Bookmarks (35)

Tadej Pogačar is the undisputed star of pro cycling this year. After winning the Volta a Catalunya, Strade Bianche and Liège–Bastogne-Liège in dominant fashion, he’s the favorite for the Giro d’Italia that starts on Saturday. That may not come as a surprise if you are following pro cycling: Pogačar has been a rising star ever […]

On Saturday, Jenna Rinehart and Brennan Wertz won Elite women’s and men’s categories at the UCI Highlands Gravel Classic in Arkansas, which guarantees each a spot at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium. It was an exciting race over 68 miles (109 km) with more than 7,000 ft (2,100 m) of climbing, and we’re […]

Rene Herse TPU tubes are back in stock. The first production run sold out in less than 24 hours. We have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, we are happy that so many customers share our excitement about the new TPU tubes. On the other hand, we consider our products staples that should […]

We’re excited to announce a few new products in the Rene Herse program. For a while now, we’ve been working with Schmidt in Germany, the makers of SON generator hubs and Edelux headlights, to make a taillight that mounts in various places on a bike. The result is this taillight that mounts on a GoPro […]

More than half a century after the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, there has been much progress, and yet the world we live and ride in faces more challenges than ever before. At Rene Herse Cycles, we shy away from meaningless promises of becoming carbon-neutral at some point in the distant future. We […]

…and achieves P2 in the road race! A huge congratulations to our friend Brennan Wertz for two amazing races at the Sea Otter Classic. The big festival of bikes in Monterey, California, started with the 68-mile road race. Brennan raced his custom Mosaic RT-1 titanium bike, shod with tubeless Rene Herse 700×31 Orondo Grade Extralight […]

This year’s Paris-Roubaix was a gripping race. With 60 km to go, Mathieu van der Poel launched a crushing solo attack and won the race at the fastest-ever speed, averaging 47.8 km/h. (That’s almost 30 mph!) It was bike racing at its best. Van der Poel was one of the favorites, and he delivered for […]

To celebrate 85 years of Rene Herse Cycles, we’re introducing a new line of Rene Herse bags. The first model is the Ultralight Handlebar Bag, a minimalist bag that’s designed for long and challenging adventures. In recent months, eagle-eyed readers have spotted a new bag on my bikes—those were actually multiple iterations of prototypes for […]

The new Rene Herse TPU tubes are here. It’s still surprising to me how tiny and light these inner tubes are. There is much to like about them: Quantities are still limited—these are made in Germany in small batches, which takes time. More tubes are in production as we try to catch up with demand. […]

The same boat that brought the first of our 85th Anniversary Limited Edition tires also carried long-awaited shipments from Nitto, Honjo and Ostrich. Many customers have been patiently waiting for our handlebars, which had been out of stock due to high demand. As more riders embark on long-distance adventures, many turn to Rene Herse handlebars. […]

This year, we are celebrating 85 years of Rene Herse Cycles. In late 1938, René Herse built the world’s lightest bikepacking bike and entered it in the prestigious Concours de Machines, the competition for the best bicycle, to showcase the innovative components he had developed. Drawing on his experience of making parts for record-setting prototype […]

Now that the Nivex derailleurs have been in production for a while, Rene Herse is taking analog shifting to the next level with the Floating Chain. This system is lighter, has less resistance and costs far less than all derailleur systems available today. Jan Heine, head of R&D at Rene Herse Cycles, explained: “One-by drivetrains […]

We’re beyond excited to introduce the new Rene Herse TPU tubes. They take the performance of our tires to the next level. Why tubes? Tubeless is great for many applications—anytime you ride on debris-strewn highways, where the sealant will seal small punctures from glass and steel wires. Or during gravel races, where you’re riding in […]

Global Cycling Network (GCN) has been following Bicycle Quarterly and Rene Herse for a long time. Recently, they covered our Nivex derailleur in their Hot Tech review. Back in 2018, they talked about a “brand-new idea”: suspension losses due to vibrations of rider and bike. And they credited Bicycle Quarterly with discovering this. Fast-forward to 2024, and wide […]

Mid South has been called the opening weekend of gravel: It marks the real start of the season’s big races. And for good reason: The team in Stillwater puts on a festival like no other, and the red dirt of Oklahoma makes for great racing. Rene Herse has a long history at Mid South, ever […]

The reception of our new road tubeless Orondo Grade tires has been overwhelming. Riders love the speed, grip and road feel that Rene Herse tires are famous for, in a tubeless-ready tire for road bikes. In fact, demand has been so overwhelming that our first production run sold out quickly. We’ve now got more tires […]

One-by cranks are great when the going gets rough: There’s always another gear just a click away, and modern cassettes have a range that gets you up (and down) the steepest hills. They work great with 11- or 12-speed drivetrains: Few riders need 22 or even 24 gears. Many of those gears are overlapping anyhow. […]

Valley of Tears is a new gravel race, and the stars of gravel racing lined up last weekend in Turkey, Texas, as a prelude to next weekend’s Mid South. Ted King described the 115-mile (185 km) course: “The Texas panhandle is true Wild West, and the sand presented quite the challenge.” The event saw fast […]

Francesca (Fra) Selva has been racing on Rene Herse tires for years, on road and track. Her feedback is part of our R&D. Her spirit and the joy she gets from cycling inspire us all. We recently caught up with Fra as she prepares the 2024 season. RH: Our readers mostly know you from racing […]

If you are following bike racing and/or tech, you will have heard of Thomas De Gendt’s mysterious crash during Stage 5 of the UAE Tour in Abu Dhabi. Video footage shows the front wheel of the Belgian breakaway specialist jerking to the right before he falls. After the crash, De Gendt’s bike is leaning against the […]

An acquaintance once remarked: “Isn’t it funny that Rene Herse tires always score best in your tests?” There was a twinkle in their eye, and their voice made clear that this was a gentle ribbing and not an accusation, but it got me thinking… It’s easy to suspect foul play when we test our own […]

Congratulations, Brennan, for winning the 2024 Huffmaster Hopper. As part of the Grasshopper Adventure Series, the 88.8-mile (142.9 km) race is a traditional season opener in Northern California. There is a fierce, but friendly rivalry between local favorites Pete Stetina and Brennan Wertz. After winning the race in 2022 and coming third last year, Brennan […]

Some cyclists find it hard to believe that a small company from Seattle can make some of the best tires in the world. Surely the big names must have much greater resources. How can a couple of scientists compete with an army of technicians in white lab coats who have multi-million dollar test rigs at […]

The days of shortages in the bike industry are largely over—thankfully—but for small companies like Rene Herse Cycles there is still some catching up to do. Many of our products take a long time to make, with multiple steps, each done by a different supplier. That takes time. And sometimes, demand just is much greater […]

Rene Herse tires have won many awards over the years, starting with the bikepacking.com’s ‘Gear of the Year’ award and the Design and Innovation Award when the 29″ x 2.2″ Fleecer Ridge was first introduced. More recently, our 650B x 55 Umtanum Ridge won road.cc’s coveted ‘Recommended Tire 2022/2023’ award, and now the 700C x 55 […]

Every edition of Bicycle Quarterly brings you carefully curated stories that will surprise, delight and inspire. We cover many areas of cycling and refuse to be pigeonholed into one category, because the world of cycling is simply too great and exciting for that. As one reader recently put it: “It’s nice to see a publication that […]

Working in the bike industry is fun, because our world is populated by like-minded enthusiasts. Sure, there are always those who are looking for the latest ideas, so they can swoop in and copy whatever others have developed with love and sweat (and sometimes tears). That’s inevitable in today’s world… The true pioneers—and there are […]

Riding 1200 km (750 miles) almost non-stop is never going to be easy. That’s one reason Paris-Brest-Paris, the world’s oldest long-distance event, is held only every four years. There’s enough time in between to forget how hard it was, yet it’s short enough that we remember the lessons from the last PBP and can apply […]

Our new tubeless road tires have a lot of people excited—including the editors at Cycling Weekly, the world’s oldest bike magazine. Luke Friend penned the article. He mentioned the three casings—Standard, Extralight and Endurance—and he was especially impressed with the new tires’ longevity and light weight: Of course, the truth is that the extra tread […]

I love solo rides, especially on flat terrain. They have a different rhythm from rides with friends, and from mountainous courses. They invite meditation und contemplation. They are also a great time to test equipment and ideas. During our year-end trip to Japan, I discovered perhaps my favorite course for solo rides. Japan is a […]

A while ago, we mentioned our new road tubeless Orondo Grade 700C x 31 mm tires to our friends at Above Category Cycles, the famous pro shop in Sausalito, California, in an email. Almost immediately, we got a message back: “Have been waiting for that type of tire from you. Can we try them?” So we […]

The new Rene Herse 700C x 31 mm tubeless-specific Orondo Grade road tires are now available. As true road tires, the Orondo Grades are designed to handle high pressures of up to 90 psi (6.2 bar) whether you run them tubeless or with tubes—enough for heavy riders and those who like a firm feel to […]

Gravel riding isn’t really a big thing in Japan, because there are so many wonderful mountain roads, and almost all are paved. There is no need to head onto gravel just to get away from traffic and explore interesting places. And yet, there is a burgeoning gravel scene… It’s spearheaded by a few bike industry […]

The new year is off to a good start: We’ve just received a shipment from Europe, plus we’ve made use of the days between the year-end holidays to assemble more Nivex derailleurs. We’re excited to have Ted King’s favorite mirrors (above) back in stock, as well as the ultra-comfortable, fully rebuildable Berthoud saddles (and all […]

When we posted about the tires ridden by Sofiane and other top-ten finishers in the Tour Divide, Mark Rude contacted us and asked—maybe half in jest—whether we’d want to look at the tires of a heavier rider after a full season of gravel racing. Mark seemed surprised when we took him up on his offer, […]