Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling

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

 

 

This wonderful book cover every aspect of bicycling---from which bike to buy to becoming an expert racer and everything in between. It leads the reader through getting a bike at a fair price, to how to ride it and enjoy once they have it.

Just five months ago the only thing I knew about bicycling was that I envied the people I saw on the local trails and bike paths; they were obviously having fun and I wanted to join in. This book helped me through the process of visiting the local bike shop to choose a bike without feeling like, well, an idiot. It also made it very clear that the bike itself was only the beginning, that the array of accessories displayed around the bike shop really could make my bike experience safer and more fun.

Thanks to this book, the riders of the local Sunday morning "bagel & coffee crew" have welcomed me to the fold. And my skills and knowledge have progressed to where I'm confident enough to help out the newcomers.

All in all it helped me to advance from truly being an "idiot" about bikes, to being able to call myself a "cyclist."

I'm a 30-something adult getting into cycling for the first time, and I found this book to be a very good starting point.

It's written in a very accessible, friendly tone that makes it easy to pick up and start reading anywhere in the middle. I found myself going back to this book first whenever I pondered a new cycling topic. The breadth of coverage in this book is quite good: I found answers to most of my questions here.

Informative sections:
. discussions of the different types of bikes
. in-depth description of the different parts of a bike + maintenance procedures
. introductory information on a broad range of topics, including some tips on riding, rules of the road, nutrition and hydration, and finding the right size for a bike

Very useful sections (for the beginner):
. discussion of gears
. lists of must-have equipment

Cons:
. some missing topics (nitpicking example: nothing much on racks for your bike). I also found myself looking for more on city street riding tips.
. goes on a bit about cycling history at the beginning. (This may be a "pro" to you.)

If you're a complete newbie, you'll find about 85-90% of your immediate questions answered here, and I would heartily recommend this book. If you're going to take up cycling, you should at least know what's covered in this book.

If you're a seasoned cyclist, then you don't need this book.

If you are completely, totally new to cycling, (duh Mark, that's who this book is aimed at...) this book is better than absolutely nothing.... but I strongly recommend you put off buying this book and head to either --your local bicycle shop (LBS), --or local library before you spend money on this book.
At the LBS, look for bicycling books from Bicycling magazine, Greg LeMond, or Gene Sloan. Ask a salesperson what book they would recommend, (dont worry - most will not push you into buying a bike, but if they do, leave and go someplace else!). Borrow a few from the library, esp. Greg Lemond's books, and then determine what you need to learn more about. THEN, go hunting for a book addressing that topic. Better yet - GO RIDING with a local club, you will learn more on your first 25 mile ride than all the books in the world can tell you!
(You are not ready for Chris Carmichaels books, wait until you have done your first century or your bikes odometer shows 500-1000 miles.)

As an experienced cyclist, but one that *never* forgot what is was like to be a newbie, I read this book out of curiosity, hoping I could recommend it to the various people who ask me for advice on what bike to buy, whether to ride mountain vs road, what clothes and accessories are essential and what can wait, etc. I found several errors, including bad labels for parts in diagrams. I found the advice weak and general (a little too much common sense passed off as specific advice on starting out). I kept finding myself saying "...ok and what is the conclusion, what are they recommending?" and "...that's bad advice or out of date...".
This book is not in the same league as "The Idiots Guide to Running" which was written by an expert athlete who knew how to address the issues of newbie's.

The complete idiot's guide to cycling is really appropriate for, well, a bicycle idiot. That's me. I buy my bikes at WalMart and Target. I like the cool basket on the front with the flower. I don't change gears, gears are for people who can put chains back on. That is all behind me now! I know what the different sized Chain Rings (lingo alert!) do, and which ones I want the chain on while I'm gasping up some hill. I adjusted the seat! Now my knees don't slap me in the chin on the upswing. And I bought a helmet and started wearing it, IMMEDIATELY. Survival of the smartest don't you know. If you are like me, and you want to be like Lance, this is a good place to start, along with your local professional bike shop...and some bucks!

I was very happy with the results. I received the book in record time and it looked brand new.