Superbly supple interview, Russ - I really enjoyed it! Jan is a treasure and I'm glad he's out there obsessively testing and opinionating on all things bicycle - big or very, very small.
I've read Jan's words for a decade. This is literally the first time I've heard his voice. Now I have to re-read everything with his real voice in my head.
Great interview, Russ. Brought back some good memories. I bought a 650B Saluki from Grant when they first came out more than a decade ago. Jan helped me configure a replacement fork to correct some noisome handling traits. When the Kogswell frames came along I was able to appreciate the advantages of a more flexible frame, something I hadn't experience since the early 70's. Used the Kogswell as a test bed before ordering a 650B frame from Mitch Pryor. Jan has been the most significant contributor to my continued interest and enjoyment of the sport.
An excellent interview of an intelligent and knowledgable man, who with his colleagues, asks why something feels or performs in a certain way and scientifically explores for the answer.
Big Thumbs Up!! Nice to see Jan getting the credit he deserves. Currently running a set of his 650x48 Compass Switchback Hill tires on my Giant TCX. :)
When I was a teenager in the late 1970´s I worked at a printing shop doing all kinds of jobs such as stapling booklets and placing calendar slides. I made a small savings and bought a 26" Huffy 10 speed bike. It was quite heavy, but the wide tires were very smooth! I used to tie the fishing rod to the top tube and ride to a lake 12 miles away from home over improved roads! I can relate to what Jan has predicted: maneuverable wheel size, wide enough for plush ride and a bike geometry that served a lot of purposes! Then I sold it and bought a 27" Italian bike that had skinny tires and I missed the all terrain prowess of my old but heavy Huffy 10 speed! Then in the early 1990´s I embraced mountain biking and sold my Benotto 27" towards a Cannondale M400 bike which I still have. I also embraced the allure of double suspension with a 1995 AMP Research B4 which I still have but had the central shock absorber replaced with a Risse shock. I wish that I was more adamant with my tech to return the original central shock absorber of this bike as it was a work of art! I recently bought a Cannondale M800 Beast of the East of the same vintage as my M400 and I am trying to convert to a climbing machine!
Absolutely amazingly done Sir. My sincere compliments. I just came across this older interview which ironically was produced prior to me becoming a cyclist. Your channel has totally enlightened me on how I want my cycling life to proceed and this interview is the icing on the cake. Now to find the best yet affordable bike that meets this criteria as much as possible or find a frame snd build my own. On that note your bike review videos have been extremely helpful. Thanks
Thanks for all your work Russ. That was a great interview. Your channel brings a lot of great information and enjoyment to us “average worker bee folk” who love the outdoors. I was hesitant to pledge a subscription but your efforts and results are every bit as worthy as any magazine subscription.
Hey Russ, thank you so much for this wonderful interview! It is the best bike related interview I listened to. I didnt know much about Jan Heine and enjoyed every second of it. Cant wait to ride my bike soon. Keep up doing this! All the best, Chris
Great interview. Jan's contribution to modern cycling is outstanding, whether or not you agree with his philosophy or modus operandi. My cycling is better because of his work.
Great interview. Thanks. I would love to hear more of his thoughts on vintage steel frames and how they compare to modern variants for gravel riding, besides the obvious weight differences. Clearly, he has been inspired by the French randonneur bikes from the '40s and '50s, like Herse, etc. I have been wanting to build up an old steel frame for gravel touring...
This was really good listening, thanks. I wish you'd asked about his typical riding terrain more, as their products (tires specifically) seem geared towards specifically that type of riding. I've heard of people having problems with Compass tires running into flats in extremely rocky and spiky terrain like we have here in Arizona and New Mexico. As he points out, the worst bike is one that breaks on you a bunch mid ride.
Regarding "gravel tires" and terrain. Most file thread supple sidewall tires are not meant to be used on extremely rocky or jagged terrain, for that you have tires like Panaracer SK Gravel Kings or other like brands such as KENDA FLINTRIDGE PRO. Panaracer also makes a Gravel King file tread tire for riding road or light dirt/gravel roads much like Compass tires though not the quality of Compass but they are not meant for extremely rocky jagged terrain. You can pretty look and feel a tire to get a sense of what it is made to do. To be factual, Jan talks about making his tires being able to ride over rough terrain, not jagged sharp edged rocks. They do ride over rough, loose dirt and gravel terrain just fine.
There is something to planing, running a power meter across 3 bikes showed me that one bike (the one that felt best to pedal), I was inputting ~30watts (+/- 3 watts 95% confidence interval) more at the crank for a given heart rate (multiple regression) than the frame bike that felt worse to pedal (n=20). Not convinced yet it is "energy return" from the frame, as a crank based power meter was used, but it may be an interaction between optimal flex bio-mechanics
The one that felt dead (and lowest wattage per avg heart rate) was a mid-2000s aluminum. The other two tested where Carbon that were purported to have very stiff bottom brackets. In both cases, I think I did a better job pulling though on the back end of the pedal stroke. I did some tests were I focused on that, and I ended up with a positive residual (i.e., higher observed power for a given heart rate than predicted). These observations were also for rides at higher power output 300 watts. I haven't looked into more endurance minded pacing, so my observations are likely different from Jan is talking about. I believe his observations are primary focused at lower power, longer duration and and benefits of a more flexible steel frames. I have ridden those steel bikes and felt the phenomenon discussed, its as if your pedal stroke match the frame resonance. I wish I had run a power meter on a frame once had before I sold it. Oh well, I guess reason to get a steel bike again (n+1 strikes again). Note that my fastest speeds were on the carbon bikes, relative to the steel one I once owned, but my focus was being competitive on fast club rides. Would be interested to test against slower endurance rides. My best guess is that optimal frame flex differs by application, which is a notion that Jan eluded to in the interview.
Will have to track down a superlight tubing frameset so I can compare against the carbon frames I have data on. Its definitely an effect that can be lost by "forcing" the pedal stroke (i.e., trying too hard). The best description I have is getting a smooth transitioning between muscle groups throughout the pedal stroke (i.e., handing off the pedal stroke seamlessly to the next muscle group so there is no lag in engagement). Trying too hard seems to interfere with that transitioning and reduce mechanical efficiency. Would love to test more frames and standardize the protocol more (i.e., double blind). As an aside, I have been using linear mixed effect models to control for known confounding factors, such as repeated measures.
This last bit explains a great deal why this idea of planing keeps sounding like nonsense. It has a lot more to do with having a careful match of leg motion, and power distribution around the whole pedal stroke. In a purely practical sense, the flexion is off axis and has absolutely nothing useful to contribute.
Jan enthusiasm is infectious. I hope I don't get infected too badly, Lol. I should start planning for the next rando bike to get. No time to lose. Frankly I had a really shitty day at work, all those politics and back stabbing. But after laughing to Jan's joke I am relaxed and ready for bed now.
I just want to ask a question. I was watching a video a week ago and want to find it again. But I can't remember the name. It was the interview with the couple that have a hostel on the Trans Am trail that is a church. Can I ask the name? Suggestion: A table on contents in list form. Then with all your videos, it would be relatively easy to look at your lists. Thank you. Dave
Lycra is great if you're trying to win a Grand Tour. Wool is great if you're riding day in, day out, say, in the Greater Pacific NorthWet. Knickers are great if you stop at the store for milk on the way home, or try not to scare the locals when you stop for a beer out in the boonies. Different tools for different purposes, all valid. Vintage font - ya got me there. :-) But the contents of the articles in BQ and the research behind them sure are leading edge, no retro-grouching there...
I live in the south where it's hot 200 days out of the year. And with knickers, people are going to think you either an early 19th century reenactor or going on a Tweed Ride. BTW, Lycra (and neoprene when it gets too cold) is very comfortable to me. In fact, they don't wear helmets in the 1940s, so why he's wearing one?
Excellent interview, Jan Heine is a great explainer and story teller, so much insight gained! Thanks both!
Nice interview! I really enjoy listening to Heine. He makes a number of really important observations when it comes to bicycles.
Superbly supple interview, Russ - I really enjoyed it! Jan is a treasure and I'm glad he's out there obsessively testing and opinionating on all things bicycle - big or very, very small.
I've read Jan's words for a decade. This is literally the first time I've heard his voice. Now I have to re-read everything with his real voice in my head.
Great interview, Russ. Brought back some good memories. I bought a 650B Saluki from Grant when they first came out more than a decade ago. Jan helped me configure a replacement fork to correct some noisome handling traits. When the Kogswell frames
came along I was able to appreciate the advantages of a more flexible frame, something I hadn't experience since the early 70's. Used the Kogswell as a test bed before ordering a 650B frame from Mitch Pryor. Jan has been the most significant contributor to my continued interest and enjoyment of the sport.
An excellent interview of an intelligent and knowledgable man, who with his colleagues, asks why something feels or performs in a certain way and scientifically explores for the answer.
Great job, Jan is a legend, best interview.
Big Thumbs Up!! Nice to see Jan getting the credit he deserves. Currently running a set of his 650x48 Compass Switchback Hill tires on my Giant TCX. :)
I love Compass Bicycles and recieving emails from them. Thank you for the great interview and thank you Compass from a great website.
When I was a teenager in the late 1970´s I worked at a printing shop doing all kinds of jobs such as stapling booklets and placing calendar slides. I made a small savings and bought a 26" Huffy 10 speed bike. It was quite heavy, but the wide tires were very smooth! I used to tie the fishing rod to the top tube and ride to a lake 12 miles away from home over improved roads! I can relate to what Jan has predicted: maneuverable wheel size, wide enough for plush ride and a bike geometry that served a lot of purposes! Then I sold it and bought a 27" Italian bike that had skinny tires and I missed the all terrain prowess of my old but heavy Huffy 10 speed! Then in the early 1990´s I embraced mountain biking and sold my Benotto 27" towards a Cannondale M400 bike which I still have. I also embraced the allure of double suspension with a 1995 AMP Research B4 which I still have but had the central shock absorber replaced with a Risse shock. I wish that I was more adamant with my tech to return the original central shock absorber of this bike as it was a work of art! I recently bought a Cannondale M800 Beast of the East of the same vintage as my M400 and I am trying to convert to a climbing machine!
Absolutely amazingly done Sir. My sincere compliments. I just came across this older interview which ironically was produced prior to me becoming a cyclist.
Your channel has totally enlightened me on how I want my cycling life to proceed and this interview is the icing on the cake.
Now to find the best yet affordable bike that meets this criteria as much as possible or find a frame snd build my own.
On that note your bike review videos have been extremely helpful.
Thanks
Such an awesome interview. I really like what Jan has written and offers via Compass. Thanks for doing this!
Thanks for all your work Russ. That was a great interview. Your channel brings a lot of great information and enjoyment to us “average worker bee folk” who love the outdoors. I was hesitant to pledge a subscription but your efforts and results are every bit as worthy as any magazine subscription.
Thanks for supporting the channel
I have been a subscriber and a huge fan of Jan for years, this was very interesting. Thanks!
Hey Russ,
thank you so much for this wonderful interview! It is the best bike related interview I listened to. I didnt know much about Jan Heine and enjoyed every second of it. Cant wait to ride my bike soon.
Keep up doing this!
All the best, Chris
Great interview. Jan's contribution to modern cycling is outstanding, whether or not you agree with his philosophy or modus operandi. My cycling is better because of his work.
Really great interview! Thanks! Jan seems like a great guy.
Excellent interview and a lot of mind-blowing insights. thank you!
Hi from Russia. Thank you. Great job. Jan are awesome. He needs his own youtube channel.
I really like these interviews. This was an especially interesting one. Keep it up Russ.
Great interviews still have an effect a year later.
Great interview. Thanks. I would love to hear more of his thoughts on vintage steel frames and how they compare to modern variants for gravel riding, besides the obvious weight differences. Clearly, he has been inspired by the French randonneur bikes from the '40s and '50s, like Herse, etc. I have been wanting to build up an old steel frame for gravel touring...
This was really good listening, thanks. I wish you'd asked about his typical riding terrain more, as their products (tires specifically) seem geared towards specifically that type of riding. I've heard of people having problems with Compass tires running into flats in extremely rocky and spiky terrain like we have here in Arizona and New Mexico. As he points out, the worst bike is one that breaks on you a bunch mid ride.
Regarding "gravel tires" and terrain. Most file thread supple sidewall tires are not meant to be used on extremely rocky or jagged terrain, for that you have tires like Panaracer SK Gravel Kings or other like brands such as KENDA FLINTRIDGE PRO. Panaracer also makes a Gravel King file tread tire for riding road or light dirt/gravel roads much like Compass tires though not the quality of Compass but they are not meant for extremely rocky jagged terrain. You can pretty look and feel a tire to get a sense of what it is made to do. To be factual, Jan talks about making his tires being able to ride over rough terrain, not jagged sharp edged rocks. They do ride over rough, loose dirt and gravel terrain just fine.
Cage match, who would win? Jan Heine vs. Grant Petersen. BTW, Sheldon Brown is refereeing so the odds are fair
Takes me back to the Internet BOBs group. groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/internet-bob
Jan seems more athletic...
Yeah, but Grant would likely have an axe on him
Drew Mabry and a jar of nut butter
Charlie Cunningham could out think both.....plus he has major vegetarian fu on his side
This was a great interview and made me want to go check out their products :) This just sounded so healthy.
Great interview
Enjoyed this. Thanks!
There is something to planing, running a power meter across 3 bikes showed me that one bike (the one that felt best to pedal), I was inputting ~30watts (+/- 3 watts 95% confidence interval) more at the crank for a given heart rate (multiple regression) than the frame bike that felt worse to pedal (n=20). Not convinced yet it is "energy return" from the frame, as a crank based power meter was used, but it may be an interaction between optimal flex bio-mechanics
What was different about the bike that planed? What was the material?
The one that felt dead (and lowest wattage per avg heart rate) was a mid-2000s aluminum. The other two tested where Carbon that were purported to have very stiff bottom brackets. In both cases, I think I did a better job pulling though on the back end of the pedal stroke. I did some tests were I focused on that, and I ended up with a positive residual (i.e., higher observed power for a given heart rate than predicted). These observations were also for rides at higher power output 300 watts.
I haven't looked into more endurance minded pacing, so my observations are likely different from Jan is talking about. I believe his observations are primary focused at lower power, longer duration and and benefits of a more flexible steel frames. I have ridden those steel bikes and felt the phenomenon discussed, its as if your pedal stroke match the frame resonance. I wish I had run a power meter on a frame once had before I sold it. Oh well, I guess reason to get a steel bike again (n+1 strikes again). Note that my fastest speeds were on the carbon bikes, relative to the steel one I once owned, but my focus was being competitive on fast club rides. Would be interested to test against slower endurance rides. My best guess is that optimal frame flex differs by application, which is a notion that Jan eluded to in the interview.
Will have to track down a superlight tubing frameset so I can compare against the carbon frames I have data on. Its definitely an effect that can be lost by "forcing" the pedal stroke (i.e., trying too hard). The best description I have is getting a smooth transitioning between muscle groups throughout the pedal stroke (i.e., handing off the pedal stroke seamlessly to the next muscle group so there is no lag in engagement). Trying too hard seems to interfere with that transitioning and reduce mechanical efficiency. Would love to test more frames and standardize the protocol more (i.e., double blind). As an aside, I have been using linear mixed effect models to control for known confounding factors, such as repeated measures.
This last bit explains a great deal why this idea of planing keeps sounding like nonsense. It has a lot more to do with having a careful match of leg motion, and power distribution around the whole pedal stroke. In a purely practical sense, the flexion is off axis and has absolutely nothing useful to contribute.
Great interview!
Excellent interview!
A dislike? It never ceases to amaze me.
Thanks!
#thescience! so much good information, that was great!
Jan enthusiasm is infectious. I hope I don't get infected too badly, Lol. I should start planning for the next rando bike to get. No time to lose. Frankly I had a really shitty day at work, all those politics and back stabbing. But after laughing to Jan's joke I am relaxed and ready for bed now.
Good one!
ITS SO WEIRD TO HEAR JAN SPEAK! :)
Ha. I know! That's why we do these videos so you can hear/see personalities you don't usually hear/see.
I just want to ask a question. I was watching a video a week ago and want to find it again. But I can't remember the name. It was the interview with the couple that have a hostel on the Trans Am trail that is a church. Can I ask the name?
Suggestion: A table on contents in list form. Then with all your videos, it would be relatively easy to look at your lists. Thank you. Dave
Spoken Hostel episode.
10/10!
What is that first french bike Jan got? Jaureau Trance it sounds like. But that doesn't sound like anything i've ever seen written on a downtube
I see.
Jan Routens. Better Late Than Never. BLTN. I've been riding since 1967.
Jo Routens.
Great interview Russ, I was wondering do we really need 650b if we can put a wider tire on the rims we have?
If you are a shorter rider, yes. You get the wider tire without to overlap and messing with the center of mass of the bike.
Jan the Man
Jan is a legend but i cant see why he doesn't use a powermeter on these bikes to get even some more data
Planing == jumping on a trampoline. Not planing == jumping on concrete.
I can't stop staring at the other bike..
Sheesh. The Supple Life wins again.
That's that guy who wants to pretend he is in the 1930s.
Wool jerseys, wool knickers, vintage style fonts, etc.
Lycra is great if you're trying to win a Grand Tour. Wool is great if you're riding day in, day out, say, in the Greater Pacific NorthWet. Knickers are great if you stop at the store for milk on the way home, or try not to scare the locals when you stop for a beer out in the boonies. Different tools for different purposes, all valid. Vintage font - ya got me there. :-) But the contents of the articles in BQ and the research behind them sure are leading edge, no retro-grouching there...
I live in the south where it's hot 200 days out of the year. And with knickers, people are going to think you either an early 19th century reenactor or going on a Tweed Ride. BTW, Lycra (and neoprene when it gets too cold) is very comfortable to me.
In fact, they don't wear helmets in the 1940s, so why he's wearing one?
2030s!
@@shannontrainer5857 you really are out to lunch on this
Great interview!!