The Dancing Chain, by Frank Berto

Matt O'Toole wrote:


What other cycling books do people like? 'Tis the season, after all...


I like unusual stuff.

I really enjoyed _100 Years of Bicycle Accessory and Component Design:
The Data Book_, a picture book of pen & ink sketches, mostly by Daniel
Rebour, of historical bike parts and details. Just pages and pages of
beautiful drawings of bicycle ingenuity, in detail. Lots of people just
call this one "The Data Book."

I like _Bike Cult_ by William Perry. Tons of picture, almost a magazine
format, dealing with every aspect of cycling, not just racing or this
year's "must have" components. Too bad it's printed on cheap paper.

_Bicycling Science_ by David G. Wilson is good if you're serious about
the science and engineering aspects of bikes. Most people wouldn't
think of it as a recreational read, though.

You've got to read _Effective Cycling_ by John Forester if you haven't
yet. Sure, it's bound to make you gnash your teeth in places, but it's
a groundbreaking book. Maybe _the_ groundbreaking book.

_Metal Cowboy_ by Joe Kurmaskie has the best cycle touring story telling
I know.

I have a couple issues of _enCycleopedia: The international buyers'
guide to alternatives in cycling._ It's more of a squarebound magazine
than a regular book, but if you want 150 pages of the most creative bike
designs in the world, these volumes have it. Recumbents, trikes,
folders, streamliners, loaded tourers, utility bikes, etc. etc. $20
from the Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-854-5

Richard Ballantine's stuff is generally good, mostly for beginners or
for the coffee table. He's got several books out.

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Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]