Pictures of this can be found in the rene herse bookrebour drawings. The golden age of bicycle book writing starostneradost. Rene herse book by jan heine arrived at work today. The magazine is published by bicycle quarterly press and edited by jan heine, of seattle, washington in the united states. After 15 years and more than 30,000 copies, the golden age of handbuilt bicycles is now out of print.
A few copies remain available at rene herse cycles. It is a big beautiful book with literally hundreds of wonderful photographs. A rene herse that sits in my shop has the front rack bolted to the sides of the fork crown. It is apparent that some of the early bicycles bearing the name rene herse, perhaps from 1940, were frames not made by rene herse but rather refurbished by him. The golden age of handbuilt bicycles is a celebration of the design history and craftsmanship behind this simple but efficient twowheeled vehicle. Geometry the first thing i discussed with my builder, tony pereira, was the geometry of my first custom made bicycle. Much of the information and photos contained in the book came from riders of rene herse bicycles. May 19, 20 i have been ogling jan heine s compass bicycles rene herse cranks since they made their entrance in early 2012.
Inside this exuberant tome, i expected to find an extensive collection of historical photographs, tied together with snippets of text in a tasteful. Jan heine just released his new bike book, which was a huge labor of love. The bikes, the builder, the riders and the text was written by jan heine. Id imagine it was even more difficult to find back then. One merely needed to unhook the rear brake cable, loosen the quick releases on the top tube and down tube, and the bike could be broken down. It was in the early 90s, i was working on my phd at the university of washington. I have been ogling jan heines compass bicycles rene herse cranks since they made their entrance in early 2012. Too bad they werent making decaleurs while those photos were being taken. Thanks to jan heine, author of rene herse the bikes, the builder, the riders photo, left, i can tell you that the neatly stamped 42 75 on the frame and fork of this 57cm rene herse randonneuse painted in bleu fonce means that it was the 42nd frameset built in 1975.
The bikes, the builder, the riders jan heine, lyli herse on. Well, maybe not a reproduction, it might be better to say he is putting them back into production. We follow rene herse starting with his early work on prototype aircraft. Rene herse was working very hard, but most of all, he just loved beautiful bicycles. Notre dame is km 0 of the french road network, and. May 14, 2015 jan heine in his book rene herse, the bikes, the builder, the riders corroborates this view. Additionally, components used on early rene herse bicycles were sourced variously. To supply you with reading material, were offering a big discount on our most popular literature. The internet was in its infancy, and there were some. Explore the fascinating and incredibly rich history behind this famous constructeur in this definitive, 424page book. I wish my investments performed half as well as this bike. There are some men who have a natural gift for looking stylish, whether theyre involved in sweaty sport or wearing a suit and tie. Rene herse the bikes, the builder, the riders author name.
Jan 12, 20 jan heine just released his new bike book, which was a huge labor of love. I purchased it before the recent rene herse frenzy. By jan heine on november 21, 2019 in uncategorized we are excited to move our blog and integrate it seamlessly with our rene herse cycles web site. The data book also shows many examples of racks bolted to the top of the crown, just like my bike. Jan heine october 7, 2016 this is the story of rene herse, the greatest of the french constructeurs of the golden age of handbuilt bicycles during the 1940s and 50s, and how compass cycl. Our 424page story of rene herse and his bikes is the ultimate bike book, and a fascinating read. Owning the rene herse brand is a privilege and also a responsibility. Soon he began to explore the backroads of the cascade mountains on his training rides.
Very nice, clean copies without previous owners names or other markings. His daughter, lyli herse, was instrumental in jan heine s 10 years of research while writing this book. Follow rene herse starting with his early work on prototype aircraft. In the early 2000s, rene herses daughter lyli approached jan heine, the editor of bicycle quarterly magazine and founder of compass bicycles, with the request of taking over the rene herse trademark and assets in order to safeguard them for the future. The 1968 rene herse demontable was designed to be disassembled for travel. Aug 16, 20 the 1968 rene herse demontable was designed to be disassembled for travel. This is a fascinating story of a time when cycling was a way of life. Jan heine in the authoritative book on rene herse reflects on herse early work as a fitter with the breguet aircraft manufacturer. Jan heine in his book rene herse, the bikes, the builder, the riders corroborates this view. I would like to have seen how they did it at the herse shop. I rarely use the very low 26 ring and the 36 often seems a bit high in some of the steep dirt roads i often ride. Our testing shows that this still is the best way to do it. This will allow us to create even more exciting content. Early frames are understood to be both lugged and fillet brazed.
This is a first edition of the golden age of handbuilt bicycles by jan heine and jeanpierre praderes. It is only by the late 1940s that the components became more standardised, by herse standards. The internet was in its infancy, and there were some discussion groups. Reprints of the 1948 catalogue can be found in jan heines vintage bicycle quarterly 10 volume 3 no. The idea is to establish an inventory of the rene herse bikes still remaining and known of. We all know what to do to keep ourselves and others safe. Which perhaps explains my initial impression that rene herse. Early frames are understood to be both lugged and fillet. When he was at an event, surrounded by gleaming machines, he was beaming.
It may well herald a new golden age of bicycle book writing. Rene herse created some of the most soughtafter bicycles ever made. Jan heineof compass bicycle and bicycle quarterlyis introducing a reproduction rene herse crank. The reasonable claim is that herse would have learned much from aircraft design philosophy of the time and that this knowledge would find its way into his thinking on bicycle design and engineering. Jun 05, 2016 for sale, 2008 rene herse randonneur as displayed, rene herse 1949 extremely rare r herse of the late 1940s 1949 56 5. Featuring fifty classic models built by hand, this book unveils the bicycles technical evolution within a historical context. For sale, 2008 rene herse randonneur as displayed, rene herse 1949 extremely rare r herse of the late 1940s 1949 56 5. Craftsmanship, elegance and function by jan heine, jeanpierre praderes photographer online at alibris. Inside this exuberant tome, i expected to find an extensive collection of historical photographs, tied together with snippets of text in a tasteful, neutral font just enough to. Either will give you many hours of reading enjoyment.
There are some wonderful photos of the shop during the period my bicycle was built and also of jean desbois who made my frame in jan heines new and outstanding book on rene herse. The bikes, as beautiful as they are, provide only the backdrop for the adventures and friendships that they made possible. In bicycle quarterly, youll read bike tests that take you on amazing adventures, where we challenge the test bikes to the limits of their capabilities features that bring you inspiring discoveries. Many of these photos appear in his book, rene herse the bikes the builders the riders which has been on the market for more than a year already. A dear friend 1917 2011 that adored her rene herse. They can be purchased as either a single, double, or triple chain ring setup. Dec 24, 20 it may well herald a new golden age of bicycle book writing. Today, compass bicycles owns the rene herse trademark and intellectual property.
His daughter, lyli herse, was instrumental in jan heines 10 years of research while writing this book. Pictures of this can be found in the rene herse book rebour drawings. The bikes, the builder, the riders by jan heine of bicycle quarterly press isbn 9765460236 is a big book in every sense. Cycle sportive a journal of cycle sportive life and bicycles.
During the last few months, almost every week, we have received a courier package with yet another step in the process for approval. First the plotter printouts, then the digital color proofs, paper and cover samples, and finally, the actual pages of the printed book. When growing up in germany, jan wistfully watched groups of racers glide by his familys house. Lyle herse rode and raced very successfully on her fathers bicycles and after his death continued in the production of rene herse bicycles. Jul 06, 2006 a rene herse that sits in my shop has the front rack bolted to the sides of the fork crown. Its the complete story of rene herse, the premier french bike maker and designer, the father of the light cyclotouring scene and concept. The story about jan rediscovering the herse family cycling photos in two suitcases in lyli. It fell from favor mostly because few riders had access to true randonneur bikes, and weve had to adapt bikes that werent really designed. Consequently, the shifters are mounted on the seat tube for ease of separation. Jan heine is editor of bicycle quarterly, the magazine about the history, culture and technology of cycling. I thought the new herse cranks in a double would make a good replacement for my sugino 463626 triple. Dec 22, 2015 jan heine in the authoritative book on rene herse reflects on herse early work as a fitter with the breguet aircraft manufacturer.
Rene herse demontable archives restoring vintage bicycles. It was a great learning experience, and it led to many framebuilding parts in the rene herse program that make it easier to build a bike like this like the premitered centerpull brazeons that fit perfectly on the kaisei toei special fork blades. Covers classic handbuilt bicycles from circa 1910 to 2003, including rene herse, alex singer, gilles berthoud, goeland, and many others. Every once in awhile we detour off italian cycling into another subject area, this time to the announcement of a new 424 page book by jan heine about rene herse, the french framebuilder, his bikes, and his riders. Upon coming to the united states, he fulfilled his dream of racing bicycles on the road and in cyclocross. It has not been restored other than an extensive cleanup, and some of the chrome bits have been replatedthe rack and decaleur were quite rusty.
This is the definitive book on the famous constructeur, based on more than a decade of research by bicycle quarterly editor jan heine. Oct 16, 2012 every once in awhile we detour off italian cycling into another subject area, this time to the announcement of a new 424 page book by jan heine about rene herse, the french framebuilder, his bikes, and his riders. The rene herse story they quickly made a name for themselves. According to the group, randonneurs usa, bicycle quarterly is a publication dedicated to classic lightweight bikes, particularly french ones such as alex singer and rene herse. This is the story of rene herse, the greatest of the french constructeurs of the golden age of handbuilt bicycles during the 1940s and 50s, and how compass cycl.
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