Back on the horse?

I don't write enough. I want to change that. So let's try this again. I usually find it easiest to write regularly when I'm training for a race, I'm currently training for a half marathon (four miles ran today, slightly [ten seconds per mile) below desired race-pace) at Thanksgiving, so let's ride this pony while we still can!

A Book Review

It's All About the Bike (the Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels) by Robert Penn
(not to be confused with It's Not About the Bike by-ish Lance Armstrong, which I have not read)



I read a lot on my commutes, because I ride the train for about fifty minutes each way. But I have to get to the train station somehow, and so I ride my bike the three and a half miles to the station (and the three blocks from the station to work). I also like to read and ride away from my work-related travels, so why not combine all of it into one grand adventure?

My brother recommended this book to me after he read it, and fresh off the heels of my first century bike ride, I opened it up. This is the story of one man's journey to custom build his own perfect bicycle. As he journeys across Europe and America, through factories and into shops with bicycle artisans, Bell shares the history of the bicycle and each part, as well as the impact the bicycle has had on our culture and world.

A wonderful short-view on the history of the bicycle, and an ode to builders and manufacturers who strive for quality and longevity over economy and mass production.

It inspired me to want to rebuild my Raleigh, my commuter bike that I both loathe and love. I started by reading up on the internet and doing some minor tune-ups on my own (adjusting the brakes, deraileurs, and truing one of the wheels).

It's a quick read, easy as well, and you can sense the admiration Bell has for the bicycle. If we are truly in an age of cycling renaissance, as many have claimed, then this is a great tome for it's weekend warriors.

I'm not going to rate this book (or [m]any in this blog) because I've discovered that my rating scales are much more harsh than the average person, and I'm a peculiar fellow who likes peculiar things (*cough* Cleopatra 2525 *cough*). But if you're the sort who likes bicycles enough to want to tinker around with them, even a little bit, and you like history just fine, read this book.