It is All In regards to the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels
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Robert Penn has saddled up practically each day of his grownup life. He rides to get to work, to wash in air and sunshine, to journey, to buy groceries, and to remain sane. He is no Sunday pedal pusher. So when the time got here for a brand new bike, he determined to tug out all of the stops and construct his dream machine.
It is All In regards to the Bike follows Penn’s journey, however this e-book is greater than the story of his hunt for two-wheeled perfection. En route, Penn brilliantly explores the tradition, science, and historical past of the bicycle. From the UK to California, through Portland, Milan, and factors in between, his trek follows the serpentine path of our love affair with biking. On the way in which to constructing the right bike, Robert Penn brilliantly explains why we journey.
Writer : Bloomsbury USA; Reprint version (April 24, 2012)
Language : English
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 1608195759
ISBN-13 : 978-1608195756
Merchandise Weight : 2.31 kilos
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.85 x 8.2 inches
Clients say
Clients discover the e-book an pleasant and galvanizing examine bicycle historical past. They respect the craftsmanship and high quality of bicycle elements described within the e-book. The creator writes in an entertaining and witty fashion that’s expertly written for bikers. Readers respect the detailed info on constructing a motorbike, together with the analysis and explanations of assorted components. They describe the method as delicate and value each minute.
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10 reviews for It is All In regards to the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels
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Original price was: $17.00.$13.98Current price is: $13.98.
Birdlandbill –
A Man and His Bicycle
Mr. Penn brings to this book great breadth of experience in the saddle, having cycled to some of the most amazing places on the planet. He retains the sense of wonder anyone who has ridden a bicycle has when they first achieve the wonder of moving forward without support on this most amazing two-wheeled vehicle. The bicycle is truly the most wonderful and efficient human powered machine ever developed and we are still learning about the physics of its self-stabilizing qualities. The author takes us on an adventure, grounded in his pragmatic sense of what works and what doesn’t for the quotidian rider, as he pursues his dream bike, one that isn’t off the shelf and that is based upon insight into the history, tradition and artisanal qualities of bicycle component production. He brings the reader along on an adventure any cyclist with a sense of wonder would enjoy, meeting the current generation of artisanal component producers. Before we meet these amazing people, we are treated to the history of the relevant component, from origins to evolution through both utilitarian and bicycle racing uses. He obtains the component of interest during a visit, frame from Brian Rourke at Stoke on Trent, headset from Chris King in Portland, OR, wheels from Gravy in Fairfax, CA, tires, steaming hot just after vulcanization from Hardy Bolts of Continental in Korbac, Germany, saddle from Brooks in Manchester…, you get the idea. Your sense of appreciation for each component of the bicycle will deepen after you read each of these engaging sections. You begin to see why the bicycle was initially greeted with the same fanfare and production facilities as the automobile later was. You also more deeply appreciate how remarkable and utilitarian this machine is. The health of the artisanal side of the industry is great news for the future of the bicycle.As interesting as each of these sections are, though, the best part of the book is the infectious sense of pleasure Mr. Penn can’t seem to help but convey with each meeting and with his bicycling. This is remarkable given some of the hair-raising adventures he’s been on with a bicycle. He makes you want to get out and get it going on your own bike and to hope that maybe, if you play your cards right, you will one day put together your own dream machine.Highly recommended. Easily the best bicycle book I’ve ever read. Ride on, Mr. Penn. Ride on.
Thistle 746 –
An interesting history of the bicycle.
Kudo’s to the author for filling a niche on the bookshelves of bicycle lovers everywhere. Robert Penn pulled this off with class, humor and passion. The writer begins with his quest of building the perfect bicycle – perfect (in the eyes of the author) is a bike made with craftsmanship, attention to detail and using the finest of components. He starts with the frame and progresses to the headset, wheels, seat, tires and gearset. As each component is built, Penn takes the reader on an interesting and well written foray into the technical history of each item, its application and source. Penn leads us on factory tours throughout Europe and the United States with never a dull moment. Reading of the wheel build is almost zen-like in its presentation and you can almost feel the ambience of the Brookes leather factory in Birmingham. I loved it. This is all interspersed with a smattering of Penns own bicycling history – the round the world tours, his commutes and adventure travels.As the book neared its end, I found myself wanting more however. An extra star would have been awarded for a write up of that first ride. And pictures… Why could’nt the author give us a few glossy images of this delightful steed. These small additions would have complemented an otherwise fantastic and intriguing book. Overall, though, a great read and a well researched book.
J. Chaney –
Excellent quick read
I bought this book based on a review in The Economist that made it look interesting. I’m not a bike nut, though I have one and ride it a couple times a week. This book, though, is not written for the bicycle fanatic, but for a layperson for whom bikes are, and have always been, part of the background of life. There’s detail on the origins and development of the bike, along with enough — just enough — insights from the author’s experience to make it not a sterile read. It’s also interesting to meet the people involved in various aspects of the bicycle business, from mountain-bikers in Marin County to handlebar manufacturers (who knew there was so much technology in a handlebar?) in Italy. There’s also enough here, in terms of content and accuracy, to make it of interest to people who ARE already knowledgeable about road bikes: two of my friends who are competitive road biciclists have read it with enthusiasm. So, all in all, a pleasure to read, and over way too soon.
spin156 –
a wonderful read for anyone who loves bikes
Having worked in bike shops and then for a wheel manufacturer for a few years I have a little more insight into these machines then the average rider. I like to build my own bikes. None of them are stock and a couple of them were built from scratch, except for the frames. Anyone who rides bikes for a while is going to start doing some customization of some sort to make the bike perform better or make riding it more comfortable or prettier or whatever. The end game for this endeavour/hobby/obsession is to get a bike built from scratch, and this is the basis for Robert Penn’s book. He sets out to build his ultimate road bike and describes his visits to the makers of major components. He picks the brains of these craftsmen and find out why their particular products are the objects of desire for so many enthusiasts and professionals. Cleverly interspersed with these visits is, literally, the history of the bicycle and also some tales of Penn’s own round the world ride. Penn does a great job of telling this cycling history. He keeps it fun and relevant to his own pursuit of building his perfect ride. I own many books about bicycles and this is easily my favorite read of them all. I loved it. I cannot recommend a book on cycling any higher than “It’s All About the Bike”. Thanks for a wonderful read, Robert. Cheers.
Fred –
I am not sure
Guess it is safe to say that this book has a very limited target audience. You probably have to be really, like really really, a bike fetishist to fully appreciate this piece of work. As such it is not bad at all. It is just that normal people probably give up after reading half of the book.
Peter –
Es hat einfach nur Freude gemacht, das Buch zu lesen.
VT –
The title says it all! Anyone whoâs new to biking should read this. It details everything and anything related to bikes. For example, evolution of bikes, training schools for learning bikes in the olden days, key components of a bike – how some have never changed and most have undergone changes for robustness. The historical perspective and the modern advances will wow any biking enthusiast! By the end of this book, you will start appreciating a simple bike for its origin, history and use.
F. VALDES Perezgasga –
Es un libro de lectura fácil, amena. Aprendà muchos datos sobre la bici cuando ya me creÃa que lo sabÃa todo.A través de su odisea de hacerse de la mejor bici posible, el autor nos va iluminando sobre la historia de la bicicleta y de cada uno de sus componentes. Lectura fascinante y muy recomendable.
Alain –
Great book if you’re a fan of custom made bicycles. Reads like a novel. But if not, you may get bored with it. I liked it.
Valvert –
Un incontournable pour sa valeur spirituelle et historique