Customer Reviews

Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route from Coast to Coast

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

 

 

If you are looking for information about a potential route to ride across North America, then this book is decent. There are small maps that are likely useful (although a bit too small), and admittedly very detailed descriptions of a route that is completely possible for an average cyclist. There are additional comments about the areas you are passing through, tips for food and lodging, and some advice about things like fixing saddles and replacing tires when they wear out.
However, if you are looking for an interesting narrative of a trans-American journey (which is what I was looking for when I bought this book), keep shopping. I have given up reading halfway through the book. The writing is banal and full of tired cliches and overused phrases, and the whole book is badly in need of an editor. Here's a couple of winners from around page 110, where I finally gave up:
"The vastness is almost mind-boggling for a city person." (This is what they mustered up to describe New Mexico near Albuquerque.)
and "It's truly a window into the golden era, giving you a 'deja vu' of a time warp from a Star Trek episode." (I mean, what does this sentence even mean?)
The book is full of stuff like this. You get the feeling that they made some notes in a notebook, with a side comment saying "more detail later" and when it came time to write the book just couldn't remember exactly how things felt. So, good enough, huh?
I don't want to criticize too much, because the book has some value as a detailed guidebook with passable maps (did I mention they really are a bit small to be useful?). And I do envy the Christians for what they accomplished - something that I hope to do sometime soon, although following a more meandering route. But the book really could have been published as a series of maps with some side notes and not lost a thing.
As for me, I'll be looking elsewhere for either a better narrative or a decent set of maps with a bit more detail. If I find either of those - and I'm pretty sure I will - I'll be recycling this book pretty quickly.

This book gives me hope that I might yet embark on the bicycle trek of my dreams. The authors share anecdotes and opinions along with ample details of their impressive (at any age), journey across North America.

Lue and Shannon Christian's road trip adventure, published as Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route From Coast To Coast, begins in Fresno, California and picks up Route 66 to Illinois, and then travels through Indian and Michigan, then on into Canada, finally finishes up in Quebec City. The Christians averaged 53 miles a day, totaling over 3700 miles in all, and with very little climbing. But it is much more than just a pleasant travelogue adventure, it also services as a superlative planning guide for others seeking their own sense of wonder in a cross-country trip by bicycle. By following their established routes, fellow travelers can enjoy the sights and pleasures the Christians found when they made their three month journey. Cycling Across North America is valued and pleasurable reading for armchair travelers, and a "must" for anyone seeking a successful and memorable cross-country bike trip of their own.

My husband and I are planning a cross-country bike trip on leisurely and scenic routes. We were looking for a book that would provide solid, useful and practical information and good diagrams/maps on the routes. I read the reviews, and thought this book would be ideal. However, when I got the book and started reading it, I was utterly disappointed. The "maps" are small, and look like child-stick-figure diagrams: "you are here X." The directions are so useless: L on motel, R on gas station, X restaurant, big hill bad road... The whole freakin book is like that. Oh my God... I never, ever returned anything before because it was not worth the hassle. However, this book... I tried and tried to appreciate it over a period of few days, but I just couldn't. It was such a waste of money. I was embarrassed to own it. So, I returned it, despite the hassle.

At age 36, I would love to be able to do a ride such as this, but would never have the time to plan it. But, now I have the dream of one day doing this ride with the help and inspiration of the Christian's guide. Hopefully, I won't have to wait 'til my spouse is 60...maybe we can take our passel of kids and see America sooner than that.

This guidebook has so much detailed information on what the ride is like, where to stay and where to eat. I half-way expect to have the names of all the host families.

A long needed guide for the recreational cyclist to make a safe journey across a great country!

Cycling accross country is something I plan on doing some day. This book gives you a detailed route on where to go. The authors are alot older then I am which gives me hope of doing this in the next couple of years. Over all the book has great information, equal to anything you can find on the web. Which is one of the reasons I bought it. The only comment I would have would be to add even more editorials and personal ramblings on the things they saw and did.

This new book by the Christians is well written, easily understandable, with their special form of dry humor laced throughout. I am not a cyclist, but am interetested in cross-country travel and their book, complete to a fault, also works well for people who would like to explore America by car, motorcycle or Motorhome.

The wisdom of their preliminary scouting trip as descibed paid off in this being a usable carry-along whenever one heads out across America. The Route 66 information makes it valuable for junkies of that historic highway.

The maps are detailed and understandable, and the elevation changes are marked so those on two wheels can plan their days.

This will make a good bookshelf reference for all travelers!