[$8] "Bike Quarterly" is the best bike magazine in print today.

So you should order a sample copy from me.

Then subscribe.

This is a great issue to see what the fuss is all about.

Jan Heine is the editor. The mag is printed on slick stock in black'n'white. It is scrupulously written and researched and every article is intended to make a serious contribution to bike culture.

His mag used to be called Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. "VBQ" had a nice ring to it. But Jan has always thought that quality from any era was relevant because of its relevance TODAY and NOW. Jan uses history to help his riding. But of course history is both young and old. He includes new and old bikes. Basically, his standard is quality and he uses the whole range to find it. Fascinatingly, he has found plenty of great results from using OLDER equipment. He often ends up using it as his benchmark as he tests new equipment. He welcomes the new stuff to beat the old stuff if it can.

And Jan walks the talk. He rides.

Furthermore, his stories and photos often have classic drama and beauty.

This issue represents something of a pinnacle as regards showing how new and old, and hype and substance, interact. If you don't know the story of Velocio you owe it to yourself to check out this issue. The L'Eroica report shows a fresh and different kind of ride to celebrate.

BQ is one of the main movers behind the return of VERSATILITY in bikes. The ideas of all-road bikes, country bike and dirt road riding are big here.

Jan is also the author of THE GOLDEN AGE OF HANDBUILT BICYCLES, which I sell here.

The idea is that a wonderfully-riding, lightweight bike can readily be made that has fenders, racks, lights and stowage and is great for a wide range of road surfaces. This idea is explored in a myriad of ways in BQ. But specialty bikes get some attention, too---but the versatile bike is always there as a standard.

He recently tested bike tires in a better way than has been done before and discovered that tires performed differently than was previously thought. A major contribution! Basically, it turns out that the quality of the casing seems to be the most important thing, but this is what has been abandoned by most tire-makers in recent years. Doh! Also, wide and soft tires of high quality can roll faster than supposed racing tires. He also did an article about online performance software and how it reveals that bike weight is perhaps the least important factor. I may not have this all right but his conclusions are surprising, at any rate. He welcomes riders (and bike companies) to do their own (realistic) tests to show that he's wrong.

The Sample Issue's Table of Contents

Vol. 5, No. 2 (Winter 2006)
1 V�locio vs. the Tour de France
4 Readers� Forum
6 Web Resources
7 Destinations: Il Vecchio Bicycles, Seattle, WA
8 L�Eroica: Ride of the Heroes
10 Project: Mounting Metal Fenders
12 That was my Cycling Baptism
14 1950 Ren� Herse Fixed-Gear Winter Training Bike
17 Book Review: �The Six-Day Bicycle Races� by Peter Nye
18 Book Review: �The Recumbent Bicycle� by Gunnar Fehlau
20 Book Review: �V�locio� by Raymond Henry
30 Optimizing Headlights with Generator Hubs
31 Headlight Placement for Optimizing Beam Length
33 Modifying an E6 Headlight for Upside-Down Mounting
34 Test: Kogswell Porteur/Randonneur � A Versatile Bike
38 Builders Speak: Tom Kellogg (Spectrum) on a Special Bike
41 Test: IRD �Defiant� Freewheels
42 Test: Brooks �Team Professional Titanium� Saddle
43 Test: Grand Bois �Cypr�s Green Label� Tires 650B and 700C
44 Test: Lightweight Rain Jackets from Patagonia and Gore Bike Wear
46 Randonneuring Basics, Part 4: Training for Long-Distance Events
45 Training Tools from Stopwatches to Coaches
46 Why Slow Riders Have to Work Harder than Fast Ones
50 My Favorite Bike: Will De Rosset�s Alex Singer Randonneur