BQ 25 (Autumn 2008)

Vol. 7, No. 1

Japan Special

The first time we looked at the Japanese cycling culture, starting with an interview of the builders at TOEI, the famous constructeur. Find out how they design their bikes and which builders inspired their work. Ikuo Tsuchiya of I’s Bicycle talks about a very special Grand Bois bike in the Builders Speak article. We feature the first-ever René Herse bicycle that was imported to Japan, the bike that started the Japanese love for the French constructeurs. Kurt Nordback takes you on a four-day bicycle tour of Japan.

Mark Vande Kamp tests Jan’s Grand Bois Urban Bike and its Jack Taylor (Goëland) trailer, while Jan tests a Rebolledo Randonneur. We also bring you a review of the first LED headlights and conclude that halogen lights now are obsolete. We also describe how you can test your bike’s aerodynamics by coasting downhill next to a reference rider.