Last Chance for Bicycle Quarterly 87
This 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 RH Journal that you’re reading right now… The answer is simple: We prefer the speed, ease of distribution and (hopefully) lower environmental impact of digital for everyday communications. But we also feel the need to slow down from time to time, turn off our screens, and let ourselves be transported away by a great story. For that purpose, a physical magazine offers a completely different experience. No notifications ping, no ads pop up, and there’s no temptation to click onto a link or check another window. It’s just the story and us.
To be worthy of paper, the story had better be good! That’s why we seek out the best rides and adventures from riders all over the world. Each story brings something new and exciting. Take the current Bicycle Quarterly: We take you bikerafting in Montenegro, a place few of us have thought about visiting. Martin Bissig’s photos capture the excitement of cycling and rafting in this beautiful and remote country.
When we publish race stories, they need to be about more than the play-by-play of how it went. So you won’t read about watts and attacks—that’s what online race reports are for—but about what it means to push our limits while cycling in places that are as beautiful as they are challenging.
During the 350 miles of last year’s Unbound XL, I realized that these ultra cycling events are some of the last adventures left. When I was growing up, I was fascinated by long-distance car races to far-away places, where drivers and navigators drove non-stop, day and night, over challenging roads. Those races are long-gone, but on our bikes, we can still experience the same thing.
Meanwhile, Hailey Moore raced the 200-mile Unbound and discovered the reason why she keeps coming back to this race: It is a riddle that has many solutions, and she is still trying to find the best one. She did ride her best Unbound last year, and her story is a great read.
From the earliest days, Bicycle Quarterly has been known for its ground-breaking technical articles and honest product reviews. In this edition, we test a protoype of the soon-to-be-released SON Ladelux headlight that features a high beam and allows charging electronics even at moderate speeds. We also test Campagnolo’s Super Record groupset and ask ourselves whether it’s a worthy successor of the components that defined cycling’s classic era.
Testing Enve’s climbing wheelset, we discover that lightweight wheels really do make the bike feel different—and faster. Why is this the case, when simple physics suggest that wheel weight doesn’t really make a big difference at constant speeds? We explore possible explanations and rediscover our love of road bikes in the process.
Readers have loved this edition—one wrote: “Your Unbound XL article was incredible.”—but all good things come to an end. We’re putting the final touches on the Summer Bicycle Quarterly, with many more great articles. There’ll just be one more mailing of the current edition—this Tuesday. If this post has piqued your interest, please subscribe now. You’ll get the current edition immediately, and then the new one as soon as it comes off the press.
Curious what’ll be in the Summer edition? You’ll have to wait another week until we’re ready to let you in on that. We promise it’ll be worth the wait.
