Customer Reviews

Bicycling Magazine's Guide to Bike Touring: Everything You Need to Know to Travel Anywhere on a Bike

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book comes up well short of containing, "Everything you need to know." It might be OK for someone new to biking in general. For instance, it reviews shifting, braking, and basic bike accessories, such as bike shorts and helmets. In fact, most of the book is a recycled hodge podge of general biking info padded with an unbelievable amount of filler. It contains inane questionaires and advice lists that are kind of amusing, but not really helpful. Is Easy Rider your favorite movie? Than they have the tour for you! Trying to hook up on a bike trip? Than don't ask, "Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" I kid you not. This book devotes several pages describing how to do a pushup, a pull-up, and a crunch. With all this fluff, there is very little room leftover for any touring specific information, and rarely gets beyond common sense advice (i.e., pack light). A whole chapter vaguely describes 10 dream bike trips (#10 being your own back yard). This chapter could have been so much better. In the end, it seems like very little effort was put into making this a quality book on bike touring. I was profoundly disappointed. Much better, in my opinion, is, "The Essential Touring Cyclist." If you are interested in self-supported touring, "Adventure Cycle-Touring," is probably the best I have seen, and covers camping, specific brands of touring bikes, etc., etc.

"BICYCLING's Guide to Bike Touring" is an okay book if all you are looking for is generic information on riding a bike, or training to ride a bike. If you are looking for useful details on bike touring, how to select, set up, and use touring gear such as panniers, cargo racks, or even simple hints on bike camping, route selection and planning, or simply being out on the road traveling by bike, it's not here. As the other reviewer has noted, 99% of this book is pure fluff, not specific to touring or camping, and you won't find the information you need to start enjoying this activity in this book. For example, only three paragraphs are devoted to the issue of cargo racks and panniers, and there is little useful info in those three paragraphs. You'll be much better served with "The Essential Touring Cyclist" or the Sierra Club "Bike Touring" guide.

I bought this one based on promise, but was sorely disappointed to find that it's only a general re-hash of general recreational cycling info. I awarded one star solely because Amazon didn't have a choice for zero stars.

If you are preparing for touring, you are surely familiar with the most elementary, basic elements of fitness and cycling that this book covers. The content is superficial at best and often appears hastily prepared. I bought this book in the morning at a local bookstore and returned it in the afternoon, it's simply that terrible.

I am an intermediate level cyclist. I cycle for pleasure, but had not biked more than 40 miles at the time I purchased this book. I bought this to prepare for my first touring excursion (a measly three day trek through MA, NH, and Southern ME). This book has good insight into all the basics - what to pack, what to wear, what to eat, and, perhaps most importantly, how to train. I would recommend it for anyone thinking about touring.

A good book that seems a bit dated without the recognition of web-based planning tools such as googlemaps and google earth.

I found this book to be the most comprehensive, helpful and informative guide for the novice as well as experienced rider. Wether you are looking to start up or tune up their touring experience, I highly recommend it. Also, anyone who may be getting ready to start training or is considering purchasing equipment for some touring. It will give you helpful information regarding the purchase of your equipment, planning trips and even training.