I have a subscription to BQ and look forward to it arriving through the mail. I find it a great bedside/on the bog read.
Im probably a little biased in truth as I wrote one of the articles a while back on my experiences in TCRno6. We also had a more recent one published on our new Firefly Rando/touring builds.
It hits the areas of cycling that interest us, is really well constructed and makes a great coffee table mag if you are into that kind or riding.
Yan is quite the maverick in some regards. He doesn't make any secret of the fact that he is promoting his own products. I find him passionate about his craft and quite the lateral thinker.
I would agree Jan is a Maverick. He's quite proudly going against the industry grain. And actually some of his retro grouch tendencies make sense to me.
I would disagree with those saying he's trying to hide anything by say adding a load of ti or that he's got a hidden agenda towards steel. He makes it quite obvious he's a weight weenie, in fact I can source articles where he quite openly discusses that. As for the agenda of selling his stuff he's quite open about that, but I would say unlike a lot of the industry he actually puts his research out there. He's also happy to test and ride carbon, just even if he gives it top marks, he'll always point out he prefers the feel and longevity of steel. He's clearly very technically and critically minded having worked for Race Face and having been a journalist before doing his own thing.
I've gone from steel to alu, to carbon and back to steel. I've broken every alu and carbon frame. I'm also about to stop using hollowtech cranks because I've had 3 bottom brackets and 2 cranksets in 8 years. If my Robert's could fit wider tires than 32 I would.
I've had an interest in 650b since living with a frame builder/ mechanic who was no filter or bullshit. He does not suffer fool gladly and would have no bones in calling Jan out if he thought he was outright wrong. I've never run better clincher tires than his in terms of performance and they are more puncture resistant than the grand bois or Challange I've also run.
I think if you approach what he's saying realising he openly uses his blog/ magazine as sales tool.
I initially dismissed Ronnie "Ultra Romance" in the same way people are dismissing BQ/ RH. I thought he was pretentious. But then I realised Ron Whateverhisnamereallyis had a very infectious sense of humour and irony. He makes no bones about he's just doing what the early mountain bikers, especially Charlie Cunningham and Jacquie Phelan did and also the pre/ post war Randonneurs. A lot of the stuff he does works and with good reason, its simply practical.
