Today's Un-Ride, as Ted named it, was a blast. It was wet, it was tough, and it was great. We just rode hard and enjoyed the company of the group. There was no posing for the cameras – and it was too dark for good photos anyhow – but the...
How durable are leather saddles? It's a question we often get with respect to the Berthoud saddles we distribute in North America. Especially now that it's winter here, and often raining. Will a leather saddle be ruined if it's ridden in the rain? The answer is a reassuring 'No.'...
Just a quick reminder that our Un-Meeting-style ride with the 'King of Gravel' is this Sunday. The weather forecast is unseasonably good for Seattle – just a slight chance of rain in the morning. Here are the details: When: Sunday, December 8, 2019 Where: Seattle Ferry Terminal, 7:35 a.m. ferry...
Adventures in all their forms are the theme of the Winter 2019 Bicycle Quarterly. Lael Wilcox and Rugile Kaladyte tour Kyrgystan in preparation of the Silk Road Mountain Race. Three friends attempting a new route on the border between France and Italy. Two riders enter The Japanese Odyssey, a ride so...
Update 12/2025: More than six (!) years after this post was originally published, gravel and all-road bikes continue as the most popular bike category. What many originally wrote off as a passing fad—road tires with wide tires—has shown real staying power. And the latest crop of gravel race bikes have...
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...
During a recent trip to Japan, we saw a beautiful book about steel road bikes, published by our friends at Bicycle Club magazine. The cover bike may look familiar to Bicycle Quarterly readers – it's part of a famous Japanese collection that we featured a few years back....
After a remarkable run over 15 years, our first book, The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles, is now out of print. Published in 2005, The Golden Age was at the start of our fascination with the French constructeurs. It made Rene Herse and Alex Singer household names. If cyclists today...
Join us on a ride with Ted King, the 'King of Gravel'! We'll head to the Tahuya Hills on some beautiful (and hilly) roads. There'll be plenty of gravel, as well as an all-paved option. When: Sunday, December 8, 2019 Where: Seattle Ferry Terminal, 7:35 a.m. ferry...
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 you...
When winter snow makes the high roads in the Cascade Mountains impassable, we turn to cyclocross. It's our preferred winter sport – challenging, fun and a great way to hone our skills for the big summer gravel adventures. The skills of 'cross are less about jumping across barriers – although...
You asked for it... Many customers requested our Barlow Pass with the Endurance casing. It makes sense – 700C x 38 is a versatile size. If your rides are littered with glass, steel wires or goatheads, the Endurance casing is going to be your friend. You get a tire with...
Rene Herse tires are available in many widths, with two tread patterns and four casings. All this so you can find tires that are ideally suited to how and where you ride. Today, let's look at the different casings. Which is best for you? (more…)
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 to...
If you've been to the Philly Bike Expo last weekend (or looked at the photo feeds), you've seen many custom bikes with our Rene Herse taillights. (Above is Brian Chapman's.) The taillight has been one of our more popular products. (more…)
We are really excited about our new cycling caps. They are great to wear under a helmet, or just by themselves. The quality is superb – as you'd expect, since they are made by Walz, a company known for their high quality. They are made in the USA. Best of all, the...
"Work brilliantly on a full range of terrains and surprisingly tough for a supple tyre." That's the summary of the test by Road.cc, the British website. To us, that feedback is especially valuable, because Road.cc really ride the products they test. They've got a number of testers, and their opinions are refreshingly...
When I spec'd my new bike for this year's Paris-Brest-Paris (and for our adventures in the Cascade Mountains), I opted for centerpull brakes. I didn't choose centerpulls out of nostalgia. For the riding I do, they are the best choice. Why not disc brakes? It's undeniable that the best hydraulic disc brakes...
Autumn means colder temperatures and rainy weather, here in the Cascade Mountains and in many parts of the world. More than ever, the grip of our tires is on our minds. Why do all Rene Herse tires have black tread? Colorful treads can look nice, but black rubber offers the...
When we started putting together the Autumn Bicycle Quarterly, we realized that, for each article, we had more material than planned – longer stories, more photos, and new angles. Usually, we test two bikes, but for this edition, we had the chance to ride five: two OPEN all-road bikes, plus the...
Before I started the 750-mile (1200 km) Paris-Brest-Paris on a brand-new bike, I thought about the tools I needed to bring. After months of training and the expense of traveling to France, it would be a shame not to finish the ride because of a mechanical. I love the feel of...
https://youtu.be/HwQEO5eZUYw For the Autumn Bicycle Quarterly, we tested two amazing OPEN all-road bikes. The brand-new WI.DE. can run 60 mm-wide tires – wider than many mountain bikes. The ultralight U.P.P.E.R. is a true racing machine – and yet it handles even rough trails with confidence. Which would you prefer? Enjoy the video...
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...
In the northern hemisphere, we are moving into the season where we need good fenders: They can make the difference between enjoying the ride and enduring it. The Pacific Northwest, where we live and ride, is known for its long rainy season. We cycle year-round, so it's natural that we...
Last weekend's Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting brought together cyclists from all over the United States. Despite an uncertain weather forecast, more than 70 riders met northwest of Portland for a weekend of riding, meeting friends and having a good time. A choice of five courses ranged from the 47 mile (76 km)...
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 you...
How fast are our tires? We know that the casing, and not the width, determines a tire's speed. When I rode Paris-Brest-Paris on 42 mm-wide tires (above), I knew that I wasn't giving up any speed over narrower rubber. But in absolute terms, how fast are our Rene Herse tires? Manufacturers'...
If Bicycle Quarterly was a 'normal' magazine, the Autumn edition would look quite different. Which 'normal' publisher would add 25% more pages just because there are so many great stories? We simply felt that we had no choice... When OPEN told us that they had a new bike for ultra-wide tires...
The 2019 Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting is less than a week away. We're really excited to meet many of you near Portland next weekend! The Un-Meeting 'un-officially' starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 at Stub Stewart State Park in Buxton, OR. We'll meet at the
When I built my new bike for this year's Paris-Brest-Paris, I was reminded of professional racers in the old days, who brought their favorite saddle and handlebars to the builder of their new bike. I've talked about handlebars here; today, I'll cover saddles as the second contact...
[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 welled...
This year’s Paris-Brest-Paris lived up to its reputation as an epic event. Organized without interruption since 1891, PBP is the oldest bike ride in the world. It takes riders back to the 'Heroic Age' when races featured stages that began before dawn and ran late into the night, and beyond. Riding 1200...
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 gravel...
We're looking forward to this year's Bicycle Quarterly Un-Meeting – our annual get-together to share the joy of riding off the beaten path. It’s not an organized event – we just publish a date and time, and everybody is welcome to join. There are no fees, no registrations, and no...
A recent hiking trip to Mount Rainier also provided an opportunity to revisit a favorite climb – and work on my form for the upcoming 1200 km (750 miles) of Paris-Brest-Paris. This time, we headed to Mount Rainier by car, loaded with four people, backpacks and associated gear. Fortunately, the J.P. Weigle...
Tubeless tires have changed what we can do on a bike. When the terrain is really rough, not having to worry about pinch flats allows us to run lower tire pressure for more comfort, more traction and more speed. (The speed comes from the lower pressure on rough surfaces, not...
We developed the Endurance casings for our Rene Herse tires based on requests from gravel racers like Ted King (above), who need tires for truly harsh conditions. A race like Dirty Kanza traverses 200 miles of sharp stones in the Flint Hills of Kansas. The lead racers travel at high...
With the 750-mile Paris-Brest-Paris coming up, demand for generator hubs and lights has been high. We've just received another shipment, and now all products are back in stock, plus there are some new items as well. By far our most popular generator hub is the SONdelux Wide-Body. In addition to all the...
For the Summer Bicycle Quarterly, we test the incredible Calfee Bamboo show bike from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Not only does this bike feature Calfee's new bamboo tubes – lined with carbon for lighter weight and greater strength – it's also equipped with Rotor's brand-new hydraulic shifting. When I admire bikes...
During the summer solstice, Ryan Francesconi led a group of 14 friends on a truly amazing adventure: We took the train to Klamath Falls on the border between Oregon and California and then rode back to Portland on forest roads and trails traversing the Oregon Cascades. It was a 2-day,...
Update 12/2025: In recent years, it's become clear that making aluminum cranks for modern oversized bottom bracket spindles is not always a good idea. The only way around that is to make the cranks hollow, as Shimano has done with their Dura-Ace cranks that are made in two halves and...
Small things can make a big difference, especially on long rides. With handlebar bags, it's important that they don't flop around as you ride. That is why they are supported by a rack at the bottom. At the top, keeping the bag from moving from side to side is helpful...
Our series of 'Myths in Cycling' continues with a look at rim width. You often hear that wider tires should run on wider rims. Intuitively, that seems to make sense – match the wider tire to a wider rim. You also hear that wider rims make the tire handle more...
With wide tires, you can tune the ride of your bike to the terrain and to your personal preferences. This gives you options that simply did not exist in the past. Gone are the days when we inflated our narrow tires to the maximum pressure and rode on rock-hard rubber. Even...
The Summer Bicycle Quarterly is back from the printer! In this edition, we test two bikes that wowed visitors at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. How do they ride? The Calfee's latest bike uses carbon-lined bamboo tubes for an even lighter and stronger frame. The show bike is equipped with Rotor's long-awaited...
Riding long distances – especially on rough roads – puts different demands on your body and your bike than short and fast-paced races. The contact points with the bike become more important the longer you ride. These days, you don't hear much about them, especially the saddle and handlebars. If you...
As part of preparing this year's Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), riders qualify by riding 200, 300, 400 and 600 km brevets. More than just preparation for the long ride in France, these rides are fun challenges in their own right. The last of the Seattle qualifiers started at 6 a.m. just south of...
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, and...
[youtube https://youtu.be/BTb4xIu4nr8?rel=0&w=640&h=360] The Summer 2019 Bicycle Quarterly is at the printer. It's an another exciting edition, full of bike tests, adventures and great stories. As a preview, we made the little video clip above of Natsuko riding the Frances All-Road. Perhaps you admired this beautiful bike at the North American Handmade Bicycle...
Every BQ test bike that arrives at our office is greeted with enthusiasm. When OPEN hinted that they had a revolutionary, top secret, new bike they wanted us to try, we were even more excited than usual. Until now, we've had to keep the new bike under tight wraps, but...
It's hard to believe that the first Oregon Outback, that incredible 363-mile gravel race, was just five years ago. It's almost like we live in a different world now, so much has changed... Back then, the idea of running a race that traversed the entire state of Oregon from south to north...
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 the...
Working with Ted King, winner of last year's Dirty Kanza gravel race, has added a new perspective to our R&D. We've got a lot of experience riding gravel, even racing it, but today's mass-start races aren't the same as exploring the Cascade Mountains on forest roads, or even racing the...
Like many cyclists, we love climbs, but we live for twisty downhills. The feeling of the bike leaning deep into a turn is something that is hard to explain, yet easy to enjoy. https://youtu.be/mvGv9IEiDzY This video clip was taken on a short descent toward Lake Washington. We know this road well, and...
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 bikes...
When Ted King recently won the Epic 150 gravel race in Missouri on our Rene Herse Steilacoom tires, many were surprised that he ran knobbies on a fast course. But there were a few muddy corners where the knobs would provide valuable grip, and Ted knew that on the smooth...
[youtube https://youtu.be/hI_p9uSSwz4?rel=0&w=640&h=360] Each edition of Bicycle Quarterly is more than just a magazine: It's a small book with more than 100 pages of timeless contents. The most common complaint we get is: "It doesn't come out often enough!" We can't produce more than four editions a year, but we do offer past editions in convenient four-packs....
As part of our series on myths in cycling, let's look at wheel size and how it affects speed. Even though all-road tires have grown wider in recent years, many bike makers have stuck with 700C wheels. It's a size that is familiar to road cyclists, and there is also...
If you've been curious about Bicycle Quarterly, we offer an easy way to have a look at the current edition: Simply add it to your Rene Herse Cycles order. You'll see a prompt when you check out. For just $ 7, we put the current edition in the box with...
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 smell...
[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!
After 2 years of R&D, we're excited to introduce the UD-2 rack in a version for cantilever brakes. All you need to fit this rack on your bike is a hole in the fork crown and cantilever brakes. Handlebar bags are popular for touring, randonneuring and bikepacking,...
Paris-Brest-Paris, one of the world's oldest long-distance events, is held every four years. 2019 is a 'PBP Year,' and thousands of cyclists all over the world are preparing to ride 1200 km (750 miles) from France's capital to its westernmost city and back. PBP is not just an epic ride –...
[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 the...
We're offering a new chainring combination for our 11-speed compatible Rene Herse cranks. The 48/33 is a perfect size for fast-paced group rides – you won't get dropped even on downhills with a tailwind, yet the 48 is a bit smaller than the more common 50, allowing you to stay...
April 1, 2019: 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...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmt02COlmb4 The Juniper Ridge 650B x 48 mm dual-purpose knobbies have arrived. Unlike any other all-road tire, they combine excellent speed and cornering grip on pavement with unrivaled traction in mud and snow. At 450 g (Extralight) and 510 g (Standard), they are among the lightest tires in this popular size. We...
When Compass Cycles became Rene Herse Cycles earlier this year, many cyclists wondered: Who was René Herse, and why is his work relevant today? Here is the story of how René Herse and his bikes have inspired modern all-road bikes: Eighty years ago, René Herse entered the cycling world with a...
They call Ted King the 'King of Gravel': Winner of both the Dirty Kanza and Grinduro in 2018, he's the man to beat. With 'gravel' being the fastest-growing segment of the bicycle market, even professional teams are lining up to challenge Ted. So what does a champion do when others...
[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. Make...
Our Rene Herse cranks are available in three length: 165, 171 and 177 mm. We chose 3.5% increments, because that is the smallest difference you'll notice as you ride. That part is just common sense. What makes our cranks unique among small-production cranks is that we use different forging dies for...
The Spring 2019 Bicycle Quarterly is at the printer. We are finalizing our mailing lists – subscribe or renew today to get your copy with the first mailing. You don't want to miss this edition! One focus of the Spring BQ is women in cycling. More women enjoy cycling than ever...
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 do...
Tubeless tires have eliminated the risk of pinch flats. For riding in really rough terrain, they are a game changer. But like all new technologies, it's taken some trial-and-error until we figured out how to run bicycle tires tubeless. Of course, tubeless tires are nothing new. Car tires have been tubeless...
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 need...
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 a...
The first rides of the new year are very special to me. Getting out of the city, breathing the cold mountain air, and feeling my body get in unison with the bike again – those are sensations that I've been missing during my annual early-winter rest. So I left just after...
BQ readers care about their magazine, and we get feedback each time a new edition comes out. And yet we were surprised by the sheer volume of comments, and by the enthusiasm they expressed. There is no doubt: The latest BQ is our readers' favorite edition yet. Many readers love the cover...
All-road bikes with wide tires are the hottest trend in cycling. There is a level of excitement that we haven't seen since the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s: These new bikes bring new people into the sport, who are enticed by the idea of cycling on small roads,...
"An exceptional tyre that will make you faster and happier." That was the verdict when the British web site www.road.cc tested our Bon Jon Pass tires recently. When we hear positive feedback, whether it's from a professional tester or a customer, it makes our day. I smiled when I read the calculation...
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 in...
This used to be one of the first things you learned as a cyclist: If you want to go fast, make sure your tires are pumped up to the maximum pressure. The harder your tires are inflated, the faster they roll. We now know that this is not true. The...
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
Winter riding is fun. The crisp air, the clear skies and the beautiful views. Getting out and breathing fresh air. There are many reasons to enjoy it. Winter riding requires preparation. The most obvious is clothing – which we'll leave for another post. Today, let's talk about what makes a good...
All of us at Compass Cycles and Bicycle Quarterly wish you Happy Holidays!
As 2018 comes to a close, it's fun to look back on the great rides we've done. For me, it's been a wonderful year full of exciting adventures. It started with the annual New Year's Cycling of Tokyo's Yama Saiken (Mountain Cycling Club), the famous passhunters. Jikkoku Pass is a great...
Starting in early 2019, Rene Herse Cycles will be the sole brand for all tires and components made now by Compass Cycles. This streamlines our two brands and clarifies the philosophy that guides us. Since Lyli Herse asked us to become custodians of the Rene Herse name more than a decade...
The cover of our Winter edition is one of my favorites. It illustrates the story of Natsuko buying her first bike, when she was a college student. Read how she struggled to figure out what it meant when bike magazines listed the price for "frame+fork only," and how she finally decided...
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 the...
[youtube https://youtu.be/MBUSuXHhsBQ?rel=0&w=640&h=360] How do you test a bike like Mitch Pryor's latest MAP All-Road? With its 48 mm-wide tires, fenders, racks and full lights, this is a bike designed for epic rides. How about taking it on a 30-hour, non-stop ride that traverses four mountain passes and crosses the crest of...
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 counts...
One of the benefits of wide tires is that they run at lower pressures. Yet the supple casings of our Rene Herse tires require higher pressure to corner well and not bottom out on big bumps. Doesn't the higher pressure negate the benefits of wider tires? Think of the tire casing...
Happy Thanksgiving to all readers, customers and cyclists! We're grateful for the joys and friendships that cycling have brought us.
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 in...
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 that...
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 of...
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 many...
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 every...
[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 start...
'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 30 Watts... Think of Greg LeMond winning the 1989 Tour de France by eight seconds (above)......
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