Most interesting or fun bike books you have read
01-20-23, 10:30 PM
#27
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Glad to see the Mid Life Cyclist recommended here. That is a book I have been interested in reading. Thank you.
I thought Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong was a good read.
I thought Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong was a good read.
01-22-23, 08:17 AM
#30
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I'm reading Around the World on a Bicycle by Fred Birchmore. 
Fred is cool.
The most joy-filled bike books I've read in the longest are volumes 1, 2 & 3 of The Boy Who Biked the World by Alastair Humphreys. Yeah, they're children's books...and they put me back in touch with the wonder and awe I felt when I first left my street on my bike.
Fred is cool.The most joy-filled bike books I've read in the longest are volumes 1, 2 & 3 of The Boy Who Biked the World by Alastair Humphreys. Yeah, they're children's books...and they put me back in touch with the wonder and awe I felt when I first left my street on my bike.
01-26-23, 06:18 PM
#31
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Not a single mention. Bummer. It got good reviews.
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02-01-23, 10:56 PM
#32
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Just finished Jens Voigt’s Shut Up Legs. His entire cycling history from the very early days, through multiple wins and crashes to his crowning achievement before retirement. A wonderful, positive story by a fantastic story teller. What a fantastic guy. Highly recommended.
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Last edited by rsbob; 02-17-23 at 04:57 PM.
02-02-23, 09:38 AM
#34
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I am working with a new publisher to get back in print.
02-02-23, 10:04 AM
#35
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I can't remember the title, which may have been as simple as 'Cycling', but the most interesting cycling book I have read (among the very few, so not saying much) was basically a training manual, I think perhaps published by UCI (?). Mine was a large format, maybe 10" by 12" paperback about 5/8" thick with a sky blue cover.
It was very convolutedly translated from Italian to English. I remember in particular one sentence which went something like: "The rider should control the exterior surfaces of the tubular, inspecting for foreign objects which may render its efficiency precarious whilst racing."
Anyone else ever run across this one?
It was very convolutedly translated from Italian to English. I remember in particular one sentence which went something like: "The rider should control the exterior surfaces of the tubular, inspecting for foreign objects which may render its efficiency precarious whilst racing."
Anyone else ever run across this one?
02-02-23, 11:23 AM
#36
Senior Member
He used to write in one of the cycling magazines. I think one of the funniest articles I've ever read was one he wrote about fixing a puncture at the roadside.
02-02-23, 12:40 PM
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You probably have these:
"Diamonds Are Forever"
"How to Sleep on Your Bike"
"Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the Recumbent"
"The Cloud Shouters Guide to Cycling"
"Get Off My Lawn!"
"The Diary of a Mad Bent Rider"
"Cycling for the Balance Impaired"
"Tales From the Darkside: Owning a Recumbent"
"All I Need to Know (About Bikes) I Learned From My Cat"
"Diamonds Are Forever"
"How to Sleep on Your Bike"
"Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the Recumbent"
"The Cloud Shouters Guide to Cycling"
"Get Off My Lawn!"
"The Diary of a Mad Bent Rider"
"Cycling for the Balance Impaired"
"Tales From the Darkside: Owning a Recumbent"
"All I Need to Know (About Bikes) I Learned From My Cat"
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02-02-23, 06:30 PM
#39
Full Member
The World's Fastest Man: The Extraordinary Life of Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned. Not exactly a great literary read, just a story about an era when cycling peaked, time being between the horse and the car. Easy read and the racial component makes it even more interesting. Hey, its Black History Month so give it a try.Did just finish The Mid-Life Cyclist, a bit of a slog untill the second half. Some great training advice for ageing cyclers, although at 69 I'm past mid life and a bit beyond his focus group. Still worth a read.
02-02-23, 07:08 PM
#40
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You probably have these:
"Diamonds Are Forever"
"How to Sleep on Your Bike"
"Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the Recumbent"
"The Cloud Shouters Guide to Cycling"
"Get Off My Lawn!"
"The Diary of a Mad Bent Rider"
"Cycling for the Balance Impaired"
"Tales From the Darkside: Owning a Recumbent"
"All I Need to Know (About Bikes) I Learned From My Cat"
"Diamonds Are Forever"
"How to Sleep on Your Bike"
"Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the Recumbent"
"The Cloud Shouters Guide to Cycling"
"Get Off My Lawn!"
"The Diary of a Mad Bent Rider"
"Cycling for the Balance Impaired"
"Tales From the Darkside: Owning a Recumbent"
"All I Need to Know (About Bikes) I Learned From My Cat"
Last edited by rydabent; 02-03-23 at 01:45 PM.
02-03-23, 12:03 AM
#41
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02-03-23, 04:55 AM
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02-04-23, 09:04 AM
#43
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The World's Fastest Man: The Extraordinary Life of Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned. Not exactly a great literary read, just a story about an era when cycling peaked, time being between the horse and the car. Easy read and the racial component makes it even more interesting. Hey, its Black History Month so give it a try.Did just finish The Mid-Life Cyclist, a bit of a slog untill the second half. Some great training advice for ageing cyclers, although at 69 I'm past mid life and a bit beyond his focus group. Still worth a read.
02-04-23, 09:19 AM
#44
Senior Member
Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation
Gino Bartali is best known as an Italian cycling legend who not only won the Tour de France twice but also holds the record for the longest time span between victories. In Road to Valor, Aili and Andres McConnon chronicle Bartali’s journey, from an impoverished childhood in rural Tuscany to his first triumph at the 1938 Tour de France. As World War II ravaged Europe, Bartali undertook dangerous activities to help those being targeted in Italy, including sheltering a family of Jews and smuggling counterfeit identity documents in the frame of his bicycle. After the grueling wartime years, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, 34-year-old underdog came back to win the 1948 Tour de France, an exhilarating performance that helped unite his fractured homeland.
02-04-23, 10:24 AM
#45
Full Member
Tim Moore has written a number of hilarious cycling books. Two I have read are, The Cyclists Who Went Out In the Cold, about his ride, on a "shopping bike" along the entire length of the old Iron Curtain, and Gironimo, his ride of the torturous route of the 1914 Giro on a 1914 era bicycle, conquering the Italian Alps with only a flip-hub!
02-11-23, 03:14 PM
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Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation
Gino Bartali is best known as an Italian cycling legend who not only won the Tour de France twice but also holds the record for the longest time span between victories. In Road to Valor, Aili and Andres McConnon chronicle Bartali’s journey, from an impoverished childhood in rural Tuscany to his first triumph at the 1938 Tour de France. As World War II ravaged Europe, Bartali undertook dangerous activities to help those being targeted in Italy, including sheltering a family of Jews and smuggling counterfeit identity documents in the frame of his bicycle. After the grueling wartime years, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, 34-year-old underdog came back to win the 1948 Tour de France, an exhilarating performance that helped unite his fractured homeland.
02-17-23, 01:52 PM
#49
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I have only bailed on 3-4 books in my life. I can finish just about anything. This book I could not finish, and I'm a fan of his music. Anyway, if you'd like it, PM me and I'll mail it to you free of charge:
Last edited by RB1-luvr; 02-17-23 at 03:51 PM.
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02-17-23, 03:43 PM
#50
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