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Its All About The Bike... (2000)

by Robert Penn(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

review 1: Without a doubt, Robert Penn is a great writer. However, this book failed to catch my attention due to its highly technical nature. This is not a criticism – if you’re into learning about what every piece of the bicycle is called, what it does and its history, then this is the right book for you. Personally, I would have been more interested in reading a book with more of an emphasis on the author’s travels on his bicycle and less emphasis on the angle of the handlebars, but hey, that’s not what this book is about. I really did enjoy the beginning of the book, when the author delves into the history of the bicycle and its impact on human civilization – definitely fascinating and worth a read just to understand that although bicycles are routinely dismissed today ... moreby the average person, they were once a huge step forward in transportation and a BIG DEAL. One thing that is a criticism, though, is the lack of images in the book. The bulk of this book is devoted to talking about parts of the bike, but it’s hard to understand what the author is describing without images to accompany the words. There a few images scattered here and there, but it’s simply not enough, especially when the author gets nitpicky about the parts he’s discussing. I think I would have found the book more interesting had more things been illustrated for me, because after a while I found it tiring to have to imagine all the parts of the bike in my head, and I wasn’t even sure if I was getting it right. Note: I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program.
review 2: I have been cycling and building bikes for two decades. So for probably close to two years, I have ignored this book at the library. A friend, and fellow cyclist at work recommended that I give it a shot. It was well worth the read. Frankly, I don't care about the early history of the bike. But to read about Penn's cycling adventures across the globe (something I would have like to read more of) and his visits to factories (my favorite being the Chris King factory) I found very interesting. less

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