It’s nice to report good news! The Rene Herse cantilever brakes are ready. The arms are forged, the bushings machined, the small parts manufactured. Pre-orders from our crowd-funding are shipping now. Since we assemble these brakes by hand—pressing in the bushings, installing the pads, assembling the straddle cable holders, etc.—it’s taking a little… read more

Two recent Bicycle Quarterly test bikes have made me think about the ‘One Bike’ question. Unless you are a collector, the idea of one bike for everything is appealing. For many, it’s a necessity, as budget or storage limitations don’t allow for more. For others, it’s a choice that simplifies their lives and… read more

Summary: Carefully controlled tests have shown that larger wheels don’t roll faster—neither on pavement, nor on gravel, nor on cobblestones. The concept of better ‘roll-over’ applies to solid wheels, but not to pneumatic tires that absorb road irregularities, rather than lifting bike-and-rider over them. Wheel size doesn’t really matter as long as the… read more