biking books

[email hidden] (Libuser) wrote in news:7b060655.0409021728.6be08c57
@posting.google.com:

Quoted message said:

I am wondering if there are good biking books for newcomers.

Zinn's Primer is a good book for beginners. It covers a lot of subject
superficially, but has pointers for more info. Zinn also has some good
maintenance books for beginners.

There are lots of books on bicycle training. The best for you depends on
what you are training for.

Libuser said:

Hello,

I am wondering if there are good biking books for newcomers. I think
Sloane's Complete Book of Bicycling is a good introduction, but it might
be a little bit outdated.

Funny. I've always thought Sloane's stuff was extremely verbose,
rambling and inaccurate.

When he described 700C wheels as being 700 centimeters in diameter, he
lost any chance of impressing me. And he _must_ have gotten paid by the
word.

I like mine though it is not the latest

Quoted message said:

edition. It reminds me of The Complete Book of Running by James Fixx,
quite old but still enjoyable.

About training, books by Ed Burke should be fine. Or Daniels' Running
Formula by Jack Daniels -- aerobic activities are all similar IMHO.

What are your opinions?

Training is pretty specific. You can train the cardio system using many
methods, but if you want to bike, you should be reading about biking.
There's much to learn about bike setup, cadence, pacing, nutrition, etc.
that barely applies to running.

I think Richard Ballantine's books (say, his _21st Century Bike Book)
are quite a bit better than Sloane's. There's one of those "Idiot"
books on bicycling, and it was OK.

If you like a more wide-ranging, magazine-style format, you may like
_Bike Cult_ by Perry. I really enjoyed it - but it seems like it's
better for furthering the interest of a devoted fan, than for teaching a
beginner the basics.

I've got to mention _Effective Cycling_ by Forester. It probably has
more and better information in it than any of the others I've mentioned.
But it's a chore to plow through, partly because it needed a much
stronger editorial hand, and partly because Forester is ... well, let's
say his personality comes strongly through.

For learning to handle yourself in traffic (which is quite important)
it's hard to find a better starting point than _Street Smarts_ by John
Allen. It's available on the web, as well as in print. See
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm

Quoted message said:

Any good books on repairs?

Zinn's stuff is good. _Zinn and the art..._

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

Libuser said:

I am wondering if there are good biking books for newcomers.

I have always liked Richard's Bicycle Book by Richard Ballantine. For
repairs, Zinn is the usual recommendation, although Haynes make a creditable
effort which is much cheaper (may not be available in US). Or you could
always ask the Oracle: http://www.sheldonbrown.com

Don't forget to pick up your copy of Effective Cycling (assuming you are
from Leftpondia) while you're shopping ;-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington
University

"Libuser" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am wondering if there are good biking books for newcomers. I think
Sloane's Complete Book of Bicycling is a good introduction, but it might
be a little bit outdated. I like mine though it is not the latest
edition. It reminds me of The Complete Book of Running by James Fixx,
quite old but still enjoyable.

About training, books by Ed Burke should be fine. Or Daniels' Running
Formula by Jack Daniels -- aerobic activities are all similar IMHO.

What are your opinions?

Any good books on repairs?

I've received many cycling books as gifts from my family. Unfortunately, they
were mostly pretty useless. Web sources are generally better and free. For
repairs, all you should need are Sheldon Brown's and the Park Tool site.