The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels - It's All About the Bike

The author's love for all aspects of bicycling is quite evident in this book: the history, its culture, the joy of riding, the challenge of long trips, and the bike itself. But most of all, he is intrigued by "old-school" bicycle craftsmen, who know virtually everything about bicycles, tend to use traditional tools and techniques, and are committed to quality above all else. The basis of this book is the author's quest to have the perfect - for him - bike built, utilizing the knowledge of bicycle artisans/experts scattered across Europe and the US, most of whom he spends time with in the book - a process that he calls "bespoke," or one-of-a-kind.

He sees these modern-day craftsmen as following in the footsteps of long forgotten bicycle innovators, who spent nearly a century from the 19th into the 20th centuries reinventing and perfecting the bicycle. He notes the development of the basic diamond bike frame in 1885, followed by the slow perfecting of steel ball bearings, headsets, handlebars, drive trains (chain, bottom bracket, free wheel, and derailleur), saddles, wheels and tires, and light weight, steel-alloy tubing. In his search for quality, he is allowed inside some of the most revered bicycle component manufacturers, such as, Chris King, Cinelli, Campagnola, Brooks, Columbus, and Continental, many being key players in component development over several decades.

Beyond the perfect bike, it is the social implications of bicycling that most interest the author. The production of literally millions of the so-called "safety" bicycle in England in the late 19th century had a significant effect on, not only, expanding distances that could be traveled in a day's time but also on the emancipation of women, now more able than ever to make trips on their own. The explosion of bicycle ownership, the associated technical skills to build them, and the infrastructure required such as roads and repair centers directly facilitated the rise of the automobile in the next century. The author notes the ebb and flow of bicycle popularity over the 20th century, peaking in the decade following WWII. More recently, it is in some urban areas, such as Portland, OR, where specific planning efforts to accommodate bicyclists have resulted in thriving bicycle communities.

The author's nostalgic ode to bicycle craftsmanship and quality is perhaps a bit overstated. The idea that a bicycle builder can almost instantly size-up a customer seems rather wishful, although modern, mechanistic "fit-kit" techniques too have their limitations. The author, being European may be unaware that it was the low quality of big-name, Italian bicycles in the 1960's and 70's that helped to fuel the growth of American bicycle companies. Evidently, modern, sophisticated, and repeatable manufacturing techniques are considerably more reliable than the ad hoc methods of the masters. Of course, many of them have too changed.

It is not just bicycle aficionados who can appreciate the author's enthusiasm for bicycling and his many experiences both in the past and in his perfect-bike endeavor. He is surely correct to emphasize that a quality, good-fitting bike is an indispensable part of enjoyable biking. The fact that few have the same access as the author to master bicycle craftsmen is not terribly important. There is no availability shortage of technically advanced, high quality bicycles in the US, which bring every bit as much enjoyment as the author's "perfect bike." The book is a succinct look at the technical development of bicycles and as well touches on many areas of bicycle lore. Finally, the "perfect bike" turned out perfectly.

<strong>Great for the Cyclist Enthusiast</strong>

I was given this book as a Christmas present, so I had absolutely no preconceptions about it. I have not read many books about bicycling. It seems like an activity that is best experienced directly rather than vicariously, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book is written by a serious cyclist who loves the sport, and he communicates that in the book. All members of the Pedalers should be able to connect to this feeling.

The author Robert Penn, is a serious recreational cyclist. In the introduction he claims:

<blockquote>I cycled across the USA, Australia, South-East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe — effectively around the world.
</blockquote>

and then he explains his need for a new bike.
<blockquote>
I need a talismanic machine that somehow reflects my cycling history and carries my cycling aspirations. I want craftsmanship, not technology; I want the bike to be man-made; I want a bike that has character, a bike that will never be last year’s model. I want a bike that shows my appreciation of the tradition, lore and beauty of bicycles.
</blockquote>

Penn decides to hand pick all of the components of <em>his</em> bike and visit the factories where they are built. He has chapters on the frame, wheels, drivetrain, saddle, and handlebars. Each chapter features a visit to the factory or shop where he will get that component, stories from his cycling experiences, and a bit of cycling history relevant to that component.

In the chapter on frames, he discusses frame geometry and the characteristics of different frame materials, carbon, steel, aluminum, and titanium. While he owns a carbon racing bike, he decides to choose steel for his custom bike. Steel's strength and repairability being the most important characteristics to him. He expects <em>his</em> bike to last for decades. After discussing his decision on steel, Penn goes into the history of the Reynolds Tube Company and their steel bicycle tubes, and his own experience of breaking a frame and having it repaired in Amritsar, India. A steel frame can be repaired anywhere you can find a welder. A carbon frame can't be repaired anywhere. His frame will be custom built by Rourke Cycles in Stoke on Trent, England.

In the chapter on the steering system, the evolution of the modern bicycle from velocipedes to high wheelers to the modern bike. The reason that this is discussed in the handlebar chapter is that steering is impeded by having the pedals attached to the front wheels. Penn quotes a journalist from 1869 about the difficulties.

<blockquote>
Velocipedes are pretty things to look upon as they whirl along so swiftly and gracefully, operated by some practiced hand. But did you ever try to ride one? It seems an easy thing to sit on the little carpeted seat, put your feet upon the treadles, and astonish everybody by your speed; but just try it! And don’t invite your lady friends to witness that first performance either. You mount the machine with a great deal of dignity and confidence, you see that all is clear, you undertake to place your feet in the proper position, and – the trouble begins. Your first half hour is spent [deciding] which shall be uppermost, yourself or the machine, and the machine exhibits an amount of skill and perseverance that astonishes you.
</blockquote>

Attaching the pedals to the rear wheels were the major breakthrough in bicycle design making it much easier to steer and balance.

Of course handlebars need a headset, so Penn travels to Portland, Oregon to get the headset for <em>his</em> bike. It is a Chris King headset. Chris King invented the sealed bearing headset in 1976 and still sells the same model. Since he is visting Portland to get the headset, he has to describe the cycling culture there. A visit to Milan to pick Cinelli handlebars results in a discussion of Italian cycling to end the chapter.

In the chapter on drivetrains, Penn visits the Campagnolo factory, since he plans to buy the Record groupset. His original plan was to buy separate components, but his builder told him that was madness. This chapter also covers the history of Tullio Campagnolo who invented the quick release skewer and the derailleur. There is also another chunk of Italian cycling history, including the story of the fraud that claimed Leonardo da Vinci invented the bike.

In the chapter on wheels, Penn visits Marin County, California to purchase Gravy wheels. He brings his hubs with him. Having purchased them in England. For tires he bought Continental Grand Prix 4000s. That is the only component mentioned in the book that I might actually buy. His wheels are hand built. Since Penn was in Marin County, he visited with some of the inventors of mountain biking and rode with them on one of the classic courses of the 70s.

I consider the century ride (100 miles) that I did several years ago to be one of my significant achievements, and the first century ride is mentioned in this chapter.

<blockquote>
They ‘mounted their machines just as the sun was rising’ and, ‘pedalling bravely, they reached Mr Starley’s residence just as the clock of St Michael’s struck the hour [of midnight]’. It was a remarkable feat — 100 miles on primitive roads. Starley was 41 years old and he weighed 196 lb. Both men didn’t get out of bed for three days, but the ride attracted public interest.
</blockquote>

The last chapter on bike components is about saddles, and of course Penn buys a Brooks saddle. He is going for a classic bike, which will give years of use. A major piece of this chapter is on six-day races, which started in Victorian England.

<blockquote>
The first competitive six-day race was held in the Islington Agricultural Hall, London, in 1878. Riders, on high-wheeler bicycles, rode round and round until they dropped, slept briefly, rose, and rode round and round again — for six days straight. There was no racing on the Sabbath. Phew! As sport, it would not meet with the customs of our times.
</blockquote>

Six day races reached New York in the 1890s and were a very popular spectator sport through the 1920s. Major races were held at Madison Square Garden and were attended by celebrities like Bing Crosby and Ernest Hemingway.

The last chapter is on the assembly of all those components into <em>his</em> bike. He has to choose a color scheme for his bike. At first he chooses purple, but his builder tells him no, so he decides on Frederick Pedaler colors of orange and blue. I wonder how he knew that we use those colors. Then he is off to ride <em>his</em> new $5,500 custom built bike, and it is all that he had hoped for. He comes to the conclusion:

<blockquote>Lance Armstrong was wrong. I realize this is rich — telling the winner of the world’s toughest cycle race a record seven times that the title of his global, best-selling book, It’s Not About the Bike, is erroneous — but there you go. I’ve done it now. Lance, you don’t know what you’re talking about. It is about the bike. It’s all about the bike.</blockquote>

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys cycling.

(exciting at the beginning but I'm quickly over it as reality sinks in)

It's All About the Bike started out strong, inspiring even. Author Robert Penn did his best to remind us about what fantastic machines bikes really are and how they revolutionized travel. He discussed, a bit, how bikes are not in fashion in many places including the USA. As an American, I understood what he meant but felt myself moved to go for a bike ride, right now, even though I hadn't been on one in years.

As we follow Penn on his journey to create his perfect bike, we learn a little bit about each part of the bike. Bicycles are far more complicated than I realized and I had no idea how their advent affected so many things in the future, especially automobiles. Indeed, the fact that it took so long for this mode of transportation to come of age is a conundrum, and one that Robert Penn discusses in his book but, my God, is there anything related to bikes that he doesn't discuss? Rather than focusing on his search, each chapter includes a few paragraphs about that and consists almost entirely of history and descriptions of the parts of bikes. The history, while interesting, becomes overwhelming and the chapters themselves are none too short.

I think that the average reader may find this even less interesting than I did and quickly put down the book for another, perhaps a work of fiction. The almost constant name and date dropping results in pages full of lists of data that is hard to chew because Penn doesn't necessarily include information that makes this information relevant or emotionally pulling for most people. I found myself skipping more and more of the

Add to that the such in-depth descriptions of the bicycle are difficult to visualize if you're not familiar with bikes. Sure, the book includes a few illustrations but they're poorly formatted, do not include labels and sometimes completely fail to conceptualize what I know they're trying to. In short, the images in this book fail at offering any benefit across the board.

It's All About the Bike isn't a long book at all. It doesn't even have 200 pages; yet, getting through those pages can feel like you're trying to ride a bike uphill. In fact, perhaps the most interesting part of this book is an anecdote about the author's worldwide bike ride, during which he traveled through Pakistan. I, and other readers, would have liked to see more stories like this and it certainly would have made this book a smoother ride.

Such a lovely book. Charming without being strident. He doesn't wring his readers through any tedious comparisons of Part A vs. Part B in the search of which is better. That's for cycling magazines. Penn has already made his choices and this book is about the pursuit of the unique perfection he's already deduced for himself.

Not just for cyclists, but for anyone fascinated by mechanics or the human pursuit of invention. Deftly shifts between personal accounts and bicycle history and technology. As a daily cyclist, I learned some things about my bicycle's components. And I already know my non-cyclist, tinkerer friends who will be getting this book.

Without a doubt, Robert Penn is a great writer. However, this book failed to catch my attention due to its highly technical nature. This is not a criticism - if you're into learning about what every piece of the bicycle is called, what it does and its history, then this is the right book for you. Personally, I would have been more interested in reading a book with more of an emphasis on the author's travels on his bicycle and less emphasis on the angle of the handlebars, but hey, that's not what this book is about. I really did enjoy the beginning of the book, when the author delves into the history of the bicycle and its impact on human civilization - definitely fascinating and worth a read just to understand that although bicycles are routinely dismissed today by the average person, they were once a huge step forward in transportation and a BIG DEAL.

One thing that is a criticism, though, is the lack of images in the book. The bulk of this book is devoted to talking about parts of the bike, but it's hard to understand what the author is describing without images to accompany the words. There a few images scattered here and there, but it's simply not enough, especially when the author gets nitpicky about the parts he's discussing. I think I would have found the book more interesting had more things been illustrated for me, because after a while I found it tiring to have to imagine all the parts of the bike in my head, and I wasn't even sure if I was getting it right.

This was a clever and enjoyable book. Ostensibly it's the story of a man who sets out to assemble his dream bicycle, starting with a bespoke frame and adding the best components he can find. He travels around the world, from England to Oregon, California, Italy, and Germany, to the places where each component is made. And if this were just bland tale of consumerism, it would hold little appeal for me.

But the quest to assemble the perfect bicycle is really an opportunity to explain the history of the bicycle and the people who were essential to its development. Each chapter concerns a different part of the bike and provides an explanation of what it does. I am an experienced rider but I finished the book knowing a lot more about my bicycle and how it works, as well as how it came to be.

A little history about the bicycle (and it's impacts on society) over the past 150 years. Some technical details for the engineer types. A bit of the author's personal history aboard bikes. And, of course, the reason for the book ... decisions about building the author's dream bicycle and trips to various factories worldwide to acquire the components.

An interesting book for bicycle aficionados.

I just ride around to use calories, but it always feels like more than that. This book explains why. The bicycle is a perfect machine. The author explains how everything works and its fascinating history. I will never ride around the world or across the continent, but this book made me want to.

This is a nice quick read that is equally enjoyable to the casual cyclist and avid racer. Mix one part the history of the bike, one part travelogue and one part the process of buying a custom bike in an easy to read will written book and you have all you need to know.

The best part are all the little anecdotes I am able to share with my biking buddies on our weekend rides.

This book is a wonderful read. It really captures the joy and awe of cycling. I received it as a birthday gift and must say it was one of the best presents. I would recommend it for any cycling enthusiast or anyone in the mood for a thought provoking, smile generating, life expanding read. Thank you for it's production, I learned a lot.

I enjoyed this book, which describes the author's quest for the perfect bike. He intersperses the history of the bicycle through the ages with the various parts of the bike he is assembling. I was disappointed with the few plain black and white pictures, which didn't do justice to the "eye-candy" components of the finished product. There is not even a picture of the finished bike.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it for anyone who's ever had a passing interest in cycling. I had heard of many of the legendary names Mr Penn discusses in the book, but I didn't completely understand, nor appreciate, their contributions to cycling as we know it today. The book is funny, informative and just a total joy to read.

Billed as a celebration of the bicycle, this is a very short book concerning how a keen cyclist spent as much as he possibly could and travelled as far as possible to buy the best possible bike and components. As a record of a spendthrift throwing money at the bicycle industry, it's more effective as a read-between-the-lines expose on our modern consumer culture than it is a celebration of cycling. It was fascinating for all the wrong reasons.

Heck, I'm a cyclist too, and I like bikes that work well and look good, but is there really any reason to travel the globe and spend vast amounts of money to get the 'best' bike? I don't think so. The difference between a great bike and the best bike is not that big in terms of components, but huge in terms of money. I didn't enjoy reading this ode to disgusting and embarrassing excess one bit. If people like the author have $10,000+ burning a hole in their pocket, I think it would be better spent in helping to bring kids out of poverty, rather than on a vehicle. This book ends up being the cycling equivalent of a book that might be titled 'How I Spent $1,700,000 on a Tricked-Out Bugatti Veyron'.