+1 bazillion

Neither of those two writers do anything for me.

Too much hubris for my taste.

Fair enough. To each their own, I'm sure they have been talked about plenty on BF, just wanted to share my experience with the books. Doesn't change the fact that for most LBS and cycling marketers I'm not their target audience, thus the total exclusion of anything I'd ever want to ride from recent line ups. Although that has probably always been the case for the weird DIY vintage utilitarian rider....

Oh yes, I remember that chapter too. It sounded like a hoot! Even more that you guys survived those early days. I'll have to look out for that TV show, and pick up Fat Tire Flyer.

J.O mentioned Bike Tribes. Read that last year, a funny book that also deals with stereotypes! Some grains of truth there which is probably why it's funny.

I just finished Mud, Sweat, and Gears by Joe Kurmaskie. Great read, great insight into humanity and being in love. I'm just starting an earlier book of his, Momentum Is Your Friend.

"The Rider" by Krabbe is excellent. Intense, insightful, and brilliantly written, it is a special book.

Ditto. That book basically introduced a 15yo me to a world and sport I had no idea existed.

That is the first book I bought after buying two Fuji S-10-S road bikes back in 1972 - one for me, one for my wife. I built a crude bike stand out of 2x4 lumber and learned how to work on things.

When my 1968 VW Beetle had problems, I bought John Muir's "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive". I kept mine alive until a piston rod decided to go crazy about 200k later.

Here is a link to Robert Penn's one-hour BBC special called "The Ride of My Life." The programme follows the same adventure as the book, It's All About the Bike. Our part starts at 30:00

My own favorites don't include anything about mountain biking.

My friend Andy Homan wrote an amazing tome called Life in the Slipstream; the Bobby Walthour Jr. Story. It's about Six-Day racing at the end of the 19th Century.

Andrew Ritchie wrote a very interesting book on the beginning of bicycle racing, from penny-farthings on the banked track to six-days in the early 20th Century. It's called Quest for Speed.

No Hands: The Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, an American Institution
(Link to Amazon)

I really enjoyed this one too. Learned a lot about the history of the bicycle industry/business. Highly recommended if your interest in bikes includes the business side of the field.

STP

Since I'm probably the only person in this conversation who has actually written a book about bikes, I might as well point out that my publisher has made a couple of chapters of Fat Tire Flyer available online. You can look at them and decide whether you want to spend real money.

Here's a chapter in Dirt Rag

Here's another in VeloNews.

Hi Charlie,

Thanks for the link. I'm going to watch it ASAP.

I was in San Francisco in the hippie days, but for whatever reason, I was entirely oblivious to bicycles in any form. Didn't really think about them until I moved to ABQ, NM four years ago and noticed all the bicyclists riding the roads and the EXTENSIVE single-track trails within walking/biking distance from my house. Now I own a Yeti, a vintage Schwinn Circuit and a Trek Domane! Hooked.

In the Penn book I recognized Steve Gravenites' name--I believe his dad must have been Nick Gravenites, a well-known figure in the music scene in those days. I vaguely remember attending an outdoor concert when he played with Mike Bloomfield--Electric Flag days, IIRC. Also heard your Sons of Champlin many times! Etc., etc. as far as bands goes.

I purchased, read and enjoyed Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking (Amazon link). A very handsome book with lots of pix not to be found elsewherel not to mention the first-hand account of the BIRTH of mountain biking. Well worth the purchase and highly recommended.

Thanks for getting all the fun and some of the craziness of those days down for posterity! Definitely "a long strange trip...."

All the best,
STP

PS: For some reason the link to the video about the Penn Book, as found on Steve Gravenites "Gravy Wheels" site goes to a pulled-down version. You might let him know. And thanks for posting a working one.

My dear wife gave me Bicycle by david v. herlihy. Very C&V as it details the development of the two wheeled vehicle from not only a product development but puts it in context of the condition of society as well. Highly recommend it. I Learned a lot and was surprised in many cases.

After learning more about Mike Magnusson's private life, I tend to read his books with a bit of a hunk of salt. Otherwise, I'd throw in "Miles from Nowhere" and any of the Joe Kurmaskie books.

A well researched, 150 page insight into the history of the early 1900's through the glory days of the North American based riders on the pro "sixers" circuit. Great pictures and background into a surreal bike subculture.The short bio- introduction of author Ted Harper is great short story in itself.Out of print but rumours have floated about another run.

Best book ever written on cycling, hands down, IMHO, is "The Bicycling Book" edited by John Krausz & Vera van der Reis Krausz. It has a lot of short chapters written by different authors who share a real passion for all different aspects of the sport. There are a lot of really cool chapters including one on Klunkers that covers the early days of mtb riding. There is a also a great chapter on winter riding in Finland and another really cool one on Beryl Burton. Hard to find but there is a lot of cool stuff there.

The Herlihy book is excellent, but it barely recognizes the arrival of mountain biking, the biggest development in cycling of the 20th Century.. In the first edition David spelled my name wrong. When he signed my copy, he hand-corrected that page, and in the second printing I see that it has been corrected.

I love the Snobberdoodles blog and books. Always good for some laughs and insight.

I also recommend The Lost Cyclist by David Herlihy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4OcbymqwF8

Yes I haven't finished it yet but have cruised through the last part. It really fall short in addressing more recent history.

That's a shop I'd like to visit the next time I'm in the area! What's the name/location?

My sweetie gave me Herlihy's book Bicycle a year or so ago. Very interesting and informative. But I often found myself wanting more, even if just one detail, on something he glossed over or left out entirely.

In addition to some of the other cycling books mentioned (such as Miles from Nowhere), here are some other good books that I would recommend:

- Metal Cowboy, Joe Kurmaskie
- Travels with Willie, Willie Weir

IIRC you are an ME, if so, I had the same experience! I have had to read it in spurts to get through some of it. The beginning was a little slow for me and the mechanical details and pictures were a little short on subject matter. Although there is a lot of detail of events, I got lost in the timelines due to the jumping around. I am having some difficulty understanding the events on a common time line between countries.

However, the description of the "Bike boom" in America was really good. Had no idea of the magnitude and the extent of how society was impacted (acceptance of change in women's attire due to the bicycle).

Medical Examiner? Mechanical Engineer? Marathon Entrant? None of the above. I'm innocent, your honor.

Yes, Mr. H's descriptions of how the bicycle changed society were quite fascinating.

Guess IDRC!

I think my top 4 in some order would be:
The Rider
A Dog in a Hat
The Lost Cyclist
Put Me Back on My Bike