When we started Compass Bicycles, we dreamed of a new centerpull brake. We started developing and testing right away, but it has taken a few years for that work is coming to fruition. We just received the first production samples! The new Compass brakes will be in stock in...
It's been five years since Compass Bicycles started selling SKF bottom brackets, and three years since we became the world's exclusive distributor. At that point, we extended the warranty to 10 years, since we had great confidence in the quality of these bottom brackets. They have patented labyrinth seals,...
It's rare that I fall completely in love with a product, but it happened with the Nitto bottle cages. Ever since I began cycling seriously, I have been looking for the perfect bottle cages. In the late 1980s, almost everybody used the aluminum TA bottle cages. They were lightweight,...
Sometimes we get an e-mail or a phone call from a customer asking, "I bought the Compass 32 mm tires, but they only measure 28.5 mm on my rims. Why is this?" Decades ago, some tire makers cheated when stating tire widths. Why? To make their tires appear lighter than...
Improving your tires can make the biggest impact in the speed of your bike (apart from changing the motor!). The difference is especially pronounced for slower riders, whose wind resistance is less than that of faster riders. Most cyclists know that supple tires make you faster on your bike. But...
It may be popular to talk about "no-compromise" products, but the reality is that the best products involve a careful balance of features and properties. Take our new Compass tires... We could have made them lighter! The only place to remove material is in the middle of the tread. We...
As we get the first feedback from riders about our new Compass tires, it's nice to hear that others enjoy them as much as we do. Here are a few samples of unsolicited feedback: "I used the new Barlow Pass tyres on a route that included miles of rough railway...
When building my René Herse randonneur bike, I was unable to find a taillight that combined the functions I needed along with a classic appearance. I ended up making my own taillight. Now this light is available from Compass Bicycles Ltd. I wanted a generator-powered taillight that matched the appearance...
Our René Herse cranks come with classic 15 mm crank bolts. They are beautiful and easy to tighten. However, it can be hard to find a matching 15 mm wrench. Most wrenches have walls that are too thick to fit inside the...
How wide a tire is too wide for optimum performance? Our research shows that wider tires don't give up anything on smooth roads, and gain a significant advantage on rough roads. This has been shown for tires up to 31 mm wide. It's now a well-established fact...
We just got our first shipment of the new Schmidt Edelux II headlights. The Edelux II and the B&M IQ Cyo Premium really have raised the bar in headlight design. Their wide, even beams make night riding at any speed even more pleasant. At the same...
It's not often that we get excited about new technology around here. Whether it's 11-speed cassettes or 31.8 mm-diameter handlebars, we often fail to see the need to improve upon what works perfectly well. So when Busch & Müller announced new LED headlights, we wondered how much better than...
Current LED headlights are amazing. Both the Schmidt Edelux and the B&M IQ Cyo provide a bright, even beam that puts the light on the road where you need it, without blinding oncoming traffic. When they came out a few years ago, these lights truly were a quantum leap,...
Many cyclists are tempted by the performance and comfort of supple tires, but they are afraid that they might get too many flats without puncture-resistant belts and reinforced sidewalls. Tire Wipers improve the flat resistance of your tires without detracting from their comfort and performance. Few foreign objects are so...
On my own bikes, I use Gilles Berthoud handlebar bags without side pockets. The side pockets tend to get in the way of my hands when I ride bikes with narrow handlebars. Furthermore, the pockets probably increase the wind resistance of the bike (although the bag alone acts as...
The beginning of the season is a good time to check our bikes carefully. The last thing we need the evening before a ride is to find out that our chainrings are too worn to work with a new chain, or that our bottom bracket is about to pack...
Many wonderful bikes have been made in France in past decades. Not just the great machines from small constructeurs like René Herse and Alex Singer (above), but also more common bikes like the Peugeot PX-10, the nicer Gitanes and many others. High-end French bikes often used relatively lightweight tubing...
Triple cranks are a good choice for some riders. The most common shifting system for triple cranks, Shimano's STI, only works with Shimano chainrings. Unfortunately, Shimano's chainring combinations are of limited use to most riders. If you want to customize your chainring sizes, you will have to use downtube...
Many cyclists want to ride on wider tires, but are limited by the clearances of their bikes. So they want to use the widest tires their bike can fit. How do you determine your bike's maximum tire width? You need a set of calipers (below). If you don't have any,...
Few taillights available today complement the aesthetics of a classic randonneur bike, where you want to see finely detailed components, typically in metal. Most modern lights are chunky black plastic, but one succeeds in being more understated: Busch & Müller's Seculite Plus (above). So Compass Bicycles decided to sell...
At this time of year, we plan our rides for the summer. There are so many places we want to explore! We pore over roads and look at event calendars. And we think about changes to our bikes. Some of the changes are intended to make our bikes better...
We often extol the virtues of aluminum fenders over plastic ones: They keep rider and bike drier and cleaner, they last longer, they don't make noise on rough roads, and they are lighter. (I also think they look better.) Metal fenders' major disadvantage is that they...
When we designed the new René Herse cranks, our goal was to create a crank that was as reliable and safe as any on the market. After all, we ride these cranks ourselves. We are especially proud that these cranks pass the stringent EN standards for racing bikes (EN...
Replacing a square taper bottom brackets can seem a bit daunting. What threading do I need? How long should the spindle be? Which taper? It's really quite simple, and here is how to figure it out.ThreadingThe bottom bracket screws into your frame. If your frame was made...
Question from a potential customer: "If I purchase a Rene Herse crankset with its non-standard bolt-circle diameter, what guarantee do I have that Compass Bicycles will continue production of the chainrings for 5, 10 or 15 years?" Compass Bicycles makes products that we expect to last for decades....
When "Schmidt's Originaler Nabendynamo" (SON) was introduced more than a decade ago, the choice was easy: There was only one model. Today, Schmidt offers three models of their revolutionary generator hubs. Here is what distinguishes them: SON Delux: Weight: 386 g. Lightest generator hub available today. Least resistance...
I moved from Texas to Seattle 20 years ago and continued to ride and train year-round. At first, I refused to use fenders. I did not want to spoil the beautiful lines of my racing bike. After one miserably wet winter, I gave in. Like most of my teammates,...
When we received another shipment of Rene Herse cranks recently, we built up and filled our pre-orders first. Some are shown above. All the cranks shown have different setups, except two. (Can you spot the two identical ones?)There are a dozen different chainring combinations in the photo above, yet they...
Berthoud handlebar bags are among the few things in this world that are so well-designed and have proven themselves for so long that they have become unimprovable. These bags first were introduced by Sologne in the 1950s, and they have been made almost unchanged ever since. Handlebar bags have...
We just received a new shipment of René Herse cranks. In addition to the double and triple cranks, this production run includes the single-speed cranks (shown above). We also have all chainring sizes in stock (except 50 teeth, which are due to arrive in Seattle in a few days).
What size handlebar bag is best for you and your bike? Basically, the bag should fill the space between the front rack and the stem. To optimize the bike's handling, the bag should be as low as possible, and well-supported on a rack just above the front wheel/fender. At...
Sometimes we get a call or an e-mail from a frustrated customer: "I have a brand-new set of your tires, and both wobble when I mount them on my rims." In most cases, it is not the tires' fault. Usually the problem stems from the difficulty of mounting tires...
At Compass Bicycles, we tend to be a bit obsessive when it comes to our bicycles. "Good enough" usually is not good enough when we're out on our bikes, and we apply the same exacting thoroughness to the components we sell. Take the Honjo fenders as an example: When you...
At Compass Bicycles, we are not obsessive gram counters, but none of us want to carry extra weight on our bikes. A few grams here and there add up quickly to a couple of pounds, and that can make a difference not only in how the bike performs, but...
Should one grease the tapers of bottom bracket spindles before installing the cranks? Few topics spur as much controversy among bike mechanics as this question. In the old days, Campagnolo not only recommended mounting the cranks dry, they even suggested degreasing the tapers. The concern was that grease might facilitate...
Spring is here at last, and so this weekend we took the fenders off our car. While we were at it, we also removed the lights. We don't use the car much in the rain or after dark, and we like the extra performance and uncluttered appearance of a...
Before I explain how to connect your light to a SON generator hub, I'd like to summarize the advantages of quality generator-powered lights. They simply allow you to ride more safely and enjoyably: Light when you need it, at the turn of a switch. No worries about batteries running...
Customers who pre-ordered their René Herse cranks before February 1 should receive a box in the next few days. Inside... ...is the new René Herse crank. It is delivered with our custom crank bolts and pedal washers. We are ramping up production slowly to ensure the cranks are made...
We now have braze-on pivots for centerpull brakes in stock. Small parts like these are easily overlooked. They aren't exciting, and there is little profit in them. But when you need them, you appreciate them. Centerpull brakes have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. With brazed-on pivots, they...
Few bicycle headlights are actually waterproof. The Planet Bike headlight in our test wicked water past the headlight lens, and the standlight function stopped working. Busch & Müller's lights are open at the bottom, so moisture can drain out. This means that you should not mount them in an...
Since we have published a post about "The Dangers of Narrow Tires," it is only fair that we look at the other side of the coin. What are the disadvantages (or even dangers?) of wider tires? I can think of a few: - Weight: A wider tire and a...
I am excited about the new Wide-Body SON Delux generator hub. It allows you to enjoy a super-strong wheel, yet roll along with the less resistance than other generator hubs. It is available now in limited quantities with 32 or 36 holes. When Schmidt Maschinenbau developed...
When I knew Ernest Cuska, the long-time owner of Cycles Alex Singer, he did not have bottle cages on his bikes. After riding with him a few times, I realized why: He did not drink anything while riding. Imagine my surprise when I looked at old photos of him...
Net-Shape Forging The new René Herse cranks will be offered in one length only, 171 mm, which allows us to have the cranks forged to their final shape. (The photo above shows the raw forging.) The process is called "net-shape forging." The grain structure of the aluminum is aligned during...
Compass Bicycles has added SON generator hubs and Edelux lights to our program. We are excited to carry the best bicycle lighting systems ever made. A few years ago, a reporter asked me what I considered the most important innovation in bicycles during the last half-century. After thinking about the...
During the development of our new René Herse cranks over the last two years, I have been thinking a lot about crank design. Modern cranks are an interesting story of standards that evolved until nobody remembers why they were adopted in the first place. Here are a few questions...
It is unfortunate that most "road" and even "hybrid" bikes are sold with tires so narrow that you cannot cross streetcar tracks at an oblique angle without risking a fall. The Seattle Times reported recently about a rail line that crosses a city street not far...
In our original announcement of the new René Herse cranks, we wrote that they were lighter than Campagnolo Record Carbon cranks. A few readers asked us to substantiate this. We weighed the cranks on Bicycle Quarterly's precision scale (above). We don't have the final chainrings for...
When we presented the new René Herse cranks last week, a number of people wondered whether they would be strong enough. After all, most cranks have four or five spider arms, whereas the Herse cranks use only three. And what about the small bolt-circle diameter? Does it support the...
Every cyclist knows the sensation: You ride along, feeling at one with your bike and the world. Suddenly you notice your tire going soft, often accompanied by a hissing sound. Like Icarus, who flew too high and got singed by the sun, your euphoria is dashed as you come...
Compass Bicycles is proud to be the sole distributor of SKF bottom brackets world-wide. Svenska Kugellagerfabriken (SKF) has been the leader in bearing technology since 1907. Today, SKF is the largest bearing manufacturer in the world, and their bearings are used in Formula 1 racecars...
A few people have asked about handlebar width in our handlebar discussion. Compass handlebars come in widths between 40 and 46 cm, which may appear narrow by some standards. Many riders, even very tall ones, prefer relatively narrow handlebars. Above is my friend Ryan, who is...
Hand numbness can spoil the most wonderful long distance ride. A cyclist's hands can get numb from vibration and pressure. The first step is to eliminate as much vibration as possible near the source (road surface). Supple, wide tires, run at moderate pressures, are key. Flexible fork blades and suspension...
Emergency Roadside Repair in 3 Easy Steps Materials required: • wooden stick • steel strap • big rock • 5 mm Allen wrench (optional) Time required: 25 minutes. On a spring-time ride in the Cascades, we took a side road from Sultan to Gold Bar in the Skykomish River Valley. Our destination was Index, and we...
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