Jobst Brandt

[Tim Hall]

Jobst Brandt, a cyclist who in so many ways influenced the bicycle industry during its glory days of the 1980s, died on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, after a long illness. He was 80.

More here

 

[snorri]

Thanks for copying, an interesting guy

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Jobst was a genius. Many people didn't like his blunt style and I myself got Jobsted on an occasion or two. Yet, he was generous with his advice and his ideas. Although he had many patents, he never patented his revolutionary spoke tension meter and when I asked him where I could get one, he said he'd send me the CAD drawings of the device. He did. He wasn't concerned that I would copy it or even manufacture it commercially. He taught me a lot about trains in addition to bicycles and his ability to put engineering concepts into words was unsurpassed. He was a mechanical linguist and debating giant. He had many, many detractors that hated him and hacked away at him for years and years, yet he never backed off.

To get an idea of the man's grasp of engineering and science as applied to bicycles, browse this: http://yarchive.net/bike/index.html

When I got to know him, he worked at Hewlett-Packard and invented many of the laser printer's principal mechanisms and never applied himself to cycling professionally other than to inspire others. His patents for an algorithm for measuring total ascent is in use in every single altimeter device cyclists use today, yet the original company that produced it, Avocet failed. Have a look at Avocet.com. Avocet tyres were legendary and the website is like a time capsule for his tyre design and altimeters. His spoke tension tool is now manufactured by Wheel Fanatyk (SP?) in Calilfornia after an equally unsuccessful spell with DT Swiss making a few but never managing to make it affordable - typically DT Swiss.

Jobst's annual Alpine tours were something to look forward to. There were the brilliant ride reports and zillions of equally brilliant photos. When summer came, the Jobst online voice would go silent for three or four weeks, as he toured the Alps. He had only one bike and toured with nothing more than a Carradice longflap, a credit card and a compact camera in his back pocket. He visited the same pensions each year and became friends with the owners who made space for him no matter the vacancy status. His dawn to dusk attitude to touring was legendary. He used to say you sleep better after a long day in the saddle and a nice meal.

My favourite Jobst quote is the following:

"Netiquette lets us overlook typos or inadvertent proof reading failures, but does not mean we must suffer in silence those who cannot format their responses and learn to spell. "

I've used it often in anger.

I'll miss you Jobst.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

RIP Jobst Brandt.

His book is on my desk, PDF versions of the book are in my laptop and phone.
I'd say his work, "The Bicycle Wheel" is my bible.

I'm grateful

 

[Gravity Aided]

Same here, I'm grateful for the inspiration, knowledge, and information.

 

[tyred]

Sorry to hear this. I knew little or nothing about him but read, enjoyed and learned from many of his articles and loved his straight-talking style.

 

[Ian H]

Cantankerous old fellow he was. I learnt to build wheels from his book, so I am eternally grateful to him.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I saw this picture somewhere else and I liked it

 

[Gravity Aided]

From an ad for Avocet "slick" tires .
Oh, and @Spoked Wheels , I'll see your Sheldon Brown and Jobst Brandt, and raise you a Grant Petersen. (from Retrogrouch's tribute to Jobst Brandt.)

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I just came across another story on Jobst.

http://www.bicycling.com/culture/people/cycling-legend-jobst-brandt-passes-away