It's All About the Bike

Author: Robert Penn
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1608195767
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Robert Penn has saddled up nearly every day of his adult life. In his late twenties, he pedaled 25,000 miles around the world. Today he rides to get to work, sometimes for work, to bathe in air and sunshine, to travel, to go shopping, to stay sane, and to skip bath time with his kids. He's no Sunday pedal pusher. So when the time came for a new bike, he decided to pull out all the stops. He would build his dream bike, the bike he would ride for the rest of his life; a customized machine that reflects the joy of cycling. It's All About the Bike follows Penn's journey, but this book is more than the story of his hunt for two-wheel perfection. En route, Penn brilliantly explores the culture, science, and history of the bicycle. From artisanal frame shops in the United Kingdom to California, where he finds the perfect wheels, via Portland, Milan, and points in between, his trek follows the serpentine path of our love affair with cycling. It explains why we ride. It's All About the Bike is, like Penn's dream bike, a tale greater than the sum of its parts. An enthusiastic and charming tour guide, Penn uses each component of the bike as a starting point for illuminating excursions into the rich history of cycling. Just like a long ride on a lovely day, It's All About the Bike is pure joy- enriching, exhilarating, and unforgettable.

Cyclopedia

Author: William Fotheringham
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613734158
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 343

Book Description
If it's on the bike, it's in the book. The world of cycling is one of death-defying feats and obscure mechanical oddities, heroics and geekiness in equal measure. In Cyclopedia, renowned two-wheel aficionado and acclaimed sports writer William Fotheringham delves deep into this world to unearth rare nuggets of amazing facts and enthrallling anecdotes. This essential book is an A-Z compendium of everything you could ever want to know about the bicycle, from the history of the Tour de France to Chris Hoy's dominance of the Beijing velodrome, from the origins of the quick-release system to the diet that powered Graeme Obree to the world hour record, from Lance Armstrong's rise and fall to the slang words used for performance-enhancing substances, from the literature of cycling to the perils of vicious dogs. Cyclopedia has all the equipment, the races, the chases, the faces, the places, the drugs, the sex, and the scandals to convert any amateur cyclist into a fully fledged bike expert.

It's Not About the Bike

Author: Lance Armstrong
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780425179611
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
The champion cyclist recounts his diagnosis with cancer, the grueling treatments during which he was given a less than twenty percent chance for survival, his surprising victory in the 1999 Tour de France, and the birth of his son.

Need for the Bike

Author: Paul Fournel
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 1496220390
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
A book like no other, Paul Fournel's Need for the Bike conducts readers into a very personal world of communication and connection whose center is the bicycle, and where all people and things pass by way of the bike. In compact and suggestive prose, Fournel conveys the experience of cycling--from the initial charm of early outings to the dramas of the devoted cyclist. An extended meditation on cycling as a practice of life, the book recalls a country doctor who will not anesthetize the young Fournel after he impales himself on a downtube shifter, speculates about the difference between animals that would like to ride bikes (dogs, for instance) and those that would prefer to watch (cows, marmots), and reflects on the fundamental absurdity of turning over the pedals mile after excruciating mile. At the same time, Fournel captures the sound, smell, feel, and language of the reality and history of cycling, in the mountains, in the city, escaping the city, in groups, alone, suffering, exhausted, exhilarated. In his attention to the pleasures of cycling, to the specific "grain" of different cycling experiences, and to the inscription of these experiences in the body's cycling memory, Fournel portrays cycling as a descriptive universe, colorful, lyrical, inclusive, exclusive, complete.

Bike Snob

Author: BikeSnobNYC
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452100977
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
“Equal parts critical manifesto and tender mini-memoir about a boy and his bikes” from Eben Weiss, blogger and author of The Enlightened Cyclist (GQ). Cycling is exploding in a good way. Urbanites everywhere, from ironic hipsters to earth-conscious commuters, are taking to the bike like aquatic mammals to water. BikeSnobNYC—cycling’s most prolific, well-known, hilarious, and anonymous blogger—brings a fresh and humorous perspective to the most important vehicle to hit personal transportation since the horse. Bike Snob treats readers to a laugh-out-loud rant and rave about the world of bikes and their riders and offers a unique look at the ins and outs of cycling, from its history and hallmarks to its wide range of bizarre practitioners. Throughout, the author lampoons the missteps, pretensions, and absurdities of bike culture while maintaining a contagious enthusiasm for cycling itself. Bike Snob is an essential volume for anyone who knows, is, or wants to become a cyclist. “This is a social manual that should be bundled with every bike shipped in America.” —Christian Lander, author of Stuff White People Like “I like to think I know a thing or two (or three) about being ruthless and relentless—either trying to win the Tour or fighting cancer. The Snob knows it too. Keeping us dorks in line is tough work. I take pleasure in getting picked on by the Snob, slightly more pleasure in reading his writing, but take the most pleasure punishing his ass (my payback) on the bike either in Central Park or on 9W/River Road. Long live the Snob.” —Lance Armstrong

Pedaling Revolution

Author: Jeff Mapes
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
"From traffic-dodging-bike messengers to tattooed teenagers on battered bikes, from riders in spandex to well-dressed executives, ordinary citizens are becoming transportation revolutionaries. Jeff Mapes traces the growth of bicycle advocacy and explores the environmental, safety, and health aspects of bicycling. He rides with bicycle advocates who are taming the streets of New York City, joins the street circus that is Critical Mass in San Francisco, and gets inspired by the everyday folk pedaling in Amsterdam, the nirvana of American bike activists. Chapters focused on big cities, college towns, and America's most successful bike city, Portland, show how cyclists, with the encouragement of local officials, are claiming a share of the valuable streetscape."--BOOK JACKET.

The Big Book of Bicycling

Author: Emily Furia
Publisher: Rodale Books
ISBN: 160961304X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
The world's authority on cycling provides a comprehensive guide to the sport for cyclists of all levels The sport of cycling has experienced an exciting boom in popularity fueled by Lance Armstrong's success and recent comeback, the popularity of triathlons, rising gas prices, and the need to find a sport that lets people have some fun while they get fit. No one knows more about this boom than the pros at Bicycling magazine. For nearly 50 years, Bicycling has brought its readers the most up-to-date advice on everything from training and gear to nutrition and stories of cycling's greatest stars. Now, for the first time, Bicycling gathers its best advice in The Big Book of Bicycling, a must-have book that cyclists of all levels can refer to again and again for answers to all of their cycling questions. Senior editor Emily Furia and her colleagues have gathered the latest, most useful information on getting started, buying gear, maintaining both road and mountain bikes, training for speed, racing techniques, understanding the rules of the road, and much more. This evergreen book is an invaluable resource for any cyclist who wants to ride their best.

I Love My Bike

Author: Matthew Finkle
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452105642
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
Cycling is about joy. Sure, it takes willpower, strength, and grit, but at its core, being on a bike is all about rejoicing in the greatest transportational invention in history. I Love My Bike is a photographic celebration of the grand kinship of bicycles, a bond shared by millions of people around the world. This distinctive and affordable coffee table book for cyclists collects the best of the stories, photographs, and bicycles encountered by the authors during numerous cross-country photo-journaling trips. Readers will meet longtime messengers and hardcore roadies, casual commuters and weekend day-trippers, tattoo artists and skateboarders, bike builders and first-time owners—all of them in love with their two-wheeled contraptions. With gorgeous full-color photos on every spread, I Love My Bike delivers the trifecta of awesome for any cyclist: cool people, cool photos, and really, really cool bikes.

The Bike Book

Author: Mark Storey
Publisher: Haynes Manuals
ISBN: 9780857331182
Category : Bicycles
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
With the pace of bicycle development moving ever more quickly, this illustrated fifth edition introduces significant changes, including sections on hub gears and the various types of bottom bracket/chainset combinations now available. Easy-to-follow routine maintenance charts and safety checks are featured.

Everyday Bicycling

Author: Elly Blue
Publisher: Microcosm Publishing
ISBN: 1621069370
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Book Description
Everyday Bicycling is your guide to everything you need to know to get started riding a bicycle for transportation. Elly Blue introduces you to the basics, including street smarts, bike shopping, dressing professionally, carrying everything from groceries to furniture, riding with children, and riding in all weather. With its positive, practical approach, this book is perfect for anyone who has ever dreamed of getting around by bike. The new edition also includes information on bicycling with pets, using bike share, and cycling when you have a physical disability.