Autumn 2016 Bicycle Quarterly
The Autumn Bicycle Quarterly went to the printer today. It’s always a great sense of satisfaction to complete another issue.
A lot goes into each BQ: organizing trips and scheduling test bikes; photography on the road and in the studio; writing, editing, copy-editing and proofreading; photo selection and layout; color corrections to make the images jump off the page; and finally, checking and re-checking multiple sets of proofs. The last check will occur as the magazine comes off the printing presses.
It takes a hard-working team to do it. We are fortunate that almost everybody involved in Bicycle Quarterly is passionate about cycling…
Bicycle Quarterly continues to bring you the news you really want to read about: In France this summer, the famous Technical Trials were organized for the first time since 1949! It was exciting to be part of the jury at this event, where bicycles (and not riders) competed for the prize of the best “light randonneur bike”. Some of the bikes used tried-and-true solutions (above), but others featured suspension, disc brakes, and even a carbon frame with integrated fenders.
We bring you a full report from this great event, including on-the-road observations of the bikes as they were ridden over a very challenging course. We present two of the most amazing bikes – including the winning machine – in beautiful studio photos.
To complete our in-depth coverage of the Technical Trials, we tested one of the most surprising machines: The PechTregon combines its rack and fork into one lightweight unit.
The whole event was a truly great experience, because it was all about bike performance and reliability for real-world riding. Best of all, the Technical Trials will be organized in regular intervals, so builders can improve their bikes with each iteration.
The original Technical Trials were part of the mid-century cycling culture of France, when cyclotourists who used every opportunity to take the train to the mountains and go riding. Today, that lifestyle still exists in Japan. We join the cyclotourists of Tokyo and take you on three amazing autumn tours, each to a completely different destination.
Bicycle Quarterly is famous for its in-depth bike tests. The Autumn issue features the Litespeed T5g “gravel” bike. We’ve asked for bikes like this since the early days of Bicycle Quarterly: full-on racing bikes with extra clearance for wide tires. This leads to two questions: How good is the Litespeed on the rough? But also: How much of the “racing bike” remains – how fast is this “gravel bike” on smooth pavement?
To answer the first question, we took the Litespeed on the search for the “Lost Pass” in Cascade Mountains. You’ll read how the bike coped with a truly challenging ride. As so often during our adventures, the road started out smooth (photo), but it didn’t remain that way…
We also tested the Litespeed on pavement, because we know that many cyclists are wondering: If we go to wide tires, what are we giving up on smooth rides? Will we be able to keep up with our friends on fast Sunday morning rides that never stray from pavement?
For this issue, we tested whether wide and ultra-wide tires slow you down on steep climbs. By pitting the wide-tire machines against the fastest bike we’ve ever tested on our “reference” hillclimb, we find out!
Can you imagine importing high-end French Uragos to Detroit in the late 1930s? That was John Fletcher’s plan. Yet his friends remember him not for his business endeavors, but because he was a truly inspirational gentleman. His story, as well as that of his 1937 Urago, are told in a beautiful article. Evocative photos immerse you into a cycling culture that has almost been forgotten.
Back to the current day: Tom Moran takes you on a ride along the “Southern Tier” across the United States – in mid-winter. Tom is from Alaska, so he thought that the southern border of the U.S. would be warm and dry in winter. Not so – but that and other adventures led him to encounter strangers, whose kindness made his trip all the more memorable.
If you get caught in the rain unexpectedly, you need mudflaps for your fenders. In our “Project” article, we show you how to make them from materials you can find virtually anywhere.
Our “Skill” article shows you how to corner with confidence. How do you guide the bike in a smooth arc? And what do you do if you find yourself going too fast in mid-corner?
There is a lot more in the Autumn issue… We hope this short overview is enough to whet your appetite!
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