The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle (3d Ed. 2009) [Hardcover]

Frank Berto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

Unlike other bicycle history books, which cover only the first 100 years, this book deals extensively with the second century of bicycle development. It traces the development of the modern derailleur bicycle from its crude beginnings right up to the most modern mountain bikes and road racing bicycles.

This thoroughly updated and expanded edition includes over 150 additional illustrations and hundreds of text corrections and updates, ranging from details of 19th century predecessors of the derailleur to brand new 2009 product introductions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Author Frank Berto has crafted this tome (...) into more than just a series of data -- it's a story. There's plenty of drama, wit, and yes, even romance (...) Like any good author, Berto keeps his text sharp and, considering some of the designs he deals with, remarkably clear and easy to readThe Dancing Chain should have a home on every keen cyclist's book shelf. This revised edition presents updates and some revisions and is as up-to-the-minuet as a book can be. --Trevor Creighton, Australian Cyclist, Sept/Oct 2005

(A)ll the history, the fundamentals, and the reasons for continual changes in design... --David Gordon Wilson, Human Power, June 2001

(T)rust me on this one: The Dancing Chain is a must. --Gabe Konrad, On the Wheel, October, 2001

A few years ago, searching a bookshop for anything to interest a cyclist could be a forlorn business. Many stocked not a single volume, others could provide you with a couple of ill-conceived guides to cycling in this or that part of the country, but little else. Today, my local Waterstones devotes two whole shelves to bicycling books. Writers like Richard Moore and William Fotheringham are carving out entire careers delving into the history of professional racing and we are even starting to see celeb-endorsed volumes on bicycle-related themes, to tempt the general reader. Far the most impressive tome of recent years has yet to make it to actual bookshops but is easy to find online. Frank Berto s The Dancing Chain (Cycle Publishing £28) is ostensibly a history of bicycle gearing. But, in 400 richly illustrated pages, the Californian high priest of understanding bicycle mechanics covers much, much more. Frank Berto is one of that group of intellectuals on the west coast of the United States who coalesced around cycling in the early 1970s. A mechanical engineer by training and an oil executive by trade, he started fiddling with bicycles by chance to keep up with his children on scout camp. It was the start of an extraordinary enthusiasm, that has spawned several decades of research and fine writing. Most famously, he devised a derailleur testing machine, the data from which formed the basis for many articles for Bicycling magazine - and did much to bring the understanding of gears from the world of myth, into the domain of science. The Dancing Chain is his masterwork. A compilation of wisdom, knowledge and learning garnered over those years - with contributions from such other distinguished writers as Tony Hadland and Jan Heine. It traces the history of bicycle gears from the 1870s onwards, with a particular focus on derailleurs. It is a fascinating story and one that is told in a way that no technical training is needed to be completely engaged. How gears work, and how they have developed technically might be the thread that runs through the book, but there is much else beside. There are the history of companies that have come and gone - Berto's favourites SunTour being a particular case in point (about which there is a great article here), not to mention all the disappeared European names - Huret, Simplex, Super Champion and Nivex. Berto is very good at tracking both the 1970s US bike boom and the scale and technological consequences of the 1980s mountain bike craze. The illustrations are also superb. Pretty much every page contains either technical drawings, photographs, period graphics and publications from back into the day. Indeed, in this edition, Cycle Publishing has a fair claim to have created one of the finest and most enduringly fascinating books every published about cycling. It is a book that can be read straight though by anyone with even the most passing interest in how bikes have come to be like they are. It can then be enjoyed again and again, both as a reference work and as something into which one can pleasurably dip from time to time. --thesundaytimes (UK), September 2011

(T)rust me on this one: The Dancing Chain is a must. --Gabe Konrad, On the Wheel, October, 2001

About the Author

Mechanical engineer and bicycle historian; former technical editor of Bicycling Magazine. Consultant to Shimano and other bicycle and bicycle component manufacturers. Author of Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Upgrading Your Bicycle and Birth of Dirt: The Origins of Mountain Biking.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Cycle Publishing; 3rd, corrected, expanded and updated edition (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892495597
• ISBN-13: 978-1892495594
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dances With Chains, May 8, 2000

By 

John A. Eldon "John E" (San Diego CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle (Hardcover)

For over 30 years, since my freshman year at UCLA, I have been an avid recreational and utility cyclist and "gear-headed" bicycle collector, tinkerer, and restorer. Since I always enjoyed Frank Berto's technical articles and insights on the design and operation of bicycle transmissions, I eagerly awaited publication of "The Dancing Chain." I was not disappointed! This well-illustrated and well-researched tome is the only comprehensive reference I have ever seen on the history of bicycle transmissions. It is a great read for any bicycle fan with an interest in history or technological evolution. My only nit-picking gripe is that the organization of the chapters sometimes makes it a little difficult to follow the chronology of a specific product line or manufacturer, although the material is all in there. I share Berto's appreciation of SunTour's innovative slant planograph rear derailleur design, which has since been almost universally copied by the competition.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dancing Chain by Frank Berto, June 18, 2001

By 

David M. Van Hook - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle (Hardcover)

The Dancing Chain by Frank Berto dvanhook 06/18/01 01:48 pm EDT rating:

An invaluable reference document for vintage bicycle enthusiasts! It is well and thoroughly researched and fully illustrated with photographs and beautiful line drawings of bicycles and bicycle parts as they have developed over the past one hundred years. It also contains a many helpful and interesting graphs and charts. This beautiful book is as complete and authoritative as is possible, but is very readable even for those with no technical background. It is certain to become a collectors item and was published as a very limited edition.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Bike Nuts, November 2, 2000

By 

R. Crew "Raymo853" (State College, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle (Hardcover)

I am very glad I purchased this book. This book involves much more about the history of bicycles than the title may lead you to believe.