BQ 44 (Summer 2013)

The Summer 2013 Bicycle Quarterly features cycling in Mexico, at the intersection of tradition and fashion. A fascinating variety of bicycles and tricycles carries anything from construction materials to mobile food stands. In Mexico City, these utilitarian cyclists mingle with young urbanites who have taken up cycling as Mexico City reinvents itself as a livable metropolis for the 21st century.

André Marcadier started his career making innovative, superlight bicycles. When bicycles fell from favor in France, he used the techniques he had developed to make amazingly lightweight sports and race cars. Later in life, he returned to bicycles. We visited this remarkable man in Lyon and bring you the full story. To complement the feature on Marcadier, we show you a 1950s aluminum bike in a full studio protrait, with many beautiful and innovative details.

How do rims work? Why do some tires wobble on some rims? And how to you install tires on “tubeless-ready” rims? Find the answers in this well-illustrated article. We also show you an innovative rim from the 1940s, which guaranteed that tires were easy to mount, yet ran true without wobbles.

Volagi is a new bicycle brand geared toward long-distance riders. They offer models in carbon (left) and steel (below). We test both to find out how they perform on the road. We also test the new Shimano CX75 “Road” disc brakes.

We look at alternative shifting systems: Hub gears appeal because they are almost maintenance-free, but are they a good choice for a performance bike? And what are the pros and cons for bar-end and downtube shifters? Find out how they perform on the road, and which system is more appropriate for which rider.