The Radavist

If you’re one of the people patiently waiting for a model René Herse tires to land in stock, today is your lucky day. This morning the Seattle-based tire manufacturer just received a shipment of their most popular rubber including the 650B x 55 Umtanum Ridge, 700C x 35 Bon Jon Pass, the 26″ x 2.3″ Rat Trap Pass, and more. Head on over to René Herse to see the full stock availability.

Earlier this year, Lael and Jan set out to FKT on the Oregon Outback. Things didn’t work out for Jan on that run, so he returned before the season ended and it worked out in his favor:

Jan set a new FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the epic Oregon Outback course. Riding unsupported and alone, he covered the 585 km (363 miles) of rough gravel (and some pavement) in 26:13 hours, taking more than an hour off the previous best. Jan averaged 13.8 mph (22.3 km/h) – stops included. It was a beautiful ride, traversing some of the country’s most spectacular scenery. It was also a great test for the concept of the all-road bike – a bike that can travel on rough gravel with road bike speed and road bike fun. Jan was riding a custom-built Rene Herse steel bike, equipped with 26” x 2.3” Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass Extralight tires. Flexible fork blades helped with comfort and speed on the notoriously rough surfaces of the Oregon Outback. Wind tunnel-tested aero fenders helped tackle the infamous winds on the approach to the Columbia Gorge. Jan observed at the finish: “The gravel roads of eastern Oregon will always be rough, but this is as good as it gets. It was fun!”

A full track of the FKT ride is at Trackleaders.

The long-awaited 27.5″ x 2.2″ plump and knobby Umtanum Ridge TC Tire is now in stock at René Herse. Ever since Rene Herse Cycles has worked with Lael Wilcox to develop the 29″ / 700C Fleecer Ridge dual-purpose knobbies, they’ve been deluged with requests for 26″ and 650B versions with the same noise-cancelling tread pattern. They launched the 26″ Humptulips Ridge late last year. Now they are introducing the 650B / 27.5″ version, the Umtanum Ridge.

Pick up a pair now in Standard, Extralight, Endurance, and Endurance Plus casings at René Herse.

“Why would anyone make custom derailleurs when modern electronic shifting works extremely well? It’s a bit like driving a car with manual transmission even though the latest automatics are very sophisticated. It’s about being involved in the operation of my bike, rather than just pushing a button. There’s a joy in feeling the gears engage perfectly because I – and not a computer – timed the shift perfectly.”

Head on over to the René Herse blog to read all about Jan’s PBP bike and for some tech insight into rear derailleurs!

Our good friend Rue was recently featured in a mini-docu put together by René Herse Cycles. Give this one a watch for a great profile on an extraordinary documentary photographer!

To commemorate Jan’s new book “The All-Road Bike Revolution“, Path Less Pedaled went live with him yesterday to discuss all things all-road. Don’t miss this one!

Finally, a knobby 26″ tire from René Herse. The Humptulips tires are named after a ridge on the southern edge of the remote Olympic Mountains, home to a spectacular gravel loop. These tires are 2.3″ wide, come in three casings, in black or tanwall. Head to René Herse for more information.

Got an older 26″ MTB frame and want some tires that are a little sprier? Check out Rene Herse Cycles’ latest dual-purpose knobby tire, the Humptulips Ridge 26″ x 2.3″, named after a remote ridge in the Olympic Mountains that offers some of the best riding in the PNW. Like most Rene Herse tires, the Humptulips Ridge is available with three casings, so riders can choose performance and durability to suit their needs: supple Standard (560 g; $ 74), ultra-fast Extralight (530 g; $ 89), and extra-tough Endurance (560 g; $ 89).

Check out more at René Herse.

Rene Herse knows many people enjoy the simplicity of a 1x setup and they also know that square taper bottom brackets allow for fine chainline adjustment, something modern 1x cranks do not offer. These are the reasons for their new 1x cranks. A 113mm BB will give you the same chainline as modern road cranks. If you need extra room because your bike has very wide chainstays, go to a 116 mm spindle, or even wider, all the way to 126 mm. These options will keep your chainline happy and minimize wear and tear on your components.

It doesn’t stop there. These cranks come in a dedicated 1x setup or cranks that can run a 2x or 3x rings as well.

See all the info at René Herse.

At just 25 g, this musette packs away small enough and light enough to only matter when you need it. Unlike the cotton bags you’d get as handouts at bike races, these musettes are made from ultra-strong Silnylon. They’re big enough to haul a dinner’s worth of groceries, water bottles, or pastries for a picnic. The musette bag packs so small that you can bring it on every ride. You won’t even notice it in your jersey pocket or strapped to your saddle bag.

Weight: 25g
Size: 11” x 13”
Price: $19

In stock now at René Herse.

The second collaboration between René Herse tires and Lael Wilcox has hit the stock shelves. The Oracle Ridge is road-centric knobby and a dirt-ready road tire, it’s up to you to decide. At 48 mm wide, the Oracle Ridge is between a gravel race tire (38 mm) and mountain bike volume (55 mm). If your gravel bike just barely won’t fit a 55mm tire, chances are it’ll fit a 48mm. There are three casings available now at René Herse.

The Standard casing is a more affordable option that also offers extra protection against sidewall cuts on sharp rocks. The Extralight casing takes the performance, comfort and feel of your bike to an entirely new level. The Endurance casing is reinforced for extra sidewall protection and puncture resistance, while retaining most of the speed and comfort for which Rene Herse tires are famous. See more at René Herse.

Photos by Rugile Kaladyte

When Rene Herse Cycles decided to develop a tire specifically for bikepacking and ultra-endurance racing, they asked Lael Wilcox what she wants in a tire. Lael has raced many ultra-endurance events, including the Tour Divide and Silk Road Mountain Race. She provided Rene Herse Cycles with heaps of feedback and they’re now introducing the result of this collaboration, the Fleecer Ridge 29″ x 2.2″ (or 700C x 55 mm), named after Lael’s favorite climb on the Tour Divide.

The Fleecer Ridge is a true all-rounder. Large knobs with generous space in between provide superb traction on loose and soft surfaces, while the knobs are spaced to put more rubber on the road as the tire leans into corners during paved descents into town to resupply.

The Fleecer Ridge offers a choice of the four Rene Herse casings:
-Standard combines comfort and speed at an affordable price.
-Extralight is our most supple casing for ultimate speed.
-Endurance uses the same ultra-fine threads with extra protection against punctures and cuts.
-Endurance Plus is one of the toughest performance tires available today.

Available in mid-May 2020 from good bike shops and directly from Rene Herse Cycles.

With everyone being forced indoors, I’ve noticed a lot of traffic going to our older articles, as far back as 2010! I’m sure we’re not alone over here when I say people seem hungry to read about bikes and rides. For this very reason, Bicycle Quarterly has offered up a killer deal. Buy 8 past issues for $50. Head on over to Bicycle Quarterly to see all the details.

The thing I love seeing is a modern road or ‘cross drivetrain with vintage-inspired or straight-up vintage silver cranks. If you’ve wanted to mix up your SRAM or Shimano built bike with something classier than the supplied cranks – which are designed to look good with carbon bikes, not steel frames, IMO – then check out this tidbit of information Jan from Rene Herse just announced.

In designing the Rene Herse chainrings, they anticipated the arrival of 12-speed, so the ramping design on these rings and the ring’s teeth width themselves have been engineered and now confirmed to work with 12-speed systems. I’m not talking “shift and it’ll eventually drop, ‘work'” I mean shift and it’ll smoothly engage.

Read more over at the Rene Herse blog.

-Low Q factor (142 mm for a double)
-Weight (598 g)
-High strength – pass the highest ‘EN Racing Bike’ test for fatigue resistance
-Available as single, double and triple, even for tandems
-Three lengths from 165 to 177 mm, each based on a dedicated forging
-Chainring choices from 52 to 24 teeth
-No worries about spare parts in the future

Honjo, the company that makes Rene Herse fenders in Japan, has improved their process for making black fenders. Prior to this improvement, the black coating would scratch easily, marring the finish but with these recent improvements, Rene Herse is now offering their full fender lineup in black. This includes the fluted, hammered, and smooth finishes. Head to Rene Herse to see their full offerings.

For those wishing to sacrifice a bit of that plush and supple ride quality for more flat resistance, René Herse just made another product announcement. To follow up with their Juniper Ridge Endurance Casing tires, René Herse just announced their 700x44mm Snoqualmie Pass tire, an all-road slick, now comes in a more resilient casing as well. Also available in an Endurance casing is the 700x42mm Hurricane Ridge that were ridden to 8th place in this year’s Dirty Kanza by Ted King. The knobbies are 2mm narrower to allow for mud clearance.

See more at René Herse.