Biking Short Takes: Maintenance, History & Transcendence
By Ben Maclzewski, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI May 19, 2011Bikes have never not been cool. Barbie or badass, everybody has a bike to fit her or his needs. Bikes stand for freedom and vitality—and they epitomize summer vacation and demonstrate the courageous determination of athletes to conquer obstacles within and without. The recent crop of bicycling books has enough adventure for everybody. So grab your citrus-based bike cleaner, de-gunk your derailers, pump up the tires, and find your fun and inspiration, whether outward or armchair bound!
Beaumont, Mark. The Man Who Cycled the World. Broadway. Jul. 2011. c.400p. illus. maps. ISBN 9780307716651. pap. $16. SPORTS
Mark Beaumont is not a fanatical cyclist and admittedly not a writer, but he is an adventurer and a down-to-earth bloke with a cool, self-deprecating wit. This is his chronicle of his successful attempt to crush the Guinness World Record for the "Fastest True Circumnavigation of the Globe by Bicycle," with a journey breaking the 18,000 miles down to 7 Continental Legs. It was recorded in a four-part 2008 BBC Scotland documentary of the same title, so this is as much about the documentary as about his actual trip. Beaumont's natural charisma has a tendency to get lost in dense and wooden prose. The results are more like documentation than a documentary. This is best when Beaumont is quipping about his mini-adventures or run-ins with locals, but it's a bit dry when he succumbs to reporting. The lively accounts, such as his trek from Istanbul to Calcutta, will pop better on the screen. Optional.
Homan, Andrew M. Life in the Slipstream: The Legend of Bobby Walthour Sr. Potomac. 2011. c.280p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781597976855. $26.95. SPORTS
The slipstream of the title refers to the reduced wind resistance that cyclists take advantage of behind their pacers. In Bobby Walthour's case, at the turn of the 20th century, it refers to the extremely hazardous sport of motorcycle-paced racing, by which Walthour made more in 1904 than Babe Ruth did at the peak of his career. He racked up hundreds of victories along with international fame. Had interest in this limb- and life-claiming sport not waned in the States (his European contemporaries became legends, and cycling there thrived), Walthour would be in the pantheon of other American athlete heroes, but instead he and the sport, for decades both top-tier attractions, are virtually forgotten. A sepia-toned portrait of Walthour's fast-paced career in a near unrecognizably paced world, fleshed with in-the-moment verve and fresh detail. Sports fans will find a fascinating story and a missing link in sporting history.
Milson, Fred. Complete Bike Maintenance: For Road, Mountain & Commuter Bicycles. New & expanded ed. MVP: Quayside. 2011. c.192p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780760340257. pap. $21.99. SPORTS
Though the concept hasn't changed-two wheels powered by a human motor-those seeking to give their bikes a spring cleaning may have noticed that the deceptively straightforward engineering is, in actuality, as elusive and precision-based as, well, rocket science. Not just for gear heads, Milson's update doesn't skip a beat, visually or descriptively. He explains ergonomic and safety fundamentals as well as the form, function, and setup for components from braking, gear, and drive systems to chainsets, wheels, bars, and suspension. Milson considers all kids' and adults' bikes, classic and current, as well as brand-specific design, and further breaks down each repair job's tools, time, and level of difficulty. Extremely well illustrated and for all ages, this will be valuable for piecemeal builders, DIYers, or those seeking a bit more familiarity with the open-air vehicle.
Penn, Robert. It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. May 2011. c.208p. illus. index. ISBN 9781608195381. $23. SPORTS
He could drop $5,000 at a big-box store and have a new bike next-day aired, but what's the fun in that? Welsh freelance journalist Penn wanted a bike to grow old with and here writes of fulfilling his dream by tailoring a bike from scratch. Penn shows himself to be a natural storyteller whose understated, easy wit elevates punch lines into epiphanies and ties social studies with tech talk/pop culture to make history feel as cool as trivia. He breezes from Stoke-on-Trent for his frame, to Portland, to Italy, and back to the UK for a saddle; but it's his knack for finding the character behind the parts that truly seasons his travels. A hell of a fun ride tracing the symbiotic relationship of bike and rider, this will have you thinking about how and why you ride. More than the sum of its parts.
Phinney, Davis with Austin Murphy. The Happiness of Pursuit: A Father's Courage, A Son's Love, and Life's Steepest Climb. Houghton Harcourt. Jun. 2011. c.256p. photogs. ISBN 9780547315935. $25. SPORTS
Cyclists are wired differently. Often driven through pain by pain (calling broken collar bones or stitches rites of passage), they turn desperation into motivation and find stores of energy in the recesses of their will. After fighting his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2000, former pro-cyclist Phinney decided to approach the disease the same way he approached racing—by digging deep and battling the "Body Snatcher" head-on. He recounts his racing career (Tour de France sprinter, etc.) and family life in light of Parkinson's with particular focus on his relationship with his father (who battled cancer) and his son, Taylor (a Team USA Olympian cyclist). Essentially writing about identifying what drives you and maintaining perspective through adversity, Davis never sugarcoats his story or swells to proselytizing. With humor and levity, he leads by example and comes off all the more genuine and inspirational.
Ruth, Karen. Bicycling: A Reintroduction : A Visual Guide to Choosing, Repairing, Maintaining & Operating a Bicycle. Creative Pub.: Quayside. Jun. 2011. c.128p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781589236042. pap. $16.99. SPORTS
Riding a bike may be, well, like riding a bike, but the materials and skills associated with biking (bicycle styles, safety gear, security, road rules, tools, supplies, etc.) can still pass you by. If this reintroduction to the phenomenon of bicycling reminds you of a keenly presented primer for children it's because this is an earnest sport. Certain aspects of biking can slip an amateur biker's mind. Yes, there's a nostalgic ring to the idea that there's no such thing as an obvious breakdown, but because certain aspects of cycling don't involve muscle memory we can forget which hand signals mean what, how to patch a tire, or even what to look for when buying a bike. This is an excellent overview, clearly presented with exceptional visual detail—a one-stop primer worth 100 Wikipedia searches—best for hobby cyclists and beginners, or, ahem, re-cyclists.
Southerland, Phil & John Hanc. Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease: From Diagnosis to Dominance. Thomas Dunne: St. Martin's. May 2011. c.322p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780312610234. $25.99. SPORTS
Odds don't mean much to Phil Southerland—diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at seven months old, he faced a prognosis of blindness, kidney failure, and death by age 25—but numbers do. A diabetic athlete is governed by stats and measurements of a different sort: the monitoring of a pinprick, raising and lowering of blood sugar, balancing units of insulin (basal and rapid-acting) with food intake, and energy expulsion. Twenty-eight years later, after an inspired racing career including the twice-traveled grueling Race Across America (RAAM) with his Team Type 1, Southerland offers this inspirational account of his accepting, managing, and surviving setbacks through hard work and passion. Southerland's account, written with Hanc (contributing editor, Runner's World), is humble and leavened with humor yet driven and persistent; this will make for an encouraging read for those living with diabetes, whether or not they are avid cyclists. Includes an action plan for diabetics.
Snyder, Amy. Hell on Two Wheels: An Astonishing Story of Suffering, Triumph, and the Most Extreme Endurance Race in the World. Triumph Bks. Jun. 2011. c.288p. photogs. ISBN 9781600785252. $24.95. SPORTS
The Tour de France is 2,200 miles, spread over 23 days (with two days of rest compulsory), but the Race Across America (RAAM) is 3000-plus miles and takes winners around nine days to complete. Over mountains and through desert, riders average fewer than three hours of sleep per day and endure punishments ranging from hallucinations and organ failure to a condition known as Sherman's Neck, in which neck muscles fail and the head cannot be held upright. Snyder, a former Ironman triathlete, chronicles the 2009 race, which she followed by car. She offers close-ups of rookies, vets, and favorites (about half of the 28 entrants do not finish) on their hyperbolic quest and how they adjust to every changing condition along the way. A fascinating study of determined cyclists, their training, motivation, and subculture, as well as the limits of human performance. For the Junger crowd and those into extreme sports.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Hughes, John & Dan Kehlenback. Distance Cycling: Your Complete Guide for Long-Distance Rides. Human Kinetics. Jul. 2011. c.256p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780736089241. pap. $19.95.
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