Bicycle Quarterly 78

No. 78
Winter 2021

Mauna Kea

Test: Mason InSearchOf

BQ Un-Meeting

French Gravel

Oregon Outback

How to Wrap Leather Bar Tape

Another un-missable BQ, starting with the cover story: Donalrey Nieva and Karen Yung climb Mauna Kea. With Donalrey’s stunning photos, this feature will make you want to head to Hawai’i and ride to its highest point yourself.

Closer to home, we ride the Mason InSearchOf, an adventure bike that, according to its maker, is “in the #FastFar, #ContinentCrushing vein, but with steeper, rougher and deeper terrain well within its capabilities.” To test all aspects of the Mason, we venture out of our usual comfort zone onto some true mountain bike singletrack – and have a lot of fun.

We bring you the story of three great rides on three continents: The BQ Un-Meeting was in California this year and saw a great group of riders, including the ‘Queen of the Wombats,’ mountain bike pioneer Jacquie Phelan (center). Adem Rudin tells the story and shares his photos. In Japan, we headed to the mountains to attend the 60th anniversary ride of the Alps Cycle Friends and marvel at some beautiful passhunters and cyclotouring bikes. Nicolas Joly takes us to the center of France. Sparsely populated, this region is home to 100s of (extinct) volcanos, 10,000s of cows, and an equally impressive mileage of gravel roads. Nicolas’ friends from the local bike maker Victoire charted a two-day trip that will make you dream of heading to France.

We’ve updated our recommendations on how to find the right tire pressure. There are now two curves, since our tests show that there are two pressures that optimize rolling resistance. Which one you choose depends on the road surface and your personal preference. We also look at front/rear pressure, carrying loads and everything else you always wanted to know about tire pressure.

Our projects show you the secrets of wrapping leather handlebar tape and – for advanced home mechanics – how to route lighting wires through your frame and rack.