pgjackson

If you had to recommend one road cycling book to someone, what would it be? I'm trying to learn as much about the sport as I can and my eyes hurt from looking at forums and internet sites all day. I'm an old-school reader. I prefer an actual book.

I picked up cycling primarily as a substitute to running. I do it for the fitness aspect of the sport...but I'd really like to do some road races eventually. I'm interested in training programs, cycling skills, and equipment maintenance. Not real interested in cycling personalities or race stories.

ALLSTOTT

"Serious Cyclist" is a pretty good book and so is "The Ultimate Ride"

Blackdays

Roadie.

ILUVUK

easy...The Rider, by Tim Krabbe

maybe not the best read for your intended purposes, but the best nonetheless.

as an alternative, i'd recommend Roadie. it will teach you a lot.

pablosnazzy

i liked "french revolutions" by tim moore. funny, interesting, great book i think. i know it's not what you are looking for, but it is still a great book about cycling.

what you are looking for is the cyclists training bible
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193...SIN=1934030201

or serious cycling
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/073...SIN=073604129X

but they aren't as interesting.

EventServices

I'll be honest. I read Krabbe's "The Rider". It's good in its own realm, but it's not something you can give to a new rider. There's so much nuance. A new rider has no frame of reference. We point to it because it speaks our language deeper than most. But if you don't know the language...



By the way, I love this type of thread.

thesmoothdome

Dog in a Hat is a good read also.

Commodus

This is my favourite. But it's really about the world of pro cycling, not really what you're looking for.

pgjackson

Just ordered the Cyclist Training Bible. Thanks.

halfspeed

You can choose training or maintenance. Not both in one book. Friel's Cyclist Training Bible for training and, well, sheldonbrown.com for maintenance.

ILUVUK

i agree. The Rider is not the best for a new cyclist. From an entertainment point, The Rider is the best cycling book i've ever read. the new cyclist will benefit GREATLY from Roadie!

Nachoman

Roadie was the most fun read.

RunningPirate

"Curious George Rides a Bike" [rimshot]

tuxbailey

I really love the "The Rider" book. One of the best books I have read, cycling related or not. But it is best if you read the Roadie first then a lot of terms in the Rider will be self explanatory. Not to mention that it makes watching bike races on TV more enjoyable.

I have let my friends and co-workers borrowed these two books and whether they ride or not they thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

I_Like_Bike

I found this book very helpful.

pgjackson

I will check this out next.

canthidefromme

super fail! in terms of maintenance, besides the park tool website, zinn has been the most helpful for me

2ndGen

A) Thanks to the OP for this thread. I've been looking into picking up a good cycling book to read.

B) I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this movie...
(not a book, I know, but it looks like it would've been a great "read" on it's own):

2ndGen

"The United States of Delirium: A Book About The Race Across America"

(I think I've found my book along with all the other suggestions here)

Rocket-Sauce 

Lots of good suggestions here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght=must+reads

Blackdays

You expect me to read the whole post?

Wesley36

+1. The Bicycling Magazine maintenance guide is pretty good as well. I would say it is a toss-up between Zinn and Bicycling, except that Zinn has torque specifications at the back of his books.

thesmoothdome

Yeah, sorry about that. Couldn't be bothered with actually reading the rest of the OPs post. Saw book recommendation, made one. FWIW, I find Dr. Seuss' Oh the Places You'll Go to be an excellent read as well.

hhnngg1

THE RIDER is by far the best bike-racing allegory out there. Not a training book, but one that tells the story about a race and how it unfolds. You can re-read it dozens of times and still get stuff out of it. Incredibly, it's excellent even from a literary standpoint, and would hold up to scrutiny even in a literature-type class (not that you want that) despite being accessible.

I read ROADIE - probably good for a newb, but I was bored silly as even an intermediate-beginner cyclist, especially after having read THE RIDER. But as a newb, it's good.

I still haven't found a training oriented book I've liked. Probably a lot of this is because most cycling training books revolve around the use of PowerTaps ($$$) which I don't have, and thus end up being insanely complicated to translate to non-PT using.

Ironically, using your running routine and swapping time/intensity for cycling is probably your best bet for starters. Once you get used to pushing hard on the bike, a sprint-type DVD like Spinervals is excellent, as cycling does require leg power/strength that isn't emphasized in running.

And weirdly enough, running itself crosses over excellently to cycling. If you're strong on the run, you will definitely be strong on the bike. I think the weight-bearing nature of running and lack of coasting keeps it honest. Not to say cycling is easier than running (it's not) but there's more room with cycling to ease off and still cover distance.

jfmckenna

Lemonds book is a good read for old school training that holds up very well by today's standards. I never heard of 'The Rider' but your review has sparked my interest.