Complete Bike Book [Hardcover]

Chris Sidwells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2003

Covering all kinds of bicycles, types of riding, basic and advanced maintenance and repair, as well as the best techniques for riding on and off road, the Complete Bike Book is the ultimate guide for any bicycle enthusiast. Following the groundbreaking success of DK's best-selling Richard's Ultimate Bike Book and Bicycle Repair Manual, this fully illustrated features detailed pages of step-by-step riding techniques and maintenance, as well as anatomical spreads on every type of bike showing exactly how parts fit together.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

All cycling enthusiasts, from beginners to would-be Tour de France competitors, will want to consult this book again and again. The author begins with a short history of the bicycle, charting its evolution from a simple two-wheeled machine propelled by foot power (the draisine, patented in 1817) to today's ultramodern, high-tech vehicle. Individual chapters discuss such matters as proper cycling attire, how to teach a child to ride, how to tailor your diet to maximize its effectiveness, and how to maintain and repair your bike. But the book's showpiece is its bike gallery, a series of detailed photographs describing each and every conceivable variation on the two-wheeler theme. The whole is copiously illustrated, but this section, which runs to nearly 40 pages, is simply beautiful. The book is perfect for newbies, for someone who cycles to work, and for the off-roader, the racer, and the person who sees cycling as a healthy workout. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Chris Sidwells is a cycling enthusiast, a racer of road, mountain, and motocross bikes, and a regular contributor to Cycle Sport magazine and other cycling publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1 edition (April 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789493373
• ISBN-13: 978-0789493378
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so complete, August 25, 2003

By 

Frank Forrest "Quasar" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Bike Book (Hardcover)

The Complete Bike Book falls short of the book's title. The book is lavishly illustrated with color photos on virtually every page. As an informal treatment on the subject of bicycling, it does an average job. While the book tries to cover everything from road biking to mountain biking, the information is scarce and only provides thumbnail glimpses of each topic that is covered. Most of the photographs seem rather dark and underexposed. This may be a result of the publisher not keeping an eye out on quality control. This book is rather expensive and thin. For the price of this book, you would probably do better to purchase "Richard's 21st Century Bike Book" which does a much better job of covering bicycling.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An expensive "Coffee Table" book, August 17, 2003

By 

Cyrstal Lane (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Bike Book (Hardcover)

This book has lots and lots of pictures but is more of a coffee table book than a serious bicycle book. It tries to cover all sorts of topics about biking but in doing so, it dilutes each subject that it covers. The Complete Bike Book is well illustrated but low on indepth information. If you like nice picture books, this may be a good purchase, but considering the price and the rather skimpy content, I would seriously consider another book about bicycles.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good!, June 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Bike Book (Hardcover)

This is one of those flashy books full of bright color photos on every page. The subject matter is divided into about 100 topics. Each is covered in a two-page spread, no more, no less. (All the news that fits, we print.) Surprisingly, the rigid structure works. The author has brief, quality content on each topic. He addresses selection among the different types of bicycles, basic techniques for off-road and on, health and fitness issues, racing skills, maintainance, et al. If you are looking for breadth, not depth, this is a good introductory/intermediate level book.