It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels

When I initially read the reviews was not sure if I would like it but ordered anyway. Read the book in 2 days and loved it. A lot of cool road bike and bike brand history within. Not just whole bike but component brands especially. Really found it interesting, especially historical information and how he was going around the world buying the best components for his perfect bike.

Mr. Penn brings to this book great breadth of experience in the saddle, having cycled to some of the most amazing places on the planet. He retains the sense of wonder anyone who has ridden a bicycle has when they first achieve the wonder of moving forward without support on this most amazing two-wheeled vehicle. The bicycle is truly the most wonderful and efficient human powered machine ever developed and we are still learning about the physics of its self-stabilizing qualities. The author takes us on an adventure, grounded in his pragmatic sense of what works and what doesn't for the quotidian rider, as he pursues his dream bike, one that isn't off the shelf and that is based upon insight into the history, tradition and artisanal qualities of bicycle component production. He brings the reader along on an adventure any cyclist with a sense of wonder would enjoy, meeting the current generation of artisanal component producers. Before we meet these amazing people, we are treated to the history of the relevant component, from origins to evolution through both utilitarian and bicycle racing uses. He obtains the component of interest during a visit, frame from Brian Rourke at Stoke on Trent, headset from Chris King in Portland, OR, wheels from Gravy in Fairfax, CA, tires, steaming hot just after vulcanization from Hardy Bolts of Continental in Korbac, Germany, saddle from Brooks in Manchester..., you get the idea. Your sense of appreciation for each component of the bicycle will deepen after you read each of these engaging sections. You begin to see why the bicycle was initially greeted with the same fanfare and production facilities as the automobile later was. You also more deeply appreciate how remarkable and utilitarian this machine is. The health of the artisanal side of the industry is great news for the future of the bicycle.As interesting as each of these sections are, though, the best part of the book is the infectious sense of pleasure Mr. Penn can't seem to help but convey with each meeting and with his bicycling. This is remarkable given some of the hair-raising adventures he's been on with a bicycle. He makes you want to get out and get it going on your own bike and to hope that maybe, if you play your cards right, you will one day put together your own dream machine.Highly recommended. Easily the best bicycle book I've ever read. Ride on, Mr. Penn. Ride on.

Robert Penn has ridden across the US, Australia, South-East Asia, India, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe—effectively around the world—on a bicycle. He bikes to work, to stay fit, to run errands. He bikes for pleasure. And he bikes every day.When the time comes for a new bicycle, he embarks on a quest for his dream bike. It’s All About the Bike is a chronicle of that pilgrimage—from a custom frame builder in England to the Campagnolo factory in Vicenza and Chris King Precision Components in Portland, Oregon. Piece-by-piece Penn assembles a truly unique design—more work of art than machine. He labors equally over the choice in group set and custom paint, and he indulges in the telling of this quixotic quest with humor and authority through tangents on the social history of the bicycle and encyclopedic knowledge of its workings.Penn’s expertise is evident, as is his love of the bicycle. “Lance Armstrong was wrong,” he declares. “I realize this is rich—telling the winner of the world’s toughest cycle race a record seven times that the title of his global, best-selling book, It’s Not About the Bike, is erroneous—but there you go. I’ve done it now. Lance, you don’t know what you’re talking about. It is about the bike. It’s all about the bike.”Read this book and you’ll never look at a bicycle the same way again.

Kudo's to the author for filling a niche on the bookshelves of bicycle lovers everywhere. Robert Penn pulled this off with class, humor and passion. The writer begins with his quest of building the perfect bicycle - perfect (in the eyes of the author) is a bike made with craftsmanship, attention to detail and using the finest of components. He starts with the frame and progresses to the headset, wheels, seat, tires and gearset. As each component is built, Penn takes the reader on an interesting and well written foray into the technical history of each item, its application and source. Penn leads us on factory tours throughout Europe and the United States with never a dull moment. Reading of the wheel build is almost zen-like in its presentation and you can almost feel the ambience of the Brookes leather factory in Birmingham. I loved it. This is all interspersed with a smattering of Penns own bicycling history - the round the world tours, his commutes and adventure travels.As the book neared its end, I found myself wanting more however. An extra star would have been awarded for a write up of that first ride. And pictures... Why could'nt the author give us a few glossy images of this delightful steed. These small additions would have complemented an otherwise fantastic and intriguing book. Overall, though, a great read and a well researched book.

The book is interesting as a tour of some of the options available when you have a lot of money and want to fulfill your bike equipment fantasies. That's a valid tack to take, but he tends to say "This is the best...." when "this" is an excellent choice, but not the only excellent choice. And he tends to go for the most expensive choice, not necessarily the best, especially when value is considered.That said, he does a good job of weaving in bike tech history and makes valid observations on current tech, too. I enjoyed it, but it's a book I'd only recommend only to someone who has been buying and riding bikes for many years.

Es un libro de lectura fácil, amena. Aprendí muchos datos sobre la bici cuando ya me creía que lo sabía todo.A través de su odisea de hacerse de la mejor bici posible, el autor nos va iluminando sobre la historia de la bicicleta y de cada uno de sus componentes. Lectura fascinante y muy recomendable.

Un incontournable pour sa valeur spirituelle et historique

I could not put it down once I started. You have to be a bike enthusiast to start the read but it's a straight run after that.Sublime pleasure like a new bike on a fabulous day.

Este libro es una pequeña delicia para los amantes del mejor de los inventos del hombre para resolver el problema de su transporte: la bicicleta.Escrito por un profundo conocedor y gran amante de la bicicleta, Robert Penn, y planteado como un viaje a través de la geografía y la historia de todos los componentes que forman las partes principales con las que se construye.Está lleno de datos interesantes, muy bien documentado y escrito con frescura y sencillez, en un estilo peridístico que denota el origen de su autor, que ha dedicado gran parte de su vida a compartirla con sus bicicletas. Su lectura es agradable y no defrauda. Muy recomendable.

Questo libro non e' scritto per gli esperti o per i tecnici della bici ma per tutti gli altri. Parte dalla voglia di Robert di costruirsi "la" bici da corsa su misura. La bici dove ogni componente e' scelto non a caso, non dettato dalla moda ma dalla tradizione, dall'estetica e funzionalita' ma sopratutto che duri nel tempo.Partendo da questa voglia di costruirsi la bici definitiva, Robert coglie l'occasione per raccontarci la storia della bicicletta, le sue evoluzioni, la storia dei suoi componenti e di tante persone che hanno fatto del loro mestiere un'arte.L'Italia e' stata ed e' tuttora un paese di grande tradizione ciclistica con tante eccellenze e maestrie, l'autore pur essendo di estrazione anglosassone rispetta questi artigiani ed industriali Italiani menzionati piu' volte nel libro e alcuni componenti della bici arrivano direttamente dall'Italia. Tra gli altri il cambio e guarnitura Campagnolo e il manubrio e pipa Cinelli.