General Cycling Discussion - bike books

there are a heapa (that means 'a lot') books about cycling, most being serious in nature.

i found one that is historical as well as hysterical.

the unknown tour de france: the many faces of the world's biggest bicycle race, by les woodland, copyright 2000.
isbn 1892495260

it really covers the early days: riders from other villages being chased by pitchfork and torch-wielding villagers supporting the competition, and i'm gonna stop there so's not to ruin it for you.
it has pictures, stories of the riders (some of which make you want to cry), origins of tdf, the bikes and more.

my library has a copy and if yours doesn't, there's interlibrary loan.

on another thread was a second one which i have yet to read (it is on hold at the library) is:

no hands: the rise and fall of the schwinn bicycle company: an american institution, by judith crown
isbn 0805035532

i read another about tdf, but disremember the title. it covered the race through greg lemond/early lance armstrong. i think the cover was yellow (ya THINK? snort). wait-

tour de france/tour de force, by james startt
isbn 0811824926

winter's coming, so's christmas. good reading!

keep scrolling down. other books have been added on, and not just by me.

Thanks for the recommendations. Both sound interesting.

Gollee Ka0use!

Thanks...

I've just got to get that "No Hands" book!

- Slim :)

I'll have to check out the No Hands book as well. My library is quite large, but from the section it's in, I'm not entirely sure it can even be checked out.

I also liked Hell on Two Wheels, about RAAM.

I like Bicycling Bliss (http://www.bicyclingbliss.com/) by Portia Masterson.

It's a great combination of bicycling and balanced living tips.

Here's a good review. http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/chat-with-portia-masterson-author-of.html

note: i am [I]not[I] qualified to do reviews- i don't know enough about bikes. i'm just tellin' ya what i find and something about it, ok?

these aren't cheap, BUT if you use interlibrary loan at your local library, you can look them over and then perhaps decide whether to purchase one (or more).

big blue book of bicycle repair park tools, 2008 isbn 978-0-976553-02-1 $24.95

i bought my bike new in 2003 and the first edition satisfied ~97% of what is on it. technology has advanced since then: mounting tubular and tubeless tires, solid axles,
vertical dropouts, more detail on hydraulic discs. some repair procedures have gotten more detail in them. the book appears to have more pics (color). if i had a much newer bike i'd get this.
there have been negative comments about park showcasing their products in their book, but hey, they wrote it so they can put whatever they want in it. i don't see a book out by pedro's anywhere, and you can bet they'd do the same.


bicycle repair: maintenance and repair of the modern bicycle rob van der plas, 2007, isbn 1-892495-55-4 $22.95

i believe this gentleman is dutch. this book has exploded drawings of shocks, steering, etc.
it covers stuff i remember from my army days: stirrup brakes, sealed wheel bearings, dutch city bikes with shrouded chains. he covers lighting systems, drum brakes, wheel building instructions, rebuilding/servicing clip pedals, and a whole buncha other stuff.



bicycling: a reintroduction, karen ruth, 2011, isbn 13: 978-1-58923-604-2 (paperback version), $16.99

i had to check this out because, i swear, there is a pic of my mom and one of her sisters (aunt barb) on page 6, taken in the 40's, dresses, permed hair, and saddle shoes. it is a stock photo and i bet a lot of other people will say ' hey! there's my mom!', too. what a super pic.

probably aimed at women who have been off their bikes for years and want to catch up a bit on changes (safety, for instance. helmets, trailers, racks, city riding, etc).
lotsa pics of girls/women. can i smile? basic maintenance, a look at gears (even has a sectional view of an internal gear hub, woo! looks like an automatic transmission off a car). clothes and wearable riding accessories, doing stuff with other women (clubs, travel by bike). nothing wrong with this book. covers lots of things lightly. you go, girl!

i finished the schwinn book. fascinating reading. there was, for me, a bit too much about the money issues and money confuses me. i know they are germane to the story. not near enough pics, and most of THEM were of schwinn family members. would have preferred to see more bikes. one thing that i either missed (doubt it) or wasn't covered was whether any of the employees or family rode their products. it is strange, apparently they all considered bikes as a) just a product to make well and sell and b) not to be taken seriously as a form of transportation for all ages. they did have famous people promote the products- captain kangaroo comes to mind. the book covers up to ~1996.

I like Bicycling Bliss (http://www.bicyclingbliss.com/) by Portia Masterson.

It's a great combination of bicycling and balanced living tips.

Here's a good review. http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/chat-with-portia-masterson-author-of.html

i bought my bike from portia. she had a shop in golden called 'self propulsion'. i really liked her shop- the entrance was in an alley (miner's alley) for a while, then she expanded toward the street side. had a buncha old bikes hanging from the ceiling and on a shelf above the street door. one was a stingray in super condition. closed her shop to pursue the book/fitness/health business.

If you can find a copy, the out-of-print Tales from the Bike Shop is a great read. It's a collection of Maynard Hershon's old columns from Winning magazine and Velo News.

I stayed with someone in Ypres, Belgium , while on a bike tour,
who had a collection of big coffee table books on the cycling history, there, in Flanders .

so maybe some out there in Amazon.be ..

If you can find a copy, the out-of-print Tales from the Bike Shop is a great read. It's a collection of Maynard Hershon's old columns from Winning magazine and Velo News.

hey! thanks for the headsup! i just ordered a copy off amazon.com for, wait for it..................1 cent + $3.99 shipping for a good, clean used copy.

this is too cool. coffee table size/format, but totally readable and the pics are super:

chasing rickshaws, tony wheeler, lonely planet pubs, isbn 0864426402

covers the pacific rim and india. also covers pedi-cabs and other three-wheeled transport.

again, use the interlibrary loan to peruse first.

I enjoyed Bike Snob NYC: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling.

another super winter read:

miles from nowhere, barbara savage
isbn either 0898861098 or 9781594488542 (one is probably paperback. amazon.com has it).

i read this in the late 80s. 2 years around the world by bike.
super, super book.

finished tales from the bike shop. good read, bikes are mostly drop bar, but the lessons are good.

A dog in a hat by joe parkin -interesting and awesome

French Revolutions: cycling the Tour de France, by Tim Moore - interesting and hilarious.

Keep the suggestions coming everybody. Winter is long and dark. And I should probably pick up a book again soon, before I forget how to read.

this isn't a book, but i found it worth watching:

the flying scotsman
it is about graeme obree. i believe he invented the controversial aero bars, the ones greg lemond used in tdf.

this isn't a book (it's a film), but does have lotsa bikes:
bicycle thieves, also titled as the bicycle thief. italian with subs, b/w, 1948.
a working giuseppe (joseph, joe) has his bike stolen first day on the job and tries to find it. excellent filming,
post war occupied rome (even has an american jeep drive by in the background of one scene), LOTSA
bikes and even closeups. verrrrrrrrry nice! one of the best dramas i've seen. there's a pawn shop stuffed
to the rafters with pawned bedding, and even a house of um, lesser repute, and a bike flea market.

The No Drop Zone by Patrick Brady is a good one, especially for newer riders. I learned a lot on things otherwise would only come with experience being around other riders. I'm in a small Midwest town with no real cycling scene so I really valued the read

The No Drop Zone by Patrick Brady is a good one, especially for newer riders. I learned a lot on things otherwise would only come with experience being around other riders. I'm in a small Midwest town with no real cycling scene so I really valued the read


well, boo hoo, my library doesn't have it. will check interlibrary loan, then amazon. thanks for the tip!

amazon.com has it for ~$9.50 used to $13.50 new

i was looking at trailer posts in the utility category and saw one that showed a trailer from bikes at work
( www.bikesatwork.com (http://www.bikesatwork.com) ).

they had a book entitled 'cycling for profit', but was shown as out of print. i contacted them and they suggested
contacting the publisher direct:

http://www.cyclepublishing.com/cyclingbooks/cfp.html (http://www.cyclepublishing.com/cyclingbooks/cfp.html)

they also have a guideline for operating a pedicab/rickshaw business, if interested.