With the 1200 km (760 mile) Paris-Brest-Paris ride coming up, we looked at the history of a very special tandem. René Herse #201 had an illustrious competition history, including setting the fastest time in PBP 1956, winning the hillclimb races of the Poly de Chanteloup and Poly Lyon, and setting a record in the 100 km (64-mile) time trial, averaging 27 mph.

We trace the history of this bike with many historic photos, and report on its challenging restoration from a complete wreck.

We test the Ellis Randonneur that won "Best Frame" at the 2011 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Does its ride impress as much as its appearance?

Go to our Bike Test page for a profile view of the bike.

Collecting roads? We explain why we seek out the experience of riding on different backroads:

"Roads are framed by the landscape they traverse. A canopy of trees is perhaps the most beautiful frame for a road. Not only does it provide a nice tapestry of colors and shapes, but it also shelters the cyclist from the glare of the sun and from the wind. The sun filters through the trees, revealing patterns of light and shade on the road surface."

We explain how we test bikes, and show you how to measure a bike's geometry with simple, yet accurate tools.

Do larger wheels roll faster over bumps than smaller ones?

Bicycle Quarterly did the first carefully controlled study by measuring power output with three popular wheel sizes: 700C, 650B and 26".

Peter Weigle explains in our Builders Speak series how he shaves the tread off tires to improve their performance.

We experiment with a bike that shimmies, and see whether tire width, tire pressure, load placement, headset adjustment and other factors affect the shimmy.

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As always, there are Product Tests, News, "My Favorite Bike" and much, much more in the new issue of Bicycle Quarterly.

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Also new or updated:

• Bicycle Quarterly's blog.

• List of all bikes tested by Bicycle Quarterly.

• Image Archive with color photos of bicycles featured in Bicycle Quarterly.

• Glossary of many terms and names found in Bicycle Quarterly.

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

• Bike test sample article now available online (pdf file, 600 kB).