Bikes Reviews

Great pictures. Great section on equiptment. Too many books are lacking in the equipment sections for fear of obsolescence, not this one! This is a great overview for road racing enthusiasts.

This book is superb. I couldn`t corner properly until I read the section on cornering, now I can power through at a higher speed than some of my team mates. The training section is particularly useful. Throughout this book makes its points with excellent colour photographs.

I loved reading this book. It is an enjoyable, clearly-written introduction to a neighborhood that was "home" to thousands of Chicago's immigrants, including many of my ancestors. "Streets of the Near West Side" goes beyond those facts provided by such genealogical sources as Censuses. It can help family researchers develop a better understanding of their ancestor's "new neighborhood" in America. So, open the book, along with a map of Chicago, and learn how this neighborhood's history intertwines with the names of its streets.

Streets of the Near West Side is supposed to be a Chicago history book about one small neighborhood, but it's much more. It's about who the area's streets are named after, so it tells the stories of Presidents, Indians, Civil and Revolutionary War battles, and a lot of other quirky, odd, and fun information that you didn't learn about in high school history. At 117 pages, it can be read in one sitting. You can't put it down! You don't have to be a Chicagoan--just a lover of biography and history

If you're a fan of British comedy, you probably remember the television series "The Goodies" starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie, in which the trio had their wacky adventures and travelled around on a three-seater 'trandem' bicycle. The actual trandem was bought at a BBC props auction and ridden for charity through Africa...a hilarious travelogue of the collision between British eccentricity and adventure and African tradition and exploration. If you enjoy humorous travel books like those of Bill Bryson, Michael Palin, or 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' by Tony Hawks, this is the book to look for...IF it was in print! It's currently out of print in the US and even Amazon UK (www.amazon.co.uk) doesn't list it as available. Come on, US travel publishers...this should be a constantly in-print classic: get on yer bike and get it available again!

Woa what can I say , A book I can Actually read.....

The pictures in this calendar are inspiring! I have this calendar hung up at work to get me motivated to get me out of the office and onto the trail. Lots of great pictures from around the world.

Rate my own book a "5"? Why not--it's worth it. Anyway, when you fill out these little forms, you have to pick a rating or it won't work. Why should I sell myself short? Anyway... I had a great time writing this "slamming, dirt-eating" mountain bike guide (Laura Jorstad wrote that. I love that girl! She was the best thing that ever happened to Backcountry Guides).

There's a lot of incredible riding in NJ. I guess I'd have to say that some of the flat tracking scenic stuff represents my personal favorites--rides like the Patriot's Path, The Delaware and Raritan Canal rides, etc. I had a really hard time putting together Allaire State Park, because of the profusion of trails and the odd signage. But that's a great ride, too...my advice for Allaire riders is to just forget the book's route directions after you've read the details, and ride. My favorite mountian trails would have to be Huber Woods and neighboring Hartshorne, where you can get an all-day non-headbanger ride on nice dirt treads that were designed for mountain biking. Both of those parks are good rides for groups of varying ability. BUT THE REAL REASON I'm wriing is to enlist your help.

This book is now 4 years old, and there may have been trail changes, policy changes, and sign changes since then. I'd like to invite all of you to comment on those changes if you'd like, in this somewhat easier forum than actually sitting down to write a letter to the editor. If I use your changes, I'll put you in the acknowledgements. It's a way you can make a difference, maybe. And sure, you'll be helping me out. A LOT. And how can I help you? Well, you have the book, don't ya?

Thanks for your contributions to trails advocacy in the state of New Jersey. And say hello to Wally Tunison and Lyle Lange for me. Regards, Peter peterwkick@aol.com

I'm a begginermediate mountain biker and a weekend warrior so take this with the proverbial grain of salt. I have done several trails from the West Central section of this book, and had a 100% sucess rate with it. The the anecdotal decriptions are great, and they are followed by a blow-by-blow guide to the route he describes. Even with the detailed, step-by-step descriptions there are plenty of extras to inspire side trips, exploration, and customization to suite the level of riding experience.

Use common sense. Even though this book is only 3yrs old, markers disappear, signs are removed, trails are altered (sometimes by bulldozers), etc. Realize, these are details the author has no control over even though he has to include them at the time he rode the trail. I know of only a few authors who are considered omniscient (maybe One). As much as I like Mr. Kick's book, I don't think he's one of that number. This guide should always be supplimented with a good topo, and any maps that might be available from the local townships or organizations responsible for the trails described.

HI. I'm the author. In my humble opinion, this is a great book because it was truly a labor of love. I love to ride and I live in the Hudson Valley.

This book is getting on a bit. It was written in 1996 and just had its 3rd printing. The 3rd printing included a super-nice-looking new cover (don't cha think?), which is a huge improvement over the first cover, the one with Croton Dam and no bike. Oh, ok. A TINY little bike.

I have a comment to add about the back flap. Where it says I am also "the author of 25 Mountain bike Tours in the Hudson Valley" (well, obviously), it should say I'm also the author (of same) in the ADIRONDACKS. By the next printing, I hope this book will include the revisions it needs (including THAT one ???).

I also encourage any of you, my faithful (and beloved) readers, to send me any changes or new trail recommendations you might have.

Thanks for your interest in this guidebook. Regards, Peter peterwkick@aol.com

From the moment I flipped over the first page on the calendar, I was in love. Every day of the year was a car that made me drool. I couldn't believe the luck I had. If you are a car enthusiast, then this is the calendar for you. Forget those clunky month-by-month car calendars, you only get 12 pictures. In this wonderful flip calendar, you get day-by-day dream cars! The only way life could get any better is if you could get the real dream cars one a day. :-)

Several good photos each month, plus text telling you interesting stuff about the airplanes.

My son loves the Powerpuff Girls. This book is part of a first reader series of PPG books. He loved it so much that I got online to find the rest! Uses word repetition to aid in learning and eliminates most contractions.