Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists [Paperback]

Andrew L. Pruitt Ed.C. (Author), Chris Carmichael (Foreword), Fred Matheny (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2006

Even the best cyclists and coaches can miss small details that can lead to serious injuries over the course of many miles on the bike. Andy Pruitt, renowned for his expertise in preventing and treating cycling injuries, has consulted with professional athletes throughout his career, including Lance Armstrong and Axel Merckx. Using computerized pedaling analysis, he has made it possible for countless athletes to achieve the elusive perfect bike fit, thereby dramatically improving their performance. This medical guide draws on his years of experience in this area. He describes the sport’s most common ailments, identifying the symptoms and causes as well as treatments that keep athletes on the road. Written in an accessible, straightforward manner, the book tackles everything from personal training programs to biomechanics, from aging to riding through illness. Perhaps most importantly, riders learn how to make critical adjustments to bike fit, leading to increased comfort, power, and efficiency — and fewer problems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress (February 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931382808
• ISBN-13: 978-1931382809
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag - fit first, problems aplenty, not "complete" March 11, 2007

By Andrew Kent

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you want a decent book about bike fit, this might be a book for you. But I have mixed feelings about this book, and overall wouldn't recommend it if you're expecting a complete medical guide for cyclists. Despite its title, this book is not "complete," as claimed. It doesn't touch on a lot of issues for riders, like riding in cold weather, for instance. Arnie Baker's book is more complete ("Bicycling Medicine"). Pruitt's main focus seems to be on bike fit, and here he seems to know what he's talking about, even if his ideal approach is inaccessible to readers of the book (you have to go to his lab and get reflectors put on you and a movie made). The book is very thin. At its best, this means the author is concise, and some of his insights are great. At its worst, the book seems superficial. The section on supplements is most troublesome. Here, the author seems compromised and conflicted. He allows a physician who has a particular view of hormones, supplementation, and athletics to essentially write in the book, and even to push his products. I was a little insulted by this. Overall, this book probably wasn't worth the money for me -- it isn't complete, and has a lot of internal deficiencies.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource but not as complete as I'd like January 9, 2007

By D. D. Gabrielson

Format:Paperback

I have far higher expectations than most when it comes to details, so I may want more than you do... Andy Pruitt does a great job of bringing together the state of the art in terms of basic issues with fit and cycling-related challenges. The book is well written and well organized, and covers just about anything a serious new rider would need to know; I see it as a must-have for anyone in the business of selling bikes so that their customers get good advice in a world where truly awful advice still reigns... in my 20+ years of racing and ultra events, I've seen or felt nearly every issue described in this book, and I would have appreciated the information years ago... where it falls short are in the finer points of fit when it comes to less common challenges or body types-- I'm constantly asked for advice from hard-to-fit cyclists and it would be good to have more detailed science behind some of the information in this book in order to better understand how to make tradeoffs in less-than ideal situations. Another area that would be helpful would be more information on the linkage between bike fit and performance, at least in terms of how small changes can make a big difference when you get into the details... all in all, I count this book a winner because it brings together a lot of information that's out there but not so easily found or digested.

The bottom line-- The average cyclist will definitely benefit from using the information in this book. Every bike shop and bike sales-person shouldn't sleep at night if they don't have at least a basic knowledge of this information. Bike racers absolutely must know these things or they're wasting energy and maybe even doing harm to their bodies out there.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book June 24, 2006

By Matthew C. Roberts

Format:Paperback

I was evaluated by Andy in the early 90s for IT Band Syndrome. There is no more knowledgable person on the practicalities of cycling biomechanics than Andy. This book contains a huge amount of information on bike fit, injury prevention, and injury treatment. I recommend this book for every cyclist of any caliber who has questions about fit or injury.

My only complaint about the book is that Andy is a bit self-promoting in it; talking about how he fixed EddyM's bike fit issues, and how he fixed this or that world-class athlete's problem. Don't get me wrong; I have no doubt that he is telling the truth, but at some points, the comments seem a bit out of context.