Jobst Brandt, RIP

Jobst Brandt on the Gavia.

Jobst Brandt died recently after a long period of convalescence from a bicycle crash he never recovered from. For many years he had taken epic summer bicycle trips through the Alps and had documented them with wonderful narratives and photos. You might have noticed the picture on the heading of this blog, it was of him on one of his Alpine adventures.

Not much I can add to what has already been posted about the man, I didn't know him personally, but he was a strong influence on my take on cycling. J. Brandt was not a racer nor a randonneur or a bike-packer, but he was an incredibly strong and talented rider who rode his bike anywhere he wanted to!

I have emulated some of his travels with my modest tours in the Sierra, and dream someday of the Stelvio and Gavia passes in the Alps.

Jobst Brandt was an engineer and had brilliant insights into bicycle technology. He became a voice of common sense in that strange world where marketing holds precedence over engineering. He had strong opinions on the technical aspects of bikes and I agreed with a lot of what he said. (Although I didn't share his antipathy for leather saddles and fenders!).

I own a copy of his book "The Bicycle Wheel", it contains the best method of wheel building I've come across, and I refer to it whenever I have to build a new wheel.

A link to some of Brandt's writings.

I'm grateful for his influence and that he shared his views for us to learn from.

So long Jobst Brandt, RIP.

Stelvio Pass, Italy