At 8:14 PM -0400 9/18/06, oroboyz@aol.com wrote:
>I did sort of have a sinking fear when, a few issues ago, VBQ tested
>a production Trek. I was momentarily overwhelmed by evil forbodings
>of Treks, Kleins, LeMonds and other hand mades. Ugh.
Once in 4 years we tested a Trek, and the reason we tested it was
because it has adjustable frame stiffness, so we could test whether
stiffer or less stiff frames work better for us. After we rode it and
found all kinds of quality control issues, we decided that it would
be unethical not to tell readers about it. I doubt Trek sold many
bikes because of that review! (And in the same issue, we tested a
wonderful hand-made Ebisu. Jitensha reported they got a number of
orders immediately based on the review.)
>
>If I had my druthers, I would prefer to have exactly what the
>current title of VBQ says- "Vintage" ...
>But if Jan has to broaden the scope to make ends meet or whatever, I
>can take it because the alternative is worse!
Bicycle Quarterly won't be any different from Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. Check out the current cover page at
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/
and decide for yourself whether I am trying to appeal to the "hip and cool baby boomer" crowd. In fact, my readers span all ages - a great number of riders in their 20s who are excited about classic bikes, and even beginning to build bikes. That, more than anything, gives me hope for the future.
The only change is to include readers more in the magazine: I'll do some more "Destinations" of cool shops to visit, readers' "favorite bikes," "projects" that show how interesting classic bikes and parts work, and "builders speak," where you can look over the shoulder as builders show a technique or discuss a project. I hope to do more British topics, but it is an area where I don't know enough to do a good job. I am working with a number of contributors, and hopefully, we'll have something nice soon. Italian history also would be nice, and so would some early American stuff. A lot of it is in the works, but our editorial standards make it hard for contributors. The upshot is that if you read something in Bicycle Quarterly, it is well-researched and most likely accurate. Our "corrections/additions" column isn't exactly overflowing. And if anybody reading this has some well-researched topic they might want to submit, please contact me offlist.
VBQ/BQ has found its niche, and that niche is growing. So I look forward to many years of 50+ hours a week putting together magazines. -- Jan Heine Editor Vintage Bicycle Press c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave #C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com