Just before the pandemic made travel next-to-impossible, Natsuko and I visited Makino Cycle Factory, one of Japan's most renowned builders. It was intended as a short visit to take a few photos, but it turned into a wonderful day of watching the craftspeople at work, discussing frame geometry and...
We finally receive a big shipment of tires that had been on the seas for what seems like ages. And we've also got a new tire: The 26" x 2.3" Humptulips Ridge is now available with the ultra-tough Endurance Plus casing. Whether it's adventures into the unknown or gnarly...
We've decided to turn off the comments on our Journal for a few months. We really enjoy the interactions with readers and value the discussions, but running one of the more popular cycling sites on the web risks becoming a full-time job. A recent post had 80 comments, and...
Lyli Herse lived in Boisemont, on the hills above the Seine River. Now the town has named a street after the 8-times French champion. I found out the news when I talked to Lyli's neighbor, who has adopted her dog after Lyli died three years ago. We talk once...
Usually the logistics of keeping things in stock don't matter to our customers. Usually we receive new shipments before the old stocks run out, so the transition is seamless and parts are just always in stock. Usually... If you've been following the bike industry just a little bit, you...
This is just a short notice that we received another shipment of tires. These include long-awaited favorites like our award-winning Fleecer Ridge 29" x 2.2" and our ever-popular Bon Jon Pass 700C x 35. Now all sizes and casings are back in stock. We're still short of some colors...
We've been working with Ted King and Lael Wilcox on developing tires for bikepacking and gravel racing for a few years now. When riders who've registered for Rooted Vermont, Ted and Laura King's big gravel race/ride, asked about tire choice, Ted suggested to bring Lael and me onto their...
April 1, 2021: Rene Herse is announcing a new wheel size for performance bikes: 13-inch wheels. With a bead seat diameter of 230 mm, the smaller wheels will improve performance by allowing the tires to operate closer to their optimum temperature range. "It's our latest innovation, and another way...
It's no secret: Keeping things in stock has been a bit of a challenge lately. Production delays due to Covid restrictions, shipping bottlenecks and other factors have made it difficult to get components from our suppliers. As a small company working with high-end manufacturers, we've been less affected than...
Riding with Lael Wilcox, I was impressed not just by her speed and positive attitude, but also by her efficiency and planning. When we stopped at the small (and sparsely stocked) store in Index, I was still surveying the shelves when Lael was already checking out, having snagged the...
I never thought of myself as Asian, because I lived in Japan most of my life, where I was just like everybody else. Only when I came to Seattle did I notice that I may look like a stereotypical Asian woman: I'm not very tall; I tend to smile...
When Lael and Rue came last autumn to visit the Cascade Mountains, it was great to spend a week riding, talking and planning. I've known Lael for a long time, but getting to know Rue was really special. She's just as amazing as Lael – and that says a lot....
There are some bikes that you see on social media, and you just want to know more. FF986 popped up on the Firefly feed a little while ago, and it just looked so dialed. You could see that every part was carefully considered, chosen for the riding that the...
It's one thing to write a book that the experts enjoy, and you may have read what bike designer Gerard Vroomen (Cervélo/OPEN) and gravel racers Lael Wilcox and Ted King had to say about "The All-Road Bike Revolution." It was great to see that even they learned new things......
We don't change our program for the sake of planned obsolescence, but once in a while, products simply run out, and we won't make more. In the case of the Limited Edition of our Rene Herse book (above), it's simple: It was always limited to 150 copies, so once...
Another shipment with some favorites just arrived: All Rene Herse tires are back in stock. When unloading tire boxes, we’re imagining all the rides these tires will experience, from great road rides to incredible adventures on our widest and toughest knobbies. We can't wait to hear the stories and...
It's no secret that supplies in the bike industry are a bit of a challenge right now. It's not just manufacturing that's compromised due to Covid, but shipping is also delayed. As a small company working with high-end suppliers, we've been less affected than others, but nonetheless, it's been...
We just received a shipment with many eagerly awaited products. These include the new 26" Humptulips Ridge knobby tires in Standard and Extralight casings. (Endurance casings are on the way, but will take a bit longer.) Most other Rene Herse tires are also back in stock, too. Now is a...
It's official: A new year has started. As 2020 recedes into the past, we're looking forward to a new year that brings hope and promise. May your 2021 be filled with joy, health and great cycling adventures! Natsuko & Jan
A reader sent a link to the video "How a Bicycle is Made," filmed in the 1945 at the Raleigh factory in Britain. It's definitely a period piece, but look beyond that, and the 17-minute movie has a lot of interesting content about how bikes were mass-produced. Some production...
Rene Herse Cycles is hiring a full-time, long-term position in our shipping/warehouse department at our Seattle, WA, location. Be a part of our fun team and growing company. Passion for cycling is a plus, but not required: We don't expect you to know our products – be ready to...
Every year, we enjoy the autumn cycling season, and then, suddenly, the holidays are almost here. And with that, we are looking for gifts for others, and we're being asked what we want ourselves. Gift giving is a wonderful tradition, and Natsuko and I really enjoy gifts that we...
It's always fun to chat with Diane Jenks on her National Public Radio show The Outspoken Cyclist. This week, we talked about our new book and about bike fit, disc vs rim brakes, and the state of the bike industry in the age of Covid. Click here to listen to...
Ted King won the 1020-mile Arkansas High Country Race in a 4 days, 20 hours and 51 minutes, setting the FKT (fastest known time) in the process. The previous solo FTK was held by bikepacking legend Jay Petervary. Ted also was faster than Ernie and Scotti Lechuga, who rode...
The vote is in, and the winner of the Bicycle Quarterly photo contest is Samuel P's evocative B&W study of his bike during a recent trip. He writes: "I'm a LatinX cyclist from the Bay Area, California. I've been riding since I was five years old. I enjoy cyclotouring...
The results are in: Hundreds of photos from all over the world were entered in the BQ Photo Contest. It was fun to see so many different photos – in style and subject – and it was difficult to selected eight finalists. Many great photos didn't make the cut. Here...
Today I did one of the most important things I will do this year: I voted. It's a privilege to have a voice in deciding the future of our country. Like all rights, it's also a responsibility. The right to vote was not won without a fight – whether it...
Covid-19 has created many challenges for the bike industry. Supply chains have been disrupted, lockdowns have stopped production, shipping has become erratic, and exchange rates fluctuate wildly. Even staples like inner tubes are in short supply. At Rene Herse, we've been working hard to keep our products in stock, because...
This is just a quick note that a few popular items are back in stock. Among them are all Rene Herse fenders in polished and black finish. (more…)
Now that summer officially has officially ended, we can start to look back on the cycling season. So much has happened since we started riding in late winter under clear, sunny skies! The events of 2020 have upended many plans, but cycling is the one place where we can...
After much thought, we've decided to cancel this year's Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting in Marin County, California. We've made this difficult decision together with this year's organizers, Bicycle Counterculture. The pandemic shows little sign of letting up. To have a large number of cyclists travel to the Un-Meeting and gather...
We're heartbroken to hear about the fires that are raging in California and much of the West. Our thoughts go out to all who are affected. Learning of acquaintances in the bike industry who lost their homes and workshops... Seeing old-growth redwoods and historic park buildings burn... Seeing the...
Rob English is not just a talented framebuilder, but also a top-class rider and racer. He recently built this bike for himself. Even though the bike is a superlight racer, it rolls on (extralight) 700C x 32 mm Stampede Pass tires – a sign how far racing bikes have...
Our friends at Berthoud Cycles in France have been working overtime, and we just received another shipment. We've got most saddles in stock again, as well as spare parts to rebuild your worn saddle with a new leather top, swap stainless steel rails for titanium, or replace parts that...
The Enve Builders Roundup is a show of custom bikes (and Enve's components). Among all the great bikes, here are three of our favorites (more…)
Keeping everything we sell in stock hasn't been easy: Lockdowns in the U.S., Europe and Japan have interrupted production, and international shipping is taking longer than it used to. And in some cases, demand has increased as well. Temporary shortages are hard to avoid, but we're working hard to...
Over the last few months, we've revamped our customer service, both because we've had to adapt to the restrictions that came with Covid-19 and because we want to improve your experience. We've added a lot of information online – instructions for our parts, specs and Frequently Asked Questions, plus...
The first half of 2020 has brought unexpected changes in many ways. When Covid-19 spread so suddenly around the world, there was little time to figure out how to deal with this. We stopped everything that was non-essential, we socially distanced, we discovered face masks, and we talked about...
In the middle of a global pandemic, delays in shipments from suppliers are not a big concern with everything else that is going on. And yet we're happy that the situation has improved to the point where deliveries are arriving again – because this means that things are getting...
Ted King's DIY Gravel may have been born out of necessity – there are no gravel races right now, so why not ride our own rides and challenges in the mean time? Ted's idea has been a lot of fun, and more than a thousand riders have risen to...
We want to do more than just say nice words. We want to help make change that is real and lasting. With that intent, we're renewing the tradition of Bicycle Quarterly fund drives to address urgent needs. For 24 hours, from 0:00 on June 2 until 24:00 (Pacific Time)...
Last year, on the train to Sacramento, we met a wonderful black couple in the dining car. They had gone to Seattle to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They had met when they were part of the civil rights movement in the South. They moved to the West Coast, because,...
Most of our customers considers their Rene Herse tires 'essentials' – components they need to keep riding. Knowing this, we work hard to keep all models in stock at all times. Sometimes there are unforeseen fluctuations in demand, delays in production and/or shipping, and a model or two may...
Today would have been the Belgian Waffle Ride in California – which means that Round 2 of Ted King's DIY Gravel is starting. We've got until next Sunday to do our own version of this iconic ride, which offers three versions: Waffle is 138-miles, 53 off-road and nearly 12,000...
All of us are figuring out how we can resume our lives safely and responsibly. How can we ride our bikes? Does it make sense to train when races and events are postponed or cancelled? How can we enjoy the community that cycling brings us? I caught up with...
Editor's Note: We've been thinking about our role in the response to Covid-19. Here is what we can do: If there is a way we can positively influence the situation – like advocating social distancing and wearing face masks before these practices had widespread support – it's our responsibility...
April 1, 2020: This is the time of year when we take a break from the daily news and look at areas where real progress is possible in bicycle design. Forget marginal gains – today we're looking for revolutionary ideas! The industry likes to crow about disc brakes and carbon...
Let's face it: Life isn't the same as it was just two weeks ago. We're all in this together, and we've been encouraged how everybody has been pulling together to face this challenge. At Rene Herse Cycles, we've thought about what we could do to help. Most of us still...
At the beginning of the year, we talked about our predictions of where bicycles are headed in the upcoming decade. Now, with a little time to reflect on the 2010s, it's fun to look back and see what the last decade really has been all about in terms of...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=579&v=Fz106hSZqJk&feature=emb_logo When Ted King, Ryan Atkins, Eric Batty and Buck Miller rode more than 600 km in northern Ontario last winter, it was a real adventure – and they raised money for a local charity. We were happy to be involved in a small way – we supplied the entire...
Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade, the 2020s! Ten years ago (above), Bicycle Quarterly predicted that wide tires would become commonplace, that all-road bikes would replace racing bikes as the most popular genre, and that riders would soon venture off the beaten path and onto gravel. All...
All of us at Rene Herse Cycles and Bicycle Quarterly thank you for your support. We wish you a wonderful new year filled with many great rides! —The Rene Herse team
Since we've started Rene Herse Cycles in 2011, we've been working on reducing our environmental impact. We were among the first to use custom-designed cardboard boxes with inserts that hold our cranks securely. That has been part of our commitment to reduce our impact – while making sure that...
At Rene Herse Cycles, we know that our customers rely on their bikes – for transportation, for sport and for fun. So we try to keep all our products in stock at all times. Nothing is more frustrating than needing a new tire or part for a big ride...
We've got a job opening at Rene Herse Cycles. Are you dreaming of working on beautiful bikes, assembling dazzling cranks and brakes, and chatting about amazing rides all day long? The reality is not quite as glamorous, but we've got a good team, good compensation and benefits, plus the potential...
Thank you for your patience last week while we've transitioned the blog to the Rene Herse web site. We've moved all the old contents – blog posts and comments – to the new site, so everything continues to be available. If you've bookmarked a blog post, the link no longer works....
We are excited to move our blog and integrate it seamlessly with our Rene Herse Cycles web site. This will allow us to create even more exciting content. And now we can link directly between blog posts and support pages. This and other changes will improve your experience as...
Unlike most posts, this isn't one that I enjoy writing... Over the past decade, we've seen a period of remarkably stable prices. In fact, it's been more than five years since our prices have changed across the board – and back then, they went down, because the exchange rate...
I've been wanting to thank Bicycle Retailer and Industry News for the nice article about Rene Herse on the front cover of a recent edition. It's not often that the media talks about the contributions of small companies, especially those without a big ad budget. BRAIN's Steve Frothingham wrote that Rene Herse "has nurtured...
We're celebrating our 2000th post on Instagram with a favorite image. It shows everything I love about cycling: small roads off the beaten path, beautiful bikes and great riding companions. I don't spend a huge amount of time on social media, but I've been enjoying Instagram a lot: Seeing where...
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve3tXQY5pFk&feature=youtu.be?rel=0&w=640&h=360] I've really enjoyed the stories that have come out of last week's Paris-Brest-Paris. Above is my friend and training buddy Ryan Hamilton's short video, seen entirely through the eyes of his bike-mounted camera. I was moved when seeing the great big bridge that leads into Brest. My eyes...
The inaugural SBT GRVL (Steamboat Gravel) race saw more than 1,500 riders at the start in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The field include the Who-Is-Who of gravel racing: Ted King, Colin Strickland and Payson McElveen and other top-level racers. It turned out to be an exciting race over the beautiful high-country...
Paris-Brest-Paris, the epic 1200 km randonnée in France, is coming up fast. More than 6000 riders are busy with their final training, setting up their bike, preparing their trip... To help PBP riders out a bit, we are offering a 15% discount on a set of tires for the...
Last weekend was the 14th running of the Dirty Kanza, the famous 200-mile gravel race in Kansas. After the race, I was chatted with Ted King (TK), winner in 2016 and 2018, about what makes gravel racing so special. JH: Congratulations to another great finish! TK: This was my 4th go at DK,...
2019 will be remembered as the year when gravel racing started to be on equal terms with the great races of Europe. When Pro Tour riders appear at the Belgian Waffle Ride, you know that it's not just a local event any longer. And yet, the fun part of...
At Rene Herse Cycles, we support the classics, in addition to pushing the envelope as we develop our modern parts. René Herse's bikes were prized for their beauty and performance, and today, they continue to be treasured like few other classics. I've enjoyed many great rides on classic Rene Herse...
Today is Earth Day – a day to celebrate our planet and think about what each of us, in our daily lives, can do to protect it. As cyclists, we get to enjoy nature in immediate ways: As we pedal over hill and dale, we feel the landscape, we...
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=bJxrxIcplvM?rel=0&w=640&h=360] In his latest video, Ted King takes us around his bike for Land Run 100 and explains why he chose the Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass 44 mm all-road tires, rather than knobbies, for the race across the red dirt of Oklahoma. Click on full screen mode and enjoy!
[youtube https://youtu.be/xBoNRa_62k0?rel=0&w=640&h=360] Gravel racing is one of the most exciting developments of cycling as a sport in recent years. It combines full-on racing with adventure and drama. Gravel races are a modern take on the roots of cycling, when racers were battling it out on the unpaved mountain passes of...
In recent years, there has been a lot of technology transfer from motorcycles and cars to bicycles. Modern bikes finally have tubeless tires and disc brakes, both introduced in cars as early as the 1950s! Cyclists tend to be a conservative bunch, but it's only a matter of time until...
[youtube https://youtu.be/Bqn2MZJw9-Q?rel=0&w=640&h=360] Beautiful bikes, great roads, traditional Japanese inns: BQ editor Natsuko Hirose's short clip takes you to the Izu Peninsula. It's the first trip on her new all-road bike – a great opportunity to enjoy cyclotouring with friends. Enjoy this preview, then read the full story in the Spring 2019 Bicycle Quarterly....
Recently, Enve put out a Consumer Safety Bulletin about their carbon wheels and tires made with natural fibers. The conclusion: "Tires using natural sidewall materials with an open tubular type construction are not fit for use with ENVE carbon rims." Natural fibers are inconsistent in their strength, and the hard...
We're excited to release our new Rene Herse waterbottles. The bottles are based on the popular Purist bottles and feature the new Rene Herse logo. The new design is limited to 500 bottles. Available now for $ 10. We're not suggesting that these will become sought-after collectors' pieces, but we...
It's official: Compass has become Rene Herse Cycles. It's a big change, with a new name and new logo for a line of products that has a very strong following. Rest assured, our philosophy won't change, and neither will our products. We'll continue to make the high-performance components that we...
SON generator hubs and other parts have been flying off the shelves lately. Some of it can be attributed to cyclists preparing their bikes for the upcoming Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 km brevet. More cyclists also realize that generator hubs provide peace of mind on long rides and commutes alike. As...
Today would have been Lyli Herse's 91st birthday. And last Friday has been a year from her passing... ... and the 111th birthday of her father, René Herse. They continue to inspire us in so many ways. Today, we just want to remember their smiles and their passion for cycling...
We are looking forward to another great year! We wish all our readers joy, happiness and many great rides in 2019. See you on the road! —The BQ and Compass/Rene Herse team Photo credit: Ryan Francesconi
All of us at Compass Cycles and Bicycle Quarterly wish you Happy Holidays!
What to give a cyclist? And as a cyclist, what to answer when somebody asks you to make a wish? Here are a few gift ideas that are certain to bring a cyclist joy for a long time. You can't go wrong with Bicycle Quarterly. Each edition covers a variety...
The popularity of Gilles Berthoud's new mirrors surprised us. We expected them to be popular, but we didn't expect to sell out within days. It's easy to understand why customers like them, though: They are beautifully made from the best materials, and they work well with all road handlebars. They...
I've been racing my Alan cyclocross bike since I bought it second-hand, many years ago, when I was still in college. Back then, it was simply a used 'cross bike. Now it may seem like a relic from another era. And yet the Alan continues to hold its own in...
We are glad that the HED Belgium+ rims are available again – they are the best modern rims we have found. They build up straight, they remain true, and tire mounting is a snap, even tubeless. They come in disc brake (top) and rim brake (above) versions, in 650B and...
To celebrate Bicycle Quarterly's 15th anniversary last year, we increased the size of the magazine and put together a number of truly outstanding editions. We now offer them in a special 4-pack. We kicked off our anniversary year with our biggest edition ever. More book than magazine, this hefty volume...
We are excited to add a few great products from Gilles Berthoud to the Compass program. The Small Universal Bag (above) is really neat: It holds a lightweight rain jacket, wallet, inner tube and a few other things. It's incredibly versatile: Use it as a saddlebag (above) or hang...
Happy Thanksgiving to all readers, customers and cyclists! We're grateful for the joys and friendships that cycling have brought us.
We just received another shipment of our Steilacoom 700C x 38 mm dual-purpose knobbies. We appreciate your patience while these popular tires were out of stock. Originally designed for cyclocross, the Steilacoom has become a popular dual-purpose tire: As you'd expect from a tire with widely-spaced knobs, it excels in...
We're always excited to get feedback on our tires, and when it comes from someone like Jordan Rapp, it's especially valuable. The names of semi-professional gravel racers aren't yet household names – Jordan used to be a pro triathlete before becoming a gravel racer. This year, he came 6th...
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 literally were burnt to the ground, but what counts right now is...
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 above, not a single millimeter is wasted, and the result are perfect clearances for...
Mount Rishiri-Dake (1721 m) is a popular hiking destination. Bicycle Quarterly editor Natsuko Hirose takes you to Rishiri Island, off Hokkaido's coast in northern Japan. From the northernmost town in Hokkaido, Wakkanai, there is a ferry that goes to Rishiri and Rebun Islands. These small islands are the northernmost inhabited parts...
[youtube https://youtu.be/Hmltrz9xfXI?rel=0&w=640&h=360] 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 without the need for foot retention. Made in Japan, these may be the best platform pedals ever made. Click...
Many 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 snobs." Those days are long over: Today fenders are recognized as an integral part of...
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 performance tires. For long-distance races, I put on new tires for...
[youtube https://youtu.be/xGh49T2rlmY?rel=0&w=640&h=360] 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 learned to ride without wobbling. Then – in my case – to...
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 Speciale Randonneur and the Frances Farfarer trailer than to take them on a real adventure? For our third...
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, riders can benefit from customized gearing, but it also means that we stock a lot of chainrings. We try to...
The Compass Swift Campout photo contest has been a huge success with almost 500 entries! With so many amazing photos, it was impossible to select just 8 finalists, so we finally settled on 10. We selected photos that show different aspects of the contest theme 'Cyclotouring off the beaten path.' Now it's...
[youtube https://youtu.be/21Vb3RPCRG0?rel=0&w=640&h=360] The Summer 2018 Bicycle Quarterly caps our 15th anniversary year, and so we've put together a very special issue. In our most epic adventure yet, we headed south to the incredible Copper Canyons of Mexico. The video above takes you right into the action. Make sure to enjoy...
Some new products are much more popular than we anticipate. Even though we try to keep everything in stock at all times, production can take a while to catch up to the increased demand. Recently, that has affected a few products. The first batch of our 11-speed Rene Herse chainrings sold...
If you have visited the Compass Cycles web site in the last few days, you'll have noticed that it has a new look. On the home page, you'll see a slide show with the three parts of the Compass story. The first slide links to the story of the 'Wide...
