Bikes Reviews

Rebecca "Lambchop" Reilly takes you on an amazing adventure, working her way across the country as a bike messenger, introducing the reader to the people she meets along the way. Her take on the messenger industry is as frank and honest as you will ever find, showing the good with the bad, exposing her own triumphs and foibles, and clearly delineating the similarities and differences between the messengers in each of the major metropolitan cities she visits. This book is the polar opposite of Travis Culley's narcisstic book "The Immortal Class" -- Rebecca has no deep political agenda, nor does she pass judgement on her peers or society as a whole. She has no point to make other than to paint a portrait of the messenger, both historically and now. The only reason I didn't give this book the full five stars is that it is in dire need of a proof reader and some polish editing, one of the drawbacks of self-publishing.

not a great deal more to say

This is a pretty good book for those in Ontario. Unfortunately, as a lot of people have found, it's the local, seldom used trails which often offer the best rides, and these don't get put in books. this is a great book for someone looking for a great ride in Ontario, and I would definitly recommend it.

This is a great book for anyone interested in Mountain Biking in Ontario

This book serves as a decent guide for cycling beyond theconfines of New York City. It is definitely geared towards the tourist or out-of-towner who is looking to tour certain areas of New York via a bicycle. However, as a longtime resident and cyclist of this fine city, I would hightly recommend AGAINST such an endeavor. As anyone who's at least visited New York City can tell you, traffic and other cyclists wait for no one, and pedestrians are even more of a hazard than anything on wheels. Pedaling slowly and taking the time to stop and view the sites is extremely dangerous.

All that aside, the detailed descriptions and historical explanations of what you encounter on these trails is very interesting. Listing the facilities that are available to the rider is a plus. After downing liters of water it's always good to know where that public restroom is! The maps are easy to read and the authors give you clear instructions of where and how to get to the trails, either by car or public transportation. I found that this guide serves better for the sections dealing with the counties and boroughs outside of Manhattan. Since there was so much great detail into the sights and surrounds along these rides, I wish that there had been just a bit more about biking the routes, not just the basic explanation of "hilly", etc. Overall this is a nice book to have for easy weekend rides.

Just as a little footnote. The authors say to ride on the right side with traffic. In New York City this is only partially usefull advice. While biking in NYC, yes, always ride with the traffic. If it's a two-way street, stay on the right. However, if it's a one-way, (which most of the streets and avenues are), stay on the left. The drivers see you better and you have less of a chance of getting "doored." Also, the bike lanes are always on the left... They have a link from their website that will lead you to some city-issued throughly detailed maps of New York City, complete with all the bike paths, all color coded so that you know which are bikes only, which are shared roadways, and which are shared but pecarious, etc. Plus the maps are free!

I've been a cyclist for more than 20 years and there are few ride guide for the New York Ciity that presents detailed routes as well as this book does. The authors are obviously seasoned veterans who have spent more than their fair time pedaling the NY-NJ-CT tri-state region. Maps are clear and the step-by-step "Directions at a Glance" make following the routes almost foolproof. This is a far better way of bringing the reader along for the ride than many other books on the subject.

Highly recommended!

Extreme Mysteries:Spiked Snow by Laban Hill is a story about a group of teens who are in college, who want to go to the Winter
X-Games. The main characters in the book are Kevin, Jami, and Natalie. They try to get into the Winter X-Games; Snow boarding, Speed Skating and Shooting. Strange things started happening like an avalanche, which almost buried Kevin. My favarite character was Jamil because he is funny and he made me laugh at some of his jokes.

I can relate to Kevin because when I first started to mountain bike I did not know what to do. I have not felt or done anything like the characters in the story. I like this book because it is about my favorite sport; mountian biking.

My favorite part of the book is when they get stuck in a man-made avalanche inside a small house. I did not have any least favorite parts in the book. If I could change anything in the book it would be for Kevin to not almost get buried in the avalanche.

I would recommed this book to a person who likes mountain biking. The age range should be 10-13.

I really liked this book, I`ve read 3 books in the series and this is by far the best one yet. I think it is one of those books that you really get into and never want to put it down. I just got the last 4 in the series so I hope they`re just as good.

This was the first book I owned on the subject and could not believe the amount of training that the authors recommended one need do to finishi a triathlon. Given that the book is a bit old, I believe that these recommendations are a sign of those times. Nowadays, people know that one can do very well at the sport of triathlon on significantly less training, and I point the interested reader in the direction of books such as "Time-saving ..." and Sleamaker's "SERIOUS Training...". These books are equally scientific, but do not put as much emphasis on having to cover so many miles, but rather inform you on how to spend whatever time you actually have to train.

I would not recommend this book to a newcomer, nor to a seasoned triathlete anymore, but a few years ago I might have...

This is a good book for everyone thinking about triathlons. It offers good advice on choosing equipment, techniques and training programs.
Instead of relying on distance, its programs focus on time and percentage. Since biking encompasses usually 50% of the race, training should focus 50% on biking (unless you're very weak in one of the other legs).

It offers sample worksheets to set up your own program, based on the type of triathlon-sprint to Ironman.

I'm a new transition to triathlons. This book works well for me because I'm prepared to accept the information the book has to offer. The information is objective and the training methods presented appear well organized with technical reasoning backing up the new concepts I learned here. I feel the author is genuinely concerned about the readers success and therefore disagree with other reviewers comments' that the there is too much (unnecessary) training. My thoughts on this matter are that Triathletes need a sufficient amount of training to efficiently compete and I think once again the author backs up the reasons why the training is important . My interpretation of the general training outline presented is that this will prepare one well for the stresses of half ironman competition, but one can adjust up or down from there to suit their racing needs. For a 1994 copyright, this book is well worth the money because the facts, figures, and methods being used appear to be genuine by even today's standards. If you wish to find something exactly for you please visit your local full service health club and pay several hundred dollars for a genuine taylored plan, this is a serious statement for those being extremely serious about this sport. But for the novice like me, this book tells me everything I need to know at this point. See you on the course friends...

This book is about a boy named Peter who gets into a fight with a kid named Dexter Pasini for thinking Peter was trying to steal his dirtbike.Later on he forgives him for what he has done and lets him borrow a spare bike to race.After the race Dex asked Peter to help him steal some bike parts and sell them.He doesn't agree with him so Dex beat him up and rode away.A kid named Griff Macenzi [from the race]helped him up and Peter told him he was homeless.So Griff offerd him a home. This book is not recomended because it was boring

DIRTBIKE RUNWAY, you'll
finish this book in a flash. It's only 96 pages long. The genre is realistic fiction. People can do the samething just like in this book.
This kid named Peter ran away fronm his foster home. To this little town.Then he gets himself into trouble with some kids.
Three thing i liked this book is ...... well the book is all about Motocross.
#1 I like dirt bikes
#2 I like Motocross
#3 And i have a Dirtbike
People who shoul read this book would be Kids my age
9-12.
Well i hope you enjoyed my book review to you, so spread the word.

The book, Dirt Bike Runaway was written by Matt Christopher. My favorite character was Peter because he was good at riding dirt bikes. Some other characters were Dexter Pasina, Jesse Kutter, and Peter's sister. They were the main characters. My favorite part was when, Peter and Dexter weren't friends until Dexter asked Peter to work for him. The job was to steal car parts. Peter said no and then they started to argue and that turned into them fighting. Dexter beat him up and knocked him out. Peters best friend was Giff, they were good friends. They rode motercrosses against Dexter. At the end of the story Dexter and Peter became good friends. To conclude, I think Dirt Bike Runaway was a good book.

This was the 1st triathlon book I bought. It gives an overview of the equipment, types of training in chapters on swimming, running and riding, time requirments, nutrition and sample training plans.
It is NOT a training book perse. It will give the reader an idea of what it takes to start triathloning without overwhelming him and her.
I think Triathlon 101 is better but it's a personal opinion.

I found this book to be fairly helpful. I especially liked the descriptions of form drills for all 3 disciplines. The informaiton was useful. What I did not like is that since I am new to the sport of triathlon, there were phrases used that I did not understand. This was most evident in the workouts. The text would describe everything well, but then in a listing of a sample workout it would use terms not explained in the text. This made it hard to figure out what to do sometimes. Also the author says he'll show you how to have many peaks in a season, but then really doesn't ever give that information.

A fantastic book and on the "top two" of my recommended reading list for beginning triathletes. If you are going for detail and want in-depth and technical information on how to develop a training plan, go with the Triathlete's Training Bible. If you want a solid overview of the sport of triathlon, this is the book for you.

Swim, Bike, Run is written in a very straight-forward style and gives sound, practical advice. I am an avid reader of "things triathlon," so I've read just about every book out there. The most telling insight into how much I value this book is that this is the book that I consistently return to and read the night before a race. I also look to it for a "refresher" when I want to improve form/technique and when I am evaluating how my training is going mid-season. The swimming section is particularly effective and the illustrations greatly helped me on technique issues.

A great read and highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book, highly recommend it. Of the cycling books I've read, this one has more of a dark side than any of the others. I don't know, or suggest, that that's a bad thing. Maybe this author is just more willing to talk about the negative side of his adventure. It's also true that while cycling is central to this book, in some sense it's irrelevant. I see this as the story of the author's completely changing his life style, and biking to the lower 48 sort of gave him something to do while in the process. Like to meet the author, though.

You don't have to ride bikes to benefit from this book. For those of us who have considered leaving our cocoons but haven't had the nerve, Mr. Lowrance gives candid commentary on the ups and downs of confronting our demons while offering colorful descriptions of the journey that opens up the opportunities to explore the inner self. This book will help open doors to experiences we've only dreamed of.

I can not tell a lie. I know Monte. I just met him at a camp for kids with cancer and was so impressed with his energy and spirit that I bought this book from him. It wasn't a charity buy though. . . as I've not been able to put the book down since. I'm almost at the end and feeling sad that the journey with Monte and his tour across 48 states will soon be over. I felt sometimes like I was reading his journal, others like I was watching a movie of his travels. All along, I've been sucked into the journey - learning along with him in his "Moments of Clarity" and seeing each section of asphalt as he describes it. Reading has made me love my bike and the miles I put on it even more. In fact. . . .perhaps my journey across the country is next! Thanks Monte. Your words inspire me. But more than the words. . . you inspire me. Read it, read it, READ IT!!

I bought Frank's book in 1989. Then, it was the *only* source of detailed independent advice on bicycle componentry. It covers all the moving parts of a bike and includes saddles, seatposts and information about frame design, geometry, sizing. The only missing bits are headsets, handlebars and stems. Franks years of wisdom shine through in his writing and advice.

A lot of the components have clearly changed in the last decade, though there are still a number of products still in production in upgraded form. The descriptions of the design of the parts and important features are invaluable. Frank's book came before the time of mountain bikes, so there isn't anything specific to them, but the chapter on gearing is still worth reading.

Since the technology of road bikes hasn't changed a great deal, I think roadies would find the book much more useful than mountain bikers.

In 1988, *****. In 1999 for roadies, ****. For others in 1999, **, but still worth borrowing to read.

I wrote this book in 1988 when I was Engineering Editor of Bicycling magazine. 25,000 copies were sold. It is a unique "How To" book for upgrading road bikes. There is nothing on mountain bikes. The chapters on, bicycle selection, gear trains, chains, pedals, wheels, tires and tubes, brakes, saddles, and seatposts contain good information that is still useful today. The chapters on cranksets, freewheels, shift levers, and derailleurs describe the state of the art components in 1988. I still have 15 copies.

George was out playing alone when he encountered two men in a vehicle whom he had NEVER met before. They were friendly and told him that he was talented. The next thing we know is that the three of them get into the cab and drive off. Oh dear !!
This isn't the sort of thing I'd wish to encourage, would you ?

One positive thing about the tale is that it provoked discussion about
never going away with strangers even if they seem nice.
We like the Curious George books and appreciate the fact that they were written quite some time ago, but when reading to impressionable kids it's good to make sure that you approve of the content.

This book Curious George rides a bike is about monkey who gets a bike because it is the
mans and George's third year sense they meet. So George is a very curious monkey and
he is not aloud to ride his bike past his house but George does. George goes off and gets
into trouble.
This book teaches a lesson about listening to your gardian.
It teaches that by when George goes off and gets into trouble with the circus because he
feeds the ostterage a flute. The ring master told him not to feed the ostterage any thing
because it will eat anything that you give it.
This books age level is from five and up. It is this age level because it could teach kids
when there young to listen to there parent.
I think that the book was good it had a little bit of a adventure to it. It also tought a
lesson which I though was good also.

Curious George's new bike leads him to an extended adventure delivering newspapers, making a regatta of paper boats (there are instructions on how to make one!), and visiting a circus after wrecking the front wheel.

George is not quite as innocent here as in his other books. He's a little more like Mr. Toad, doing some things he knows he shouldn't do, and he's not always very careful. Still, his exuberance and the winning 1950's illustrations are a delight. As usual, George gets into trouble with people, but eventually he rescues one of the circus animals and is hailed as a hero.

It's true that George gets into an circus wagon with two strangers... Be sure to advise your own little monkey not to take rides with strangers. But if that upsets you, you might as well also explain that circuses are often not very animal-friendly. A little too long compared with the simple joys of other George books, but this does extend the curious monkey's adventures to somewhat older kids. Lots of action in the 48 pages, with no more than one to three short paragraphs of text per page.