We All Share a Passion for Cycling
Cycling, in all its many facets, is a beautiful activity. The feeling of rolling on two wheels evokes so much passion that it often becomes part of our identity: “I am a cyclist!” In today’s divided world, it’s almost inevitable that we then split into groups that sometimes define themselves by what they are not. Of course, that’s an old marketing ploy: Form allegiance to a group or brand by creating an adversary: ‘Roadie’ became a term only after mountain bikes came onto the scene. ‘Unracers’ aren’t just riding their bikes, they are actively not racing. ‘Alt-Cyclists’ define themselves by rejecting the status quo. There are even products for ‘slow cyclists’—which implies that speed is a defining factor of our identify as cyclists. Those of us who don’t care about speed wouldn’t call ourselves ‘slow’—or ‘fast,’ for that matter. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these labels—as long as they don’t define us.
What’s important is that we all share a passion for cycling. Whatever our speed or type of bike, we all enjoy riding our bikes. We enjoy the landscapes we traverse on our rides. We can all agree with Ernest Hemingway’s sentiment: “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are.”
Here at Rene Herse Cycles, we’ve never believed in pidgeonholing cyclists. Perhaps that’s because we don’t fit neatly into any categories. Do we like classic cyclotouring bikes (above) or modern carbon gravel bikes (below)? Both are fun! Ride fast or slow? It depends—I love pushing myself, Natsuko often prefers not to sweat when she’s riding her bike. When we ride together, we adapt one style or the other, and all are equally fun.
We also love the delicious smoothness of pavement and the liberating feel of gravel. Silver components looks great on a classic steel bike. Black fits perfectly with modern carbon bikes. A cyclotouring bike is more versatile with fenders, but if we’re heading out for a two-hour spin on a dry day, we don’t need fender eyelets on our bikes. There’s no right or wrong.
We celebrate that idea with the components we make. We refuse to call our fastest tires ‘Race,’ because extra-light and ultra-supple tires make every bike more fun, no matter the speed. We make square-taper cranks, but also 31.8 mm handlebars that fit into modern carbon stems. In fact, on our own bikes, we ride what works best, not necessarily what we’re making. (As a rule, we only make what we can’t find from other makers, so there’s no need to make a disc brake when others offer really good ones already.)
That philosophy extends to our magazine. Bicycle Quarterly has always been about the passion of cycling in all its forms. I was reminded of that as we’re putting the final touches on the 91st edition of the magazine.
There’s Becca Books story about Gravel Burn, the stage race in South Africa. What was it like to line up with professional gravel racers for Becca, who balances her racing and training with a demanding job as an architect?
Gabriel Refait’s report from Fenderfest in Germany doesn’t talk about speed or results—this event is about enjoying beautiful landscapes and equally beautiful bikes. Editing these stories, I noticed that both Becca and Gabriel talk about the sense of community at these two events. Shared experiences bring us together as humans. That’s the important message.
Bicycle Quarterly’s bike tests reflect that attitude, too. We test classic steel and the latest carbon, always asking only one question: How does it ride? In the upcoming issue, we test two carbon bikes, but they couldn’t be more different: The Ritchey Septimer (above) is a carbon bike for riders who love classic bikes—round frame tubes and curved fork blades! The new OPEN UPPER 2.0 is at the cutting edge of technology—all aero and light weight. Spoiler alert: Both bikes are superb, and both are great fun to ride at any speed.
Recently, people all over the world have started to reject the things that divide us. As cyclists, we can lead by example. We can all agree: Bikes are fun, and great bikes are even more fun. We all share a passion, and that’s something to celebrate!
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