines scenic beauty with challenging hills and the infamous super-sharp rocks....
Meaghan Wins Hellenic Mountain Race
Jan Heine2025-05-29T08:40:35-07:00Four days and seven hours later, and Meaghan Hackinen has won the Hellenic Mountain Race, finishing ninth overall. Not just that, she's also pulverized the women's record for this ultra-tough event by eleven hours. On a course that climbs (and descends) 27,800 meters (91,200 ft)—with no flat sections to recover...
Unbound Perspectives: Jenna Rinehart
Jan Heine2025-05-27T08:03:53-07:00In our series about changes at Unbound over the years, we talk today with Jenna Rinehart. Riding for the Rene Herse gravel team this year, 2025 will be Jenna's third Unbound. Many things have changed in just three short years: During this period, Unbound stopped mixing men and women pelotons....
Dispatch from Greece: Hellenic Mountain Race
Meaghan Hackinen2025-05-23T22:51:27-07:00Meaghan Hackinen sent us a dispatch from Greece, where she's starting the Hellenic Mountain Race a few hours ago. Meaghan won last year's Tour Divide, placed second in this year's Atlas Mountain Race, and plans to become the first woman to complete all three Mountain Races (Atlas, Hellenic, Silk Road)—and...
Unbound over the years: Ted King’s Take
Ted King2025-05-21T23:18:57-07:00Unbound, the world's most prestigious gravel race, is a little over a week away. Unbound isn't just one of the biggest gravel races, it's also one of the oldest ones. The race across the Flint Hills of Kansas has been at the forefront of how gravel racing has exploded in...
Roadbikerider tests NUDA minipump
Jan Heine2025-05-18T00:27:29-07:00If you are like me, you probably have a love-hate relationship with pumps. First of all, using a pump usually means we've had a flat tire, and nobody likes those. (Fortunately that happens very rarely these days.) I guess I should love the pump at that point, since it gets...
Summer 2025 Bicycle Quarterly
Jan Heine2025-05-17T23:42:05-07:00The new Bicycle Quarterly is at the printer. Make sure your subscription is current by the end of May 18, 2025—then you'll be among the first to get your copy, straight off the press. And you'll want to read this edition: filled with inspiration, information and fun—with 108 pages of...
Brennan Wins King Ridge Hopper
Jan Heine2025-05-12T22:04:31-07:00Congratulations to national gravel champion Brennan Wertz for winning the legendary King Ridge Hopper in Sonoma County last Saturday. Here is Brennan's story: “The King Ridge Hopper has a unique format that included time segments, but also a bit of a group tactics as we started the segments together in small...
Gravel Racing in the Pacific Northwest
Jan Heine2025-05-10T18:25:59-07:00There are rides and races that we want to do because they are famous. Riding over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix or the dusty strade bianche of Tuscany once in our lives is something many of us dream of. That's why there are amateur versions of these races. Part of the...
Tariffs: The first 30 days
Jan Heine2025-05-12T22:17:58-07:00Our post about the new tariffs and what they mean for the bike industry has been our most popular article—ever. In fact, several bike industry contacts have told me that the article has been required reading for their employees. It's clear that there's a...
Canadian and other international orders
Jan Heine2025-05-06T23:12:44-07:00Many of our international customers wonder what happens when they order from Rene Herse Cycles these days. Especially Canadian customers may worry about the reciprocal 25% tariff that's imposed on many imports from the U.S. The good news is that those tariffs affect only products that originate in the U.S. Most...
Last Chance for Bicycle Quarterly 87
Jan Heine2025-05-02T23:35:12-07:00This is just a quick notice that we'll do the last mailing of Bicycle Quarterly 87 next week: One more chance to start your subscription with this exciting edition. Some readers may wonder: Why do we print a paper magazine in this digital age? Especially when we also publish the online...
Andy’s U.P.PER. CONCE.PT
Jan Heine2025-05-01T08:43:53-07:00A few days ago, a message from Andy Kessler landed in my inbox. The subject line said: "Your tires rock!" The message itself just contained a photo, of an unpainted carbon bike equipped with our Corkscrew Climb semi-slicks. Andy is of course co-owner of the iconic bicycle brand OPEN, together with...
Jenna on the Podium at UCI Fayetteville
Jan Heine2025-04-30T16:07:31-07:00Congratulations to Jenna Rinehart for an excellent race at this year's first American race in the UCI Gravel World Series. Placing second at the Highlands Gravel Classic in Fayetteville, AR, Jenna also qualified for the UCI Gravel World Championships in the Netherlands later this year. After the race, Jenna reported: "I...
Driving an Analog Car in a Digital World
Jan Heine2025-04-27T10:50:54-07:00My 1992 Subaru Legacy gained some unexpected notoriety when it was stolen and recovered thanks to Instagram and the vigilance of a BQ reader who saw it parked by the roadside while riding to work. Thank you, Zach! It's hard to describe how relieved I was to get my car back—it's...
Ted King Podcast: How to Ride Fast
Jan Heine2025-04-22T08:34:35-07:00Ted King isn't just one of the most successful gravel racers of all time—he also hosts the popular podcast 'King of the Ride.' In the most recent episode, he invited me to talk about, well, everything and anything related to making your bike faster. We explore why aero socks are...
We won the test. Why no celebration?
Jan Heine2025-04-28T21:42:34-07:00For quite a while now, the Rene Herse 700x44 Snoqualmie Pass has been the fastest wide tire (>32 mm) on www.bicyclerollingresistance.com, a popular website that tests tire performance. Every month, they test new tires—recently Pirelli's latest P Zero Race TLR SpeedCore that now comes in a 40 mm width—but none...
Apidura Packable Visibility Vest
Jan Heine2025-04-17T11:14:54-07:00The days are getting longer here in Seattle, but one thing never seems to change: We're too optimistic with our ride plans. More than once have we returned home as twilight was fading into complete darkness. That's when a visibility vest comes in handy. Especially in the city, with so...
Introducing the Rene Herse Gravel Team
Jan Heine2025-04-10T10:24:13-07:00If you've followed gravel racing, you've noticed that some of the biggest and most prominent teams have been riding on Rene Herse tires. This wasn't a paid sponsorship agreement—these teams simply chose Rene Herse tires to give their riders the best chance at winning. That's how Lauren de Crescenzo's Cinch...
Rene Herse Introduces TPU Tube Sealant
Jan Heine2025-04-05T23:02:24-07:00Tubeless or TPU tubes? Cyclists choose tubeless setups mainly for one reason: The sealant inside the tire seals small punctures caused by glass shards and tiny steel wires. (For mountain biking, a reduction of pinch flats is even more important. For road and most gravel cycling, wide tires have made...
Bikes in the Age of Tariffs
Jan Heine2025-09-06T08:46:24-07:00Today's post was going to be about a new product we're introducing—but we need to hold off while we recalculate our prices. You've probably seen the news: Virtually all imports into the United States will be subjected to additional, steep import taxes, also called tariffs. The goal is to radically re-orient...
Corkscrew Semi-Slicks back in stock
Jan Heine2025-04-03T09:12:46-07:00Many riders love our new 700C x 44 mm Corkscrew Climb semi-slicks. They've have been so popular that supply can't always keep up with demand, and they've been out of stock for a few weeks. We just received another shipment. All back-orders have been sent out, and limited quantities of...
UCI Limits Road Bike Tires to 31 mm
Jan Heine2025-04-04T22:37:48-07:00April 1, 2025 In a surprise move, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) today handed down its latest technical rule: Effective immediately, road bikes are limited to a maximum tire width of 31 mm. The new rule has been rumored for a long time. As more pro racers started using 30 mm tires,...
