Bike Books

[Flying Zombie]

I've seen a few books for older model Bicycles, Like Columbia 31-41, and Schwinn prewars.
Are there any books you own that youd recommend getting a hold of for either a specific model or Older Bikes Overall?

List them here!

 

[honestherman]

Bike Books? are you talking about Brochures? Parts Catalog? I have a parts Catalog about 100 pages from 1920's. I have seen Old Owners Manuals. But they are really like a 4 page flyer. Small size at that.
I would not call what I have seen a Book.
What have you seen?

 

[patman73]

are you looking for bike repair manuels for bikes like schwinn or other brands of bike
i have see bicycle books on amazon.com
just the history of bicycles

 

[Flying Zombie]

Nothing specific, just whatever you think would be helpful to enthusiasts overall. I just reckoned it'd make a good thread.

 

[honestherman]

I would like to see a "how to ride a bicycle" Book.

 

[patman73]

I would like to see a "how to ride a bicycle" Book.

they have them some where !

 

[patman73]

www.amazon.com/Just-Ride-Radically-Practical-Riding/dp/0761155589

 

[patman73]

here is a book from amazon.com
Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling

 

[mornview]

Here's a somewhat atypical choice, but an excellent children's book:

Pedal It, How Bikes Are Changing the World

It's an excellent little book that looks at how bikes are impacting areas all over the world. I've put a bunch of people on to it and regardless of what age they are they find inspiration in the book. If you're looking to turn anyone on to bicycling this might be a good place to start. It's a quick but impactful reminder of just how powerful two wheels can be.

I've recommended this one a million times before and will continue to do so:

Glenn's New Complete Bicycle Manual

This is the best bicycle repair/maintenance book I've ever come across, and it can currently be had for 25 cents. I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, but there is an older version of this manual that covers maintenance of even older bicycles.

A couple bike commuting books:

The Complete Book of Bicycle Commuting

The Urban Biking Handbook

My wife swears by the former; I found it a little tough to trudge through. The latter probably won't give you any new information, but it's the kind of book I wish I had when I first started getting into bike commuting. It could've saved me a lot of trial and error.

Here's a cool little gem I just stumbled upon:

The Cart Book, With Plans and Projects

It's another book that can be had for pocket change, yet contains a wealth of information. It covers building all sorts of carts (carts for bicycles, horses, pulled by hand, etc.), but the plans for creating bicycle carts are great. I'll be building a bike trailer in the next few months, and this was a great resource. They just really don't make useful books like these anymore.

 

[Bicycle808]

Nice list; i wish i had something to contribute, but most of my bike-related reading is done online (forums, blogs, etc...) The best source for bike info, in my opinion: http://sheldonbrown.com/articles.html Sheldon was an early adopter of the "weblog" (aka "blog") concept; his online journal is heavy on bicycle content, and dates back to 1998 (plus he transcribed some stuff from bike tours in the 70s)... Half the stuff I've learned about bikes comes from riding and working on them; I learned a good bit I learned from talking to other cycling enthusiasts, or reading about their experiences/ideas on the internet. But the vast majority of that stuff I learned from others, it came from Sheldon Brown. He's definitely not infallible, and sometimes it seems trendy online to disparage him, but there's never been a more influential bike guru, and I'm doubting there will ever be another quite like him....

 

[The Black Monark]

Evolution of the Bicycle, Collecting and Restoring Antique Bicycles, all of the reprints of catalogs sold by the cabe:

http://thecabe.com/the-store/#!/Books/c/3240462/offset=0&sort=nameAsc

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sm2501/m.html

 

[mornview]

Nice list; i wish i had something to contribute, but most of my bike-related reading is done online (forums, blogs, etc...) The best source for bike info, in my opinion: http://sheldonbrown.com/articles.html Sheldon was an early adopter of the "weblog" (aka "blog") concept; his online journal is heavy on bicycle content, and dates back to 1998 (plus he transcribed some stuff from bike tours in the 70s)... Half the stuff I've learned about bikes comes from riding and working on them; I learned a good bit I learned from talking to other cycling enthusiasts, or reading about their experiences/ideas on the internet. But the vast majority of that stuff I learned from others, it came from Sheldon Brown. He's definitely not infallible, and sometimes it seems trendy online to disparage him, but there's never been a more influential bike guru, and I'm doubting there will ever be another quite like him....

Real world experience definetely trumps book learning any day of the week.

I should also just point out that frequent Sheldon Brown contributor (I think he's the guy currently responsible for upkeeping of the site too?) John S Allen contributed to "Glenn's New Complete Bicyce Manual" and wrote "The Complete Book of Bicycle Commuting" (both mentioned in my list). It really seems like Allen and Brown lived to spread the good word on bicycling.