26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Guide, May 26, 2009
This review is from: Bike Touring: The Sierra Club Guide to Travel on Two Wheels (Sierra Club Outdoor Adventure Guide) (Paperback)
Raymond Bridge's book, Bike Touring: The Sierra Club Guide to Travel on Two Wheels, is the second, completely revised edition of a book Mr. Bridge originally wrote 30 years ago. In the thirty years since the first edition, some things have changed. We now have Internet forums to discuss our tours, we can track our routes using GPS and the Adventure Cycling Association has mapped out thousands of more miles of routes, but the lure of the open road is still the same.
In this age of Internet wonder, Raymond Bridge has created a book that does the thing that books still do best: he's created a compact, clear guide that condenses a wealth of practical how-to information into a portable, organized form. He explains the various types of bike touring a person might do from commercial tours to roof-to-roof and independent bike camping trips. He discusses a variety of bikes, explaining both fit and function, telling not just what options exist, but why a person might choose one bike or component over another. He explains basic roadside repairs, camping skills and things like the logistics of transporting your bike before and after your tour.
I'm really not the intended audience for a book like this, as I've been traveling by bicycle since before the first edition of this book was new, and yet I still found this book to be wonderfully organized and complete. With a critical eye, I'd find myself asking "yeah, but does he mention alcohol stoves?" Yep, he does, not only mentioning commercial stoves, but pointing his readers to a couple of instruction pages on the Internet for those who like to make their own stuff. This is typical of the book, it is marvelously complete in itself, but it also sends you off on your own journey.
In Bike Touring: The Sierra Club Guide to Travel on Two Wheels, Raymond Bridge has written a marvelous starting point for anyone interested in travel by bicycle. John Lencicki's wonderful drawings are sprinkled throughout the text, adding both clarity and charm to this book. My only complaint with this volume is the cover. This is a book that inspires and enables folks to get out on the road and experience the freedom of two wheels. The text and drawings inside the book capture that far better than the dull photograph of a pannier, water bottle, helmet, map and glove which the Sierra Club chooses for the cover of this book. In this case, don't judge a book by its cover. This one is better. I now have a guide to hand to anyone looking to get out and see the world from the seat of a bicycle.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Comprehensive and Up-to-Date book on Bike Touring, January 31, 2010
This review is from: Bike Touring: The Sierra Club Guide to Travel on Two Wheels (Sierra Club Outdoor Adventure Guide) (Paperback)
I am relatively new to bicycle touring but I have jumped into it with both feet conducting extensive research on the subject including types of bikes, equipement, etc. This is by far the best book for both the beginner and those who want to keep abreast of the changes that have occurred since most of the other books on touring were written. Everything you need to know to select your bike, outfit it and yourself and begin your journey is there. Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
not so useful, February 5, 2011
This review is from: Bike Touring: The Sierra Club Guide to Travel on Two Wheels (Sierra Club Outdoor Adventure Guide) (Paperback)
I got this book in preparation for my first bike tour. I was trying to learn the ins and outs of traveling by bicycle so I could survive my trip from Vancouver to Mexico along the pacific coast. I found most of the info presented in this book to be common sense and rather elementary. I read a few chapters and then returned it. My advice is to save you money and get the details by talking to people who have experience touring. If you are planning on riding the coast, make sure you buy "Bicycling the pacific coast" by kirkendall and spring.
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