Here is a list of books I got from various lists (including this one) off bikeforums.net.
"23 Days in July" by John Wilcockson. One of the best "inside the Tour de France" books I've read.
"The American Bicycle" a 200 page picture/text history. Amazing pics of all sorts of interesting early (and lat) designs, etc. Great fun book.
And maybe the best book ever written on bicycle maintenance: Anybody's Bike Book by Tom Cuthbertson.
Around the World on a Bicycle, by Thomas Stevens. Although many people have accomplished this feat, Stevens was the first in 1885 - 1887, and he did it on a penny-farthing.
"The Art of Urban Cycling" by Robert Hurst. Although 246 pages is a LOT of reading (the world needs a good 20 page guide to the art of urban cycling) Hurst does a great job of discussing the issues involved in riding in the mean streets of urban America. If everyone who rides in heavy urban traffic reads and re-reads this book, it will prevent a lot of needless stress, injuries, and even fatalities.
"The Art of Wheelbuilding" Gerd Schraner, 2000
A good blast back in time is "Between My Legs" by Chaim Sil. It's an interesting book in the vein of On the Road by Jack Kerouac or The Drifters by James A. Michener
Bicycle, by David Herlihy
The Bicycle, by Pryor Dodge, Flammarion, publisher, 224 pp., 1996.
"A beautifully illustrated book on the history of the bicycle, based on the author's collection."
http://users.aol.com/pryordodge/index.html
Bicycle Love--one of my favorites
http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Love-S.../dp/1891369458
Bicycles and Tricycles: A Classic Treatise on Their Design and Construction, by Archibald Sharp
Bicycles in war by Martin Caidin. A fascinating look at bicycle use in wartime.
Bicycling Bliss by Portia Masterson. It's a great book on bicycling as wellness. It's a must read. Follow the link above to find out more.
And Bicycling Science 3rd Edition by David Gordon Wilson. Interesting reading if a bit technical.
"Bike for Life" by Roy Wallack and Bill Katovsky. The book includes interviews with "giants" of American cycling, including Gary Fisher, John Howard, Hohn Sinibaldi, Ned Overend, Mike Sinyard, and Jim Ocowicz. The authors make the case for cycling being a 52 week a year activity for anyone between the age of five and a hundred and five (and Mr. Sinibaldi gave THAT goal his best shot).
A terrific book about cycling as part of an active and healthy life, with attention to nutrition, stess reduction, and other health issues.
Bobke II, fun to read but aren't "training manuals"
"Breakaway," Samuel Abt's 1984 book on the Tour. I like this because it was a first American's journalistic glimpse inside pro cycling's culture before it changed to more closely resemble US pro sports.
'Breaking The Chain' by Willy Voet.
"Car Sinister," Robert Silverberg, 1978 SciFi
Catfish and Mandala by Andrew Pham, cycling in Vietnam.
"The Clear Creek Bike Book"
Curious George Rides a Bike, by H.A. Rey
"Cycling" by R.C. Shaw. One sentence is worth the price of the book: "...it is regrettable that many young riders adopt an absurdly exaggerated racing position for normal riding. They do harm to themselves and to the good name of cycling." He added that riding in "a position which is suitable for a cyclist on a racing track...is not...appropriate for a (cyclist) who merely uses his bicycle to ride between home and school and has to share the roads with other forms of traffic."
Because Mr. Shaw passed away about forty years ago, he did not have to suffer through an era where many young riders dress up exactly like Lance Armstrong, and set up their bikes in time trial positions, merely to "race" to Starbucks. It is a pleasure to read a book from an era in old England when MOST adult men rode bikes on a daily basis, and very few confused "riding a bike" with "racing a bike".
"The Cycling Adventures of Coconut Head" Ted Schredd. A guy needs a change, convinces someone to sell all their stuff and ride with virtually no money from BC, down the west coast and circumnavigate the US. Diary style with interesting cartoons.
Another favorite is the new Cycling's Golden Age: Heroes of the Postwar Era, 1946-1967,
Cycling's Greatest Misadventures
'Cycling Health & Physiology' by Ed Burke.
Cycling Past 50
I'm reading Friel's "The Cyclists Training Bible" right now. It's pretty good if you don't have an understanding of periodization and specificity training. But if you're already familiar with those concepts, and how to schedule effective workouts encompassing hard workouts, easy workouts, and rest, then you'll find the book just fills in a few missing holes.
The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle by Frank Berto. The uber bicycle geeks guide to the derailleur. Wonderful history of the development of our drivetrains.
"Delong's Guide to Bicycles and Bicycling" by Fred DeLong. The best book I've seen on bike design, bike fitting, and owner maintainance of a bike.
'Destination Lapland' by Mark Wallington
The author sets off in the late 1980's from St Albans to cycle to Lapland on a second-hand tourer of dubious mechanical sturdiness. The book recounts his travels, the squashed wildlife, the chain failures etc. as he travels towards Newcastle.
Very silly, very light but well worth a read if you come across it (probably long out of print). I'd read a couple of his other travel books (one walking, one boating) and his novel 'The missing postman'. All worth a read when you want something light but well written.
Eddy Merckx. This features LOTS of photos and great biographical information about cycling's greatest riders. One of the best, for certain.
Effective Cycling by John Forester. Forester has an acid tongue (a poison pen?), but this is THE guide for riding in traffic. He also has a website.
īm just now reading The Essential Touring Cyclist by Richard A. Lovett. Pretty good book that I can recommend.
In terms of being a broad based introducatory book about cycling, I thought the Gregg Lemond book, Everything you need to know about cycling is a good read.
'The Fastest Man On Two Wheels - In Pursuit Of Chris Boardman' by Phil Liggett.
Tom Vernon's three 'Fatman ...' books, particularly 'Fatman on a Bicycle' are recommended.
"Free-Wheelin', A Solo Journey Across America," Richard Lovett.
French Revolutions by Tim Moore Very funny account of a British journalist's coverage of the Tour de France.
One of my all-time favorites is Dervla Murphy's "Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle". It's the first in a long series of books about her travels, and describes a trip she took in 1963. It's a great read, and she's a hell of a character. Resourceful, funny, and determined as hell...in some parts of the story it seems like a rare luxury when she actually gets to ride the bicycle, rather than pushing it through monsoon muds or slinging it around her torso as she clambers over a glacier.
She's got a great, understated sense of humor, which seems to get dryer the more danger she's in. ("Until that moment in my life, I had always regarded the thought of being devoured by wolves as faintly humorous." I'm probably not quoting the line exactly right, but the attitude is spot-on. Except she probably said it better.) She encounters all sorts of fascinating people, from royalty to remote villagers who have never seen a bicycle (some of whom then have great examining the bike until they figure out how a drivetrain works and excitedly explaining it to their friends.) She strikes up great friendships with many of the folks she meets, fervently dislikes a smaller number, and has to defend her life against one or two, whom she then punishes by continuing to make dry jokes at their expense for the next few chapters. And then she always moves on to the next section of her trip alone, because she's the only one crazy enough to want to do it.
A lot of the sections are far more poignant now than they would have been when she wrote the book. A large portion of her time was spent exploring Afghanistan, just a few years before the country would become a chew-toy fought over by the superpowers, and then an arena for the theocratic lunatics that both sides had armed. Many of the remote and peaceful places she describes are blasted wastelands now, and many of the people she met probably didn't survive the following decades.
If you give the book a try and enjoy it, there's a lot more where it came from; to this day, she's still touring the world and writing books. But this one has the added charm of watching someone first learning their craft, both as a traveler and as a writer, and it's a great place to start reading her stuff.
"The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles" Jan Heine, 2005
No one going to give a shout for Gracie Goat?
"Half-Wheel Hell & Other Cycling Stories," also by Maynard Hershon.
I loved Heft on Wheels. I'm going to give copies as gifts.
The Horton Collection by Brett Horton, Shelly Horton, Owen Mulholland,
"The Idiots Guide . . . " Much better than I expected, good for filling in holes in knowledge, inculding history and racers, and a really good ilustrated section on some fairly complex repairs.
The Immortal Class by Travis Hugh Culley - the best book on bicycle messengering
Inside the Tour De France: The Pictures, the Legends, And the Untold Stories of the World's Most Beloved Bicycle Race (Hardcover, 2006)
Author: Eric Delanzy
Inside the Postal Bus,
Iron Riders: Story of the Buffalo Soldier Bicycle Corps
'It's Not About The Bike - My Journey Back To Life' by Lance Armstrong.
I read "the Handbook of Competitive Cycling" (by Achim Schimid) and it's realy good for learning how to set up a training schedual. I also asked for the "Noblist Invention" for Christmas, someone on the forums posted a review for It and they seemed to like it. It's about the invention of the bicycle and it has a forward by Lance Armstrong.
Hearts Of Lions: The Story Of American Bicycle Racing by Peter Joffre Nye - the best book on this subject
'In Pursuit Of The Yellow Jersey' by Samuel Abt & James Startt.
"Into The Remote Places" Ian Hibell
"Lance Armstrong's War" Daniel Coyle, 2004
Le Tour is a nice history of the Tour de France.
Major Taylor : The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Racer by Andrew Ritchie.
"The Man Who Loved Bicycles," Daniel Behrman, 1974
Metal Cowboy.
They're fun to read but aren't "training manuals"
'Miguel Indurain' by Noel Truyers.
Miles From Nowhere by Barbara Savage. In 1978 Barbara convinced her husband Larry to bicycle around the world with her - the book is Barb's first person account of this journey thru America, Canada, Europe, Morrocco, Egypt, India and Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. I just finished reading this one for the second time so that I could write a book review about it for my new website.
I seem to remember 'The Missing Postman' by Mark Wallington wasn't a bad novel largely set on a bike.
Need For The Bike by Paul Fournel
You may enjoy,
"Nerves of Steel" by Rebecca "Lambchop" Reilly
It's about cycling as a Bicycle Messenger in various cities. . . Very exciting and informative.
Here's one I've never seen mentioned, Over the Hills by David Lamb.
Lamb is a newspaper writer in D.C. and decides at age 54 to buy a bike and ride from VA to Santa Monica Pier. He's out of shape, a smoker and virtually no riding experience. Becuase writing is his trade it was a very good read and I'll not tell you if he made it or not. His style reminded me a bit of Bill Bryson.
The publisher is G.K.Hall, 1996.
'Off the Rails' about two guys that cycled from western Russia to Beijing over the course of two years. Really good book.
"Off to the Races, 25 Years of Cycling Journalism," Samuel Apt. A wonderful collection of writing and stories. I like anything by Samuel Apt.
On the Trail of Marco Polo by Brady Fotheringham, about a ride from China to India
"Over the Hills. A Midlife Escape Across America by Bicycle," David Lamb.
"The Paterek Manual" because of it my first frame was straight, sound, and safe.
"Pushing the Limits" by John Howard and Peter Nye. The story of John Howards career, focusing on the period from 1968 to 1978, when he was America's leading road cyclist. It is a good overview of American cycling in the "bike boom" when more Americans bought road bikes than in any decade in history.
Amen to that. I thought I was the only who had ever even heard of this book....let alone read it. Howard was a monster and still competitive for his age.
A great read and tribute to one of the pioneers when cycling in the U.S. was even lesser known than it is now.
'Put Me Back On My Bike' by William Fotheringham.
"The Race" by Davie Shields. Relatively new author, and a cyclist to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed them; if you're looking for something cycling related to read between Tour de France stages, I can recommend these.
I posted some praise on his website and asked about sequels, and got a nice reply in a couple hours.
"Richard's Bicycle Book" by Richard Ballantine. Many editions between around 1970 and 1995. It is fun to compare editions, as Richard's attitude changes over the decades. In 1970, road bikes were the ONLY bike to buy...then he fell in love with 'bent's, then he became passionate about mountain bikes.
the rider
My well-worn copy of the The Rider sits on my bookshelf waiting for it's next read. Next to it is French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France by Tim Moore.
'Rough Ride' by Paul Kimmage.
Paul Kimmage, a domestique in the 1980s (and now a respected journalist) during the glory days of Irish cycling when Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche were winning everything in sight wrote a book called Rough Ride. Its viewed by many as a classic but he was ostracised by most of cycling world for his tales of doping. Of course 10 years after the books publication we find out half the pro cycling world was doping.
The Santa Fe Trail by Bicycle by Elaine Pinkerton. A good travelogue of the 1200 mile trip from Santa Fe, New Mexico to New Franklin, Missouri.
Serious Cycling
http://www.amazon.com/Serious-Cyclin...4190795&sr=8-1
Slow Coast Home (tour around the coast of Britain) Josie Dew's travelogs are a lot of fun.She has a lively writing style and is amazingly fearless as she sets off solo & fully loaded on her Roberts tourer- highly recommended!
try smart cycling by arnie baker
Spokesongs by Willie Weir. This book is a collection of public radio commentaries written by Willie while he was bicycle touring thru India, South Africa, and the Balkans. I almost didn't buy the book because those are 3 places I had absolutely zero interest in - but Willie's writing is truly excellent and this book is GREAT! So good that I have read this book 3 times and loaned it out twice.
"Tales from the Bike Shop," Maynard Hershon
"Tales From the Toolbox," Scott Parr, 1996
If you liked Bike for Life and Heft on Wheels (two of my favorites), then try Ten Points by Bicycling editor, Bill Strickland. A great story about cycling and psychology, overcoming one's inner demons through sport. A very good read, especially for the older cyclist.
The Third Policeman by Flann OBrian is must for any literate cyclist.
"Three Men on the Bummel " is about three Englishmen on a bicycle tour of Germany in 1900 and it's hilarious. Current paperback versions are bundled with "Three Men in a Boat and it's even funnier. Read both.
"The Tour" by Davie Shields. Relatively new author, and a cyclist to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed them; if you're looking for something cycling related to read between Tour de France stages, I can recommend these.
I posted some praise on his website and asked about sequels, and got a nice reply in a couple hours.
The Tour Baby DVD you definitely have to check that out.
The Tour De France by Christopher Thompson is an interesting look at the cultural history of the Tour.
Very straightforward, factual look at the Tour; if you're looking for something with some emotion, look elsewhere.
Eric Newby - 'Travels round Ireland in Low Gear' is good
Travels in a strange State (adventures in the US) Josie Dew's travelogs are a lot of fun. She has a lively writing style and is amazingly fearless as she sets off solo & fully loaded on her Roberts tourer- highly recommended!
Wheels of Chance by H.G. Wells (yes. That H.G. Wells ) An amusing tale of bicycle touring in England of the 1890's
Wind in my Wheels (compilation of travels from Iceland, Bulgaria, Morroco etc) Josie Dew's travelogs are a lot of fun. She has a lively writing style and is amazingly fearless as she sets off solo & fully loaded on her Roberts tourer- highly recommended!
The wonderful ride: Being the true journal of Mr. George T. Loher who in 1895 cycled from coast to coast on his Yellow Fellow wheel by George T Loher. A tour from San Fransico to New York on a 'safety cycle'
Picked up Zinn's Road Cycling Maintenance book last week and am loving it. I am just about as mechanically UNinclined as one can be, yet had no problem fixing my bike up after a fall. Great book!
Ken Kifer's List
http://www.cadence90.com/spincycle/bikebooks.htm