# cycling books for the beginner



## notwist (Feb 26, 2009)

As a person new to cycling, are there any 'must have' books in any rider's collection? Books about riding technique, racing technique, bike maintenance, and even just some good cycling-related fiction. I've already been suggested Zinn and the Art of Road Bicycle Maintenance. Any other noteworthy books?


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintainence

Park Tools big blue book

I'd Google Zinn's book. Park Tool have an excellent web site.


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## OldItalian (Feb 14, 2009)

Greg Lemonds book on cycling 
Lance Armstrong Program : Performance Program 7 Weeks to the Perfect Ride 
We might as well win. (I still am trying to read that, but I've been - busy)
one of my favorites: Curious George Rides a Bike - Got that from library.


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## agm2 (Sep 18, 2008)

Roadie: The misunderstood world of a bike racer- Good all around introduction and motivator for a roadie. 
The Tour is Won on the Alpe: Alpe D' Huez and the classic battles of the Tour De France- Albiet maybe not a must have but an interesting read on one of the most famous hills and some of the most famous battles in the Tour De France


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## Pscyclepath (May 22, 2008)

Robert Hurst. _The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street._ Guilford, CT. The Globe Pequot Press (2004).

A good companion is John Forester's _Effective Cycling_. Forester tends to present a utopian (and more-than-a-little-bit opinionated) view; Hurst writes from the perspective of someone who's bounced off a few bumpers in his time.

John Allen's _Bicycling Street Smarts_. You can actually find this online via googling the title.

Bob Mionske, _Bicycling and the Law: Your Rights as a Cyclist_. Boulder, CO, Velo Press (2007)

Fred Matheny, _Fred Matheny’s Complete Book of Road Bike Training_. Kutztown, PA, RBR Publishing Co., www.roadbikerider.com (2006)

Joe Friel. _Cycling Past 50_. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics (1998)

John Allen, _The Complete Book of Bicycle Commuting_, Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press (1981) (out of print, but well worth hunting it up in the library)


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

Heft on Wheels by Mike Magnuson

10 Points by Bill Strickland


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

I really liked Bicycling Magazine's "New Cyclist Handbook" Ben Hewitt Ed.
Nice and easy - not too advanced. The books above are probably great, but a Newbie needs some really basic info - this book provides it.

Welcome to the Roadie Brother/Sisterhood!


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

What about a good Bike repair book for a Newbie? The "New Cyclist Handbook" only covers fixing flats and basic tuning. What is a logical next step book that even us guys with ten thumbs can figure out and actually use at home in the garage?


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

personally I'd spend my time riding and reading right here on RBR.....we know everything, just ask us


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## mad max (Mar 22, 2009)

Touch0Gray said:


> personally I'd spend my time riding and reading right here on RBR.....we know everything, just ask us



:thumbsup:


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## The M.T. Bike (Dec 20, 2008)

LostViking said:


> What about a good Bike repair book for a Newbie? The "New Cyclist Handbook" only covers fixing flats and basic tuning. What is a logical next step book that even us guys with ten thumbs can figure out and actually use at home in the garage?


_The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair_ by Todd Downs.
As a new rider myself, this has helped me with EVERYTHING. Understanding the differences in frame construction, knowing what tools to buy, performing basic repairs...the best part is that all of the different parts/components are given their own chapter and explained at the perfect length. It talks about all the different types of, say, front derailleurs out on the market, and gives you the information you need to go about maintaining and repairing them. A wealth of experience within the 350+ pages. I couldn't give it a higher recommendation. 

I feel like looking to many sources for advice can be nothing but beneficial. They all have their own advantages.
The book I mentioned (and others I'm sure) can help immensely - for instance, nobody in this forum or in a LBS is going to write out seven pages of information about, say, wheels and tires succinctly, edited by 10+ sources and geared towards giving a beginner an overall understanding. But you will find that in a book.
This forum has been a blessing in the early stages of owning and maintaining a bike - for example, nowhere else could I get handfuls of opinions on maintaining a certain type of STI shifters. 
And going to the LBS can be advantageous as well - for example, a book or forum can never properly evaluate a small dent or give me an opinion on the wear to a pair of clipless pedals.


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