Customer Reviews

The Essential Touring Cyclist: A Complete Course for the Bicycle Traveler

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

 

 

I have travelled about 13,000 miles in the U.S. and Canada. Most of that was solo, and none of it was with a support vehicle. This is the only book I recommend to people about to take a bicycle trip.

This is the best book on bicycle touring I have found. It is written extremely well, and succeeds in presenting a fair amount of technical material without losing your attention. The book covers everything you want to know about cycle touring: choosing a bike, on-the-road repairs, health and injury issues, training, and touring equipment. It was the only bicycle book I brought with me on my first long distance touring adventure, a solo 938 mile trek. If I only had one reference to prepare for touring, this would be it.

Mr. Lovett starts with the basics, and is careful to include viewpoints not his own. (Most importantly, he includes the words of a female cyclist when discussing topics such as women's safety on the road, hygiene, and clothing selection.) He loves the sport, and it shows in his writing. This is not the advanced treatise that an anonymous reviewer criticized as "written for morons" (how brave!), but Lovett does not claim it to be. It is methodical, and it points the reader to more advanced information when it is needed. This is a good book with which to start your touring library.

This book does include several things any experienced rider ought to know already. Where it succeeds and succeeds well is in helping a person to think about what they will need on tour. This is not a book for experts but it is an excellent book for anyone considering bike touring who either hasn't done it before or who has tried and had a difficult time. If you have ever had the thought of traveling by bike, buy this book to find out why traveling by bike can be so much fun.

i was looking for some advice that would help ensure my coast to coast trip would be successful. i guess i'm more advanced than i thought. i didn't learn anything i didn't already know.

Should you decide to purchase this book, condider the new updated 2nd edition which came from two publishers in years 2000 and 2001. ISBN: 0071360190

The first edition was in 1994 ISBN: 0070388490

If you are the kind of cyclist who needs to be told to avoid patches of loose gravel, this book's for you! Of course, if you are that stupid, you shouldn't be allowed on a bicycle at all, and people probably should make a serious effort to keep sharp tools and implements away from you, also.

The astonishing thing about this book is not simply that it's written for complete morons, but that the author really doesn't talk down to the reader. He's on the same level. A scary thought, no?