So when I was offered the opportunity to read “It’s All About the Bike” by Robert Penn (New York: Bloomsbury, $20), I jumped at it.
It’s a very simple premise: The writer, a resident of Wales, has been an avid biker for most of his life. He pedaled around the world when in his twenties. But now, he’s after his dream bike — the one bike that will last him the rest of his life. And to get it, he’s having components manufactured by the best at their crafts — wherever they might be.
For Penn, the bike of his life will be a racing-style bike, but he’ll ride it for everything — commuting, long distance rides on the weekends, even longer trips to cycling’s storied routes. He won’t settle for humdrum materials like carbon fiber. His frame must be custom built. He picks a lightweight steel frame hand built by Rourke in England. He travels to the United States for a headset from Chris King and wheels from Steve Gravenites (“Gravy”), then to Italy for a drive train from Campagnolo (Record). Back to England to see his Brooks B-17 saddle made at the Brooks plant, much the same as they’ve been made since 1896.
But something happens as Penn travels the globe to build his bike: He delves into the history of cycling and the components that make the bike what it is today. The reader is introduced to Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbronn, the inventor of the “Draisine.” That was the first machine that looked something like the bike of today, even if the rider had to push it over the ground with his feet. And James Starley, who came up with the idea for tangent-spoked wheels, the kind we still ride on today. We learn how Tullio Campagnolo invented the derailleur. And at the end of it all, the reader understands just how much goes into the creation of a bicycle, and where it all came from, and how it all evolved.
For that reason, non-bikers might enjoy the book, too. Penn is a journalist who writes for a variety of different publications, and his writing is erudite but accessible. The book is relatively short — 186 pages — and most people will get through it in just a couple of nights. It got me thinking about what my ultimate bike might look like. I was left with one minor disappointment though. There’s no picture of the finished bike. Readers will have to conjure that up on their own.
There’s a neat four-part documentary based on this book. Penn hosts the movie and you can even see his final creation! The link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj4iu8w5Dys
Steve, Thanks for the link. (The video is in four parts, because of YouTube’s 10-minute limit per segment.) I just watched the whole thing, and enjoyed it immensely. But I still think you need to read the book to get the true flavor.
Thanks, Ray and Steve! I had been looking at “It’s All About the Bike” and thinking about reading it. I just finished the Bike Snoy NYC’s book and thoroughly enjoyed both the historical and social perspectives he captures so well. I also read “The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom, and Wanderings” which is an interesting collection of articles but lacks the focus of either of the other two.
Cracking program that, it’s shown fairly regularly as a repeat on the BBC, I really enjoyed it. Didn’t know there was a book too!
Yes I’ve seen the tv documentory a couple of times on the BBC. I’m sure it must be on the Iplayer somewhere.
Ray,
Awesome recommendation. I just downloaded the kindle version. Can’t wait to read it.
Same here. Sounds right up my alley. Will definitely check it out now that I won’t be wasting hours watching the Tour on TV.
I enjoyed the book also but had a WTF moment at the end when no pics of the build were found.