Ultrafit coach Thomas Chapple shows how with this practical guide. Based on the idea that success depends on the extent to which cyclists build their foundation of aerobic fitness, or their "base," for the road ahead, the book explains step-by-step how to build a bigger aerobic engine, work up to higher volumes, and make significant improvements in strength, endurance, and speed.

    Matt Rendell's vivid and entertaining narrative of the Tour de France combines the Tour's golden legends with tales from its dark side, capturing the true and often surreal spirit of the world's most arduous race.

    The core of John Forester's concept of Effective Cycling is thatbicyclists fare best when they act, and are treated in return, as drivers ofvehicles, with the same rights and responsibilities that motorists have.In this newedition of his classic introductory work, Forester reasserts this idea in terms ofpractice and education as well as theory while also addressing--among much else--thetwo major forces that have shaped bicycling since the early 1980s: the proliferationof high-quality equipment and the seriously insufficient progress on the social, political, and psychological fronts.The book is filled with details, strategies, andtips that will be useful both to occasional cyclists and to those who enjoy cyclingas a way of life--all drawn from the author's many years of experience as a cyclist, a Cycling Transportation Engineer, and the founder of the Effective CyclingProgram.

    This volume answers questions such as: Should I use low- or high-flanged hubs for touring * Should I spoke crossed-four or crossed-three? Are radially spoked wheels stiffer than crossed-four? * How can I build a 32-spoke crossed-two wheel? * Should I use butted or straight sookes? * Does tying and soldering give a rough ride?Based on years of experience, the author has divided the book into three parts. Part One, Theory, explains how wheels respond to loads. It discusses the merits of various designs and components, and explains what causes failures. Part Two, Practice, gives a step-by-step guide for building front and rear wheels and wheels with different patterns and numbers of spokes. Part Three, Data, contains test results and formulas for computing spoke lengths and other wheel dimensions.

    In these pages both everyday riders and pros tell their stories of freak accidents, animal attacks, sabotage, idiotic decisions, eerie or unexplained incidents, and other jaw dropping, adrenalin-pumping calamities. These stories bring to life the strange things possibilities that await, once we step on the pedals of our road, mountain, or commuter bikes. A sampling of misadventures in this collection includes the stories of: the mountain biker who follows a bull and then gets gored by it; the twenty African Americans who pioneered cycle touring by completing a Transamerica ride in 1897, but wait - this story gets strange...; the large rat that leapt on top of a woman's bike and slapped her repeatedly with its tail; an inside-the-head narration by a professional racer as he rides a brutal race, and then gets humiliated in changing room afterwards; the recreational cyclist who accidentally rides deep into a prison yard; the computer programmer who crashes a stationary bike during his first spin class; the bike messenger who can't call it quits even after getting hit by eight cars; and, the man who carefully spreads out tacks on the route of an all female race in an attempt to get a date. These stories will make you wonder, drop you to the floor laughing and leave you shaking your head with disbelief.

    Bike your way through car-jammed cities, under overpasses, and over the hills and far away to a cyclist’s paradise.- Learn to repair a flat, modify your handlebars, true your wheel, and fix your bike on the fly.- Not just for gearheads: Learn about what to wear, what to eat, how to pack, and how not to get doored.- Want to build your own bike? Get started with fully photographed tutorials and inspiration from the bike lovers profiled inside.Get your bike on with The Urban Biking Handbook!

    From tattooed messengers to pretty urban hipsters to grouchy shop owners, they may look like they live on different planets, but they are united by their abiding love of bikes—and often their total disdain of other members of this insular world.Bike Tribes is the Preppy Handbook of bicycling, replete with one-of-a-kind illustrations that taxonomize the special habits, clothing, preferences, and predilections of cyclists. Mike Magnuson, an avid rider, bicycling expert, and longtime contributor to Bicycling magazine, covers the basics of racing, etiquette, and apparel and gear, including running commentary on cycling culture, poking holes in practically every pretension in the cycling world. Bike Tribes is a fun romp through the various subcultures in the bike community—bound to appeal to newcomers and grizzled cyclists alike.

    Detailed diagrams and simple instructions explain everything from repairing a flat tire to building a wheel. The instructions are useful for anyone interested in mountain bikes, yet concise and complete enough to cover every state-of-the art technical concern facing today's mountain biker. This timely revision offers updated information on shock pump adaptors, master links, V-brakes, cleat mounting and pedal overhaul, oversize handlebars, carbon steering tubes, tubeless rims, and much more. Repairs are rated for degree of difficulty while line drawings illustrate how parts fit together and show the tools needed to keep bikes in top shape and pedaling smoothly both on and off the trail.

    But as fresh-faced cyclists fill the roads, they also encounter their share of frustrations—careless drivers, wide-flung car doors, zoned-out pedestrians, and aggressive fellow cyclists, to name a few. In this follow-up to the best-selling Bike Snob, BikeSnobNYC takes on the trials and triumphs of bike commuting with snark, humor, and enthusiasm, asking the question: If we become better commuters, will that make us better people? From the deadly sins of biking to tactics for dealing with cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists, this primer on bike travel is a must-read for cyclists new and seasoned alike.

    Forget the ultralight, uncomfortable bikes, flashy jerseys, clunky shoes that clip onto tiny pedals, the grinding out of endless miles. Instead, ride like you did when you were a kid—just get on your bike and discover the pure joy of riding it.   A reformed racer who’s commuted by bike every day since 1980, whose writings and opinions appear in major bicycling and outdoor magazines, and whose company, Rivendell Bicycle Works, makes bikes for riders ready to opt out of a culture overrun by racing, Grant Petersen shares a lifetime of unexpected facts, controversial opinions, expert techniques, and his own maverick philosophy. In 87 short, two-to-three page chapters, it covers:Riding: Count Days, Not Miles; Corner Like Jackie Robinson; Steer with Your Hips, Shift with Your LegsSuiting Up: The Shoes Ruse; Ponchos—the Ultimate Unracer’s GarmentSafety: #1 Rule—Be Seen; Helmets Aren’t All They’re Cracked Up to BeHealth and Fitness: Why Riding Is Lousy All-Around Exercise; Saddles Don’t Cause Impotence; Drink When You’re Thirsty—Not Before Also includes chapters on Accessories, Upkeep, and Technicalities, and a final chapter titled “Velosophy” that includes the essential, memorable thought: Your Bike Is a Toy—Have Fun with It.

    And then there are the riders: men of almost superhuman capabilities, men who have become his friends, men whose stories he has written day in day out for the past decade. But even the biggest fan can one day wake up to find that he has lost his faith. Bad Blood is the story of Jeremy Whittle's journey from unquestioning fan to Tour de France insider and confirmed sceptic. It's about broken friendships and a sport divided; about having to choose sides in the war against doping; about how galloping greed and corporate opportunism have led the Tour de France to the brink of destruction. Part personal memoir, part devastating exposé of a sport torn apart by drugs and scandal, Bad Blood is a love letter to one man's past, and a warning to cycling's future.

    Straightforward yet sly, funny but perhaps a little crazy, Roll calls it like he sees it. Here are anecdotes about the Tour de France, international mountain-bike tournaments, training struggles, heart-stopping fascinating inside look at the world of championship cycling.Way out West --The day the big men cried --One racer's view --Believe or leave --Blind faith was my motto at the '86 Tour --Springtime in hell --Bobke on the defensive --Lost in the Jemez --Bobke takes to the dirt --Deep down dirty with Bobke --Living in a lactic-acid crippling haze --Euro' trashed --Dream season --Nerves + neurosis --Rhythm is a racer --The watch --The sport according to Bobke --The "water hole" revisited --One heli tour --Bobke's back! --Dry bread wants a Harley --Lance and the dipped in ding-dong doodle down in Dixie --Nine guesses --A day at the fair --The night before Amstel --Into the twenty-first century --51 things to do before you die --Eurotrash and the Texas Tornado --Training tips with Bobke --Il Becco Bartalese, following in Coppi's and Bartali's tracks

    Learn how to choose the right bike, ride safely in traffic, treat and prevent injuries, train for a century, and perform basic maintenance. Packed with quick tips from the pros at Bicycling magazine, this volume provides everything the new cyclist needs to achieve optimum cycling performance.

    There's a reason for that: Racing is not only incredibly difficult, it's downright excruciating, with the possibility for public humiliation never more than one pedal away. So when Natalie, Bill Strickland's preschool-aged daughter, asked him if he could win ten points during one racing season -- the bicycling equivalent of taking an at-bat against Randy Johnson or going one-on-one with Lebron James -- a sensible man wouldve just said no and moved on. Instead, Strickland decided to try.In the process, he discovered that he was racing toward the loving home life he cherished and, at the same time, trying to get away from something far worse -- his legacy of horrific childhood abuse. Strickland's memoir is filled with lyrical insights on training and dedication, racing scenes packed with nail-biting suspense, and powerful reflections on the meaning of family. Because for Strickland, it's definitely not about the bike.

    This story brings alive the romance of the great races and star riders of those post war days whose exploits lifted the public spirit after years of conflict and economic hardship.