- R+E Cycles Articles about Bicycles -

Below is a somewhat organized list of articles that I and some others have written over the years for our newsletter and for a few magazines. Keep in mind that these articles are published here as they appeared. Some articles were written several years ago. A lot of the specifications and prices that are referred to in these articles are out of date. I hope you enjoy the articles as much as we enjoyed writing them.

• Stretch your budget, not your chain. Proper care for your drive-train.
• How much is a Tune-up? An article about what a tune-up is

• New Challenges, New Solutions! - 2022 Pandemic Struggles result in rond the clock developement of new software here at R+E Cycles!
• YIKES! - 2020 Pandemic Struggles! Temparary hours restriction.
• Small Cheap Part....Big Expensive Problem! - Industry standards, and what you should know about them
• Imitation....the greatest form of flattery - An article detailing how our unique, fully adjustable fit bike, was copied and distributed around the globe.
• It's NAHBS all year long! - See the Rodriguez bikes you won't see at the North American Handbuilt Bike Show.
• Bicycle Land Speed Record bicycles and the wheels they use.
• Steel bikes can be even lighter than carbon bikes - Rodriguez Steel Outlaw! The featherweight champion!
• Why You Need a Custom Tandem - Others offer 'stock' sizes, but we make our tandems all custom.
• A Stiff Proposition! What does the 'stiffener' tube do on a tandem frame?
• Double Trouble! What is the best fork for your super light tandem?
• The New Carbon.....Carbon Steel! What is the bicycle industry telling you about carbon fiber?
• The Featherweight Champion Tandem from Rodriguez - How do we build the lightest tandem?
• Why buy a bike, when you can buy a whole bike shop?
• With a Grain of Salt. Whose advice will you take?
• If the Shoe Fits. Can your bicycle frame size be determined by your height?
• All About Comfort. How to get a comfortable bike
• Weight a Minute... How the industry leads us all astray with outlandish claims of weight.
• Pioneers and Profits. Every manufacturer is now jumping on the 'fit' band wagon, but who pioneered the technology?
• Chaos, the new Standard. Why can't you get your 3 year old bike fixed at your local shop?
• Fit to Finish Quiz. Who made your bicycle?
• The Best Value in the Industry. Why Rodriguez hand-built bikes are the best investment you can make
• Do you want a Forever Bike? A lot of expensive bikes are considered 'disposable'.
• Weighing the Truth. Why is your bike a lot heavier than advertised?
• Just Your Size. Why accept a poorly fitting bike?

• The Rodriguez e-ready option. Now you can own an e-bike and a custom bike...and they're the same bike!
• The Rodriguez 2-Step! A new tandem design from Rodriguez Tandems! Easy to step over, and no compromise in performance.
• CHARGE! A brief education on ebike batteries and safety practices for charging them
• Designing Gravel Bikes with Toe Clearance and Proper Handling - Why we developed our own light-weight disc fork
• Flat mount disc brakes - What's the fuss all about?
• What's the difference in all the new bicycle wheel sizes? 650b, 27.5, Road+, 700c, 29'r, 26"....which is best?
• Read how a Rodriguez Tandem is designed Fit First and Comfortable!
• Titanium versus Steel frames - Which is lighter, stronger and better?
• Why don't all Rodriguez Tandem use the Gate's tandem timing belt? - a nice product, if it 'fits'.
• The Frame Game - Can you save money by ordering just a frame and then handling everything else yourself?
• The Best Just Got Better! - The new design for the Bushnell™ Featherweight Eccentric Bottom Bracket
• Bike to the Future! - The return of the Rodriguez 6-Pack micro-bike.
• Just Sit On It! - The best suspension seat post ever made!
• Reach for the Bars! An article I wrote for The Bicycle Paper talking about bicycle stems and how they affect handling.
• Disco Fever A history and recommended uses of the bicycle disc brake.
• Look Ma! No Derailleurs! The evolution of the modern internally geared hub.
• Eccentric Thoughts From Rodriguez Bicycles. The Bushnell™ eccentric vs. the competition.
• Give me a Brake! The best brakes for tandems and touring bikes.
• Big, Fast Wheels. Stacia explains her experience with 650c and 700c wheels
• Are smaller wheels slower?. 650c vs. 700cThe effects of wheel size on overall speed of the bicycle.
• Disc Brakes, V-brakes and Cantilevers...oh my! The ups and downs of the different high-power brake systems.
• Built for Comfort. When shopping for a new bicycle, don't get distracted by 'the parts', select the right frame
• Evolution with Intelligent Design. The history of the Bushnell™ eccentric bottom bracket
• Retro-grouch, Or just good planning?. Why we like 9-speed better than 10 and 11 speed for most of our customers
• Ahhhh.....the feel of steel. Why steel could just be 'the miracle material'.
• Small Problem, Big Compromises. Do you need 650c or 700c? A definitive article showing the design challenges for fitting a small bike with 700c wheels.
• 650 vs. 700c wheels. A detailed article for those who've been told "700c wheels are faster than 650 wheels"
• Fact or Fiction? Big wheels equal Fast wheels....or maybe not
• Material World. An article series that I wrote comparing bicycle frame materials for The Bicycle Paper here in Seattle.
• Trail Mix for the petite cyclist. A graphic illustration of the compromise choices that cyclists under 5' 4" tall have to choose from.
• 650c x 28c tires return to R+E Cycles!!

• A Bicycle for 3, 2, or 1 - Another impossible build pulled off by the Rodriguez team!
• 2019 Specialized Tarmac vs. Rodriguez Outlaw....No Contest!
• 2017 - Another great year for the Ultra-light tandem - This one with Di2 shifting and Gate's Carbon timing belt
• The History of Rodriguez Bicycle Company. Photos and stories from our nearly 40 years in Seattle.
• Our Long, Rich History in custom tandem building
• The New Bandito! The first ultra-light disc brake bike designed for use with wide tires!
• Company Themed Bicycles for Advertising and Team Building - A quick article showing some of the company branded bicycles we've done.
• What's Keeping You from Buying a Bicycle Built for 3,4 or 5? - Overcoming the obstacles of owning such a long, specialty bike
• Four, Three, Two, One A highlight of a Rodriguez Rohloff tandem bicycle that can be ridden as a bicycle built for 4, 3, 2, or even 1.
• Rohloff for the Road ....and Gravel of course A highlight of a beautiful Rodriguez Rohloff bicycle with hydraulic disc brakes, belt drive, and a carbon fork.
• 2016, the year of the ultra-light tandems - Just a quick highlight on a really sweet tandem!
• Deja Vu - Owners of classic Rodriguez and Erickson bikes return to the road and "what's up with Angel and Glenn these days?"
• The Bike Rack is Back. Photos and a quick history of Seattle's first 'on-street' bicycle parking area
• Team Crest and Rodriguez Bicycles. After more than 20 years, Dennis has the opportunity to repair a world class race frame that he built for Team Huffy - Crest.
• The Perfect Blend. Steel, the perfect bicycle frame material
• You Must be Mr. Rodriguez? Find out who owns R+E Cycles
• Another Convert. The Amazing power of STEEL
• Commit to Commute. Selecting the right bike for commuting
• Where's the Beef? Why are other manufacturers skimping on the parts that count?
• Rare Birds. An article about some of the ingenious characters in the our industry
• Fit=Comfort=Performance. An article about the history of fitting bicycles to their owners
• I Tried a Tri. Amber writes about her first triathlon
• Weight Watchers, a Comparison. A small article I wrote after weighing an expensive frame that came in to our repair shop
• Rising to a New Challenge. An article about the new method of manufacturing that we developed in 2006
• The Tandevangelist. An article I wrote for the Evergreen Tandem Club's newsletter about getting your friends into tandem riding
• Dan's First Custom Bike. An article I wrote when an old picture my mom sent me sparked a forgotten memory
• How to shop for a tandem. An article I wrote last century.
• How to get started on a tandem. Another article we wrote last century showing our technique for getting started on a tandem.
• Is the Grass Always Greener? An article about buying local if you live in the Northwest
• If I Could Read Your Mind. An article I wrote for a magazine in the early days of news groups
• Sizing bicycles for women. A blurb from a newsletter about the things women have put up with when it comes to bikes.