NEW Bicycle Quarterly 90

Bicycle Quarterly 90 is at the printer! Why make a print magazine when the Internet is filled with bicycle content? That’s a bit like asking “Why ride outside when Zwift lets you do it in the comfort of your home?” Both have their place…

Turning off our screens, making a cup of tea, and diving into a magazine is a different experience. No distractions, no flickering screen, no pop-ups—just the the story and us.

As editors and publishers, it’s our job to create a magazine that is worthy of your time and money. That’s why we work hard to unearth the best stories. We collaborate with award-winning photographers and spend countless hours tweaking exposure and lighting until the images are perfect. (Essentially, this replicates adjustments the human eye and brain make automatically.) We polish every word of the stories, and then we adjust the typesetting to make them pleasant to look at and easy to read. And when the magazine is finally coming off the press after months of work, we head to the printer to check that everything looks exactly as we envisioned it. A few adjustments here and there, and then the presses start humming to print the pages that you will soon hold in your hands. It’s fun to create content where everything is perfect, unlike online, where colors and text display differently depending on the size and type of your screen.

Enough about the process—what’s in the new Bicycle Quarterly? Natsuko reports on her new bike. Cycling remains a male-dominated sport, so it can be hard for women to find bikes that really work for them. And it’s even harder for women who are not-so-tall. Natsuko talks about those challenges and how she has resolved them. Finding a frame that fits is only the start: Shorter feet that have less leverage when it comes to unclipping from SPD pedals. Shorter fingers have less leverage to push shifters. If you look at hip and shoulder angles, you see why the width of handlebars and cranks (Q factor) are much more important for riders with shorter arms and legs.

Fortunately, the latest tech has resolved many of these issues, and Natsuko’s new OPEN WI.DE. is a perfectly proportioned bike for a rider who is 5′ 1.5″ (156 cm) tall. Natsuko tells the story how she created a bike that really works for her. You’ll find out why she runs road cranks and a mountain bike derailleur, rather than gravel components—and what it’s like to ride on 55 mm-wide knobbies, when her other bikes have much narrower and smoother tires.

We don’t test many bikes, so we can choose which ones we think are of the greatest interest to our readers. And then we leave no stone unturned to figure out how the perform and why.

The Salsa Flyway blurs the lines between gravel and mountain bikes, so we started our test by taking it on some of the most challenging off-road routes in the Cascade Mountains. It surprised us with its performance there, so we expanded the scope and asked: Can we envision this gravel bike, with 50 mm tires, a suspension fork and a dropper post, as our only bike? How does the Flyway handle spirited group rides on pavement? What about city limit sprints? Mountain bike trails? Is there really one bike that can do it all—without undue compromise? (Nobody likes losing city limit sprints because of their bike, rather than their legs!) And if there is one bike that can do it all, is the Flyway that bike?

The goal of our tests is to tell you everything you need to know about the bike, so you can decide if this the right bike for you. At the same time, we know that most readers are not in the market for a new bike, but they’re curious about what’s out there—and they love a good read. That’s why we take you right into the action with our photography. (No ‘bike leaning against fence’ in Bicycle Quarterly!)

Then we head to the photo studio… If bicycles are art, then it’s our job to show their beauty. And if you’re considering buying a bike, studio photos show details that you’d want to know about—before you spend your money on a bike that you’ll live with for years. And for the rest of us, beautiful photos add to the enjoyment of learning about a new bike.

‘A good read’ definitely applies to Meaghan Hackinen’s adventures during the Silk Road Mountain Race. What does it take to tackle the long-forgotten roads of Kyrgyzstan?

Meaghan won the race and became the first woman ever to complete all three ‘Mountain Races’ in a single year. Apart from her amazing fitness and strength, her secret was listening to her body and slowing down when required. That way, she could last the distance—and enjoy it. Meaghan’s incredible story and Stephen Sheleskey’s amazing photos make this an adventure you won’t forget.

Gregor Mahringer and his friend Erik weren’t racing for the win in the Basajaun, an Spanish ultra race named after a mythical creature that inhabits the forests of Basque Country. Gregor takes you into breathtaking landscapes and historic villages. He tells the story about riding as a team and giving it everything—and the satisfaction at the finish line after a job well done.

Not every ride needs to be an adventure. The Cezanne Cyclo Classic celebrates the spirit of cyclotouring. Bringing together riders from different backgrounds for a weekend of beautiful rides in Provence (France), there is only one rule: No carbon bikes. Organizer Gabriel Refait explains why that rule equalizes the playing field and emphasizes fun and friendship. (In case you wonder, Gabriel isn’t opposed to carbon bikes per se: The rule shifts the focus from watts and competition to the simple joy of exploring a picturesque landscape by bike.) These are just a few of the articles in Bicycle Quarterly 90.

As the pages are rolling off the presses, we’re finalizing the mailing lists for this edition. Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that the cover shows a higher price than in the past. Unfortunately, our printing and mailing costs have increased 25%… There is still time, though: Until the end of this week (May 31, 2026), you can subscribe or renew at the old price.

As always, we’ll charge you only once—Bicycle Quarterly subscriptions don’t auto-renew. We know how hard it is to keep track of subscriptions, and we don’t want to sell you anything you don’t need. When the time comes and your subscription expires, we’ll send a renewal notice. Then it’s up to you to decide whether you’ve enjoyed the contents and want to renew. (We are fortunate that most of our readers do…)

More Information:

• Click here to subscribe or renew, so you’ll get the new edition as soon as it comes off the press.