I've read a few books on the Tour de France and especially like the ones about the mountain climbs but would like more information(and pictures!!) of the bikes used in these old races.

I did find a CD that contains 17 books in .pdf format. One of them is "The Modern Safety Bicycle" and was written in 1900. The author wasn't going to say much about the new fangled free wheel since it was so new and the technology hadn't been worked out. New bikes were using 22 gauge steel (~.7mm) and often breaking during the welding process. A new process introduced by the Patent Butted Tube Co. of Birmingham is viewed as a step in the right direction. (Previously, sleeves were fitted to the outside or inside of the tubes for added strength) Even back then, they had monocoque frames of cast aluminum.






Does anyone have any good books on cycling to recommend?