BQ 62 (Winter 2017)

This edition is out of print.

We take an unrestored 70-year-old René Herse tandem on a challenging tour of the Alps. Even further off the beaten path, Gerolf Meyer and three friends ride their bikes across the Balkans, where they encounter grandiose landscapes, plenty of gravel, and fascinating cultures.

Adventure bikes are one of the biggest trends in bicycles. What happens when you increase the tire size beyond what fits into a road frame? To find out, we ride the Rawland Ulv, a randonneur bike designed for 80 mm tires, and Seattle’s 333fab AirLandSea, billed as ‘one bike to do it all.’

Shimano has grown from humble beginnings to dominate the bicycle component market. We visit the company’s headquarters for an inside look at the company. Our journey takes us not only to the beginning of Japan’s cycling industry, but to the roots of Japanese metalworking.

Shimano’s famous ‘7400’ Dura-Ace looked like the group that Campagnolo should have made to replace its famous Super Record. We research the story of these iconic components and learn that this is closer to the truth than we imagined.

We test different wheel sizes. Does the handling remain the same as long as we keep the outer diameter of the wheels (and thus the front-end geometry) the same? Or are there other factors to consider?

Jan rides the superlight J. P. Weigle from the Concours de Machines across the Southern Alps of Japan. His plan is simple: Take the first train from Tokyo to one side of the mountain range, then catch the last train on the other side. In between are four big mountain passes that reach high into the clouds. Failure means sleeping on a bench outside the station in the cold night…