Bicycling Magazine's Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills : Your Guide to Riding Faster, Stronger, Longer, and Safer

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
Maybe you're a novice who has yet to squeeze into that first pair of sexy Lycra shorts. Or perhaps you're a seasoned racer who is seeking ways to become stronger and faster. Whatever the case, you will be well served by Ed Pavelka's comprehensive guide, which takes the reader on a highly readable ride through road cycling--from the basics of handling and maintenance to the subtle intricacies of racing. Instead of asking the reader to take his word on every subject, Pavelka has gathered a cast of Olympians and renowned mechanics to tackle whichever topic reflects his or her strongest suit. Besides the basics, chapters also include in-depth advice on sprinting, hill climbing, using heart monitors effectively, training indoors during the wintry months, and even surviving your commute in the concrete jungle. If that's not enough, Pavelka has devoted an entire section to medical concerns, including overtraining, sore knees, and saddle sores. --Ben Tiffany

Product Description
Take your road cycling to the next level with the newest techniques, equipment, and skills from the leading magazine in the sport. Check out how to:

* Ensure your bike is in tip-top shape in 8 easy steps
* Boost your efficiency with smooth pedaling and proper form
* Brake without wasting speed or wiping out
* Ride safely in wet, cold, and hot weather
* Convert your mountain bike for the road
* Master the skills of riding in traffic
* Get long-distance secrets from the Race Across America record-holder
* Train indoors with these 5 workouts
* Prevent saddle sores, numbness, and knee pain
* Motivate yourself to train harder
* Discover the world of recumbents and tandems
* Sprint like a champion
* Attack hills for maximum fitness

Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

A first class book for the cyclist who wants to do more. January 19, 1999
87 out of 90 found this review helpful

Being new to road biking I wanted a book that covered the basics as well as one that gave guidance as to how I could improve once over the initial stage of riding. This book is very comprehensive in this regard. It is particularly useful in some of the training areas in that it makes suggestions that are not too overly structured, as some books are inclined to do, but at the same time maintain the overall training effect.It reinforces this approach by relating training regimes with real life experiences of riders, rather than adopt a "textbook" approach.I found the book extremely useful and fully recommend it.

1 out of 5 stars

rather embarrassing... August 14, 2004
64 out of 69 found this review helpful

I guess for $11-12 you can take your chances with the book, but I don't believe you will learn much from it unless you are absolutely new to bicycling. But even then do not expect too much. As another reviewer said, many suggestions are rather simplistic and dubious. 'Breathing through your nose' is one of them. And there are such parts as how to avoid a rock on the road. It takes the authors about 120 words to tell you how to do that. If you thought that there is some magic to their advice--there is none, their point can be reduced to "first turn the handlebar to one side, then correct your balance by quickly turning the other way." And there are four pages devoted to listing food you can get in fast food restuarants or convenience stores. I am sure you need a book to tell you that Arby's sells Light Roast Turkey Deluxe and Taco Bell has soft chicken taco without cheese. In general, what they cover on about 200 pages could be explained in 1/4 of that (or less). Further, the book is very uneven, sometimes it treats you like an idiot and sometimes gives you advice that is more appropriate for serious riders (several hundred miles a week). Considering that it has been written by the editors of "Bicycling Magazine," it is rather embarrassing... Again, $11-12 is not much today so try if you want, you may learn a thing or two, but maybe you should explore other titles first.

4 out of 5 stars

Cobbled together, but a comprehensive guide August 20, 2002
47 out of 47 found this review helpful

As a long-time car driver who just made the 'switch' to cycle commuting, I had a lot of anxieties regarding safe and intelligent operation of a bicycle on roads shared with automobiles. This book served the purpose admirably and got me riding safe and sane on the streets of Manhattan, something I wouldn't have believed possible a couple months ago.

There are sections on how to equip your bike, how to follow the rules of the road, and tips and tricks bikers need to know to coexist safely in traffic. There are also sections on what to eat and drink, how to train effectively to increase your abilities, and how to get into serious long-distance touring - things which I hadn't originally been interested in but which were fun to read about. I think what I liked best about the book was that it was clearly written by enthusiasts who've spent a lot of time riding and a lot of time thinking about how to convey their skills and enthusiasms to the public.

If I had a criticism, it'd be that the book suffers by being a collection of separate magazine articles not originally intended for publication in this form, so some information is repeated and coherence is sort of loose. But it's not a major criticism and I'd recommend the book anyway.

2 out of 5 stars Not For the Recreational Cyclist June 29, 2003
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

This book seems more concerned with anecdotes about professional cyclists than it is with providing information for the recreational cyclist. It has way too much crowing by the author about his cycling exploits and some dubious advice ("Breathe through your nose.") There is some mystifying blather ("The modern-day road ride is a big-ring hammerfest, where style and form disappear as riders start getting blown off the back when the action heats up.") and an interview with some guy who rides 1,000 miles a week-worthless for the average rider. Some good advice about hydration and safety but not much else.

3 out of 5 stars 45 articles about cycling bundled and grouped January 6, 2001
15 out of 17 found this review helpful

This book comprise of 45 articles which are neatly grouped into eigth sections. There are lot of good tips in here, especially for the beginning cyclist. But some subjects are always so extensive that is difficult to include all of it in one article. Despite of that fact I particularly liked the chapter describing how the three different energy systems work ("Pedal Power").

The eight sections are: The basics, essential skills, safety in traffic, riding stronger and longer, year-round improvement, fueling your engine, medical concerns and special bikes.

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