Bike Snob Systematically Mercilessly Realigning
My wife recently bought me this book for my birthday, keeping up with my ever increasing interest in cycling for pleasure. Perhaps her purchase was spurred on by my compatriot, Bradley Wiggins, recent Tour de France win and my obsession with tracking my rides on my beloved single speed bike on my iPhone.
For some reason she did not think I would like this book; was unsure if I would like the writing style or content. She could not have been more wrong. On a plane heading to London, I was conscious of laughing out loud at page after page. The Bike Snob is very funny. Whether discussing the history of biking or classifying various types of urban cyclist, his relaxed and humorous style really works. Throughout however the Bike Snob's passion for cycling ties together his often wandering stream of consciousness narratives. I read Bicyling magazine, but in the Bike Snob I recognized myself, a shared love of cycling around Manhattan and Brooklyn for no other reason than to be out on a bike (Bike Snob is a New Yorker), and someone who is not above being honest about something so simple, cheap and easily accessible.
A superbly written, funny book.
(I now read the Bike Snob's blog religiously too).
A wonderful book, it fills a huge gap that nobody else could or would have filled...and if they'd tried, it wouldn't have succeeded nearly as well. It's not a book of facts, though there are facts in it, and although it's billed as a book-o-rants, it's way more than that, I'd say.
BalasHapusIf you take it sentence by sentence or section by section, you won't fully appreciate its contribution, which is that here, now, in the midst of sharply dilineated cycling factions, against each other as much as we are against the non-cycling world, BikeSnob shakes us all by the shoulders, gently slaps our faces to get us to snap out of it, and says "Look at what you're doing and laugh at yourself and reexamine everything you think about the totem pole of bike riders."
It is funny, but not trying-too-hard funny, and that's a tough little tiny dot to hit. Eben comes off as casual, one of us, but has a way with words that belies his mid-30s age and his authorookieship. He has a style, it's polished, and I like it a lot. It's a cheap book--$16.95. You'll get many times that out of it in a new personal and global bike perspective, information, and entertainment. A whopping success, I'd say.
GP
This book is not a reprisal of BikeSnobNYC's blog. It is a book that is made possible by the blog, and it is a book that many people have tried to write, but few have succeeded in riding the thin line between advocacy and obnoxiousness.
BalasHapusIn his blog BikeSnobNYC, has poked fun at all aspects of bicycling subculture for many years. This has earned him a broad and somewhat eclectic following. His writing on the blog is rapier-sharp, but it far toned-down in the book, which is apparently aimed at a wider audience.
This book basically tells why BikeSnob thinks cycling is great; what cycling is all about; and a little bit about how to enjoy life and not get killed on the street.
As a cyclist myself, and a semi-regular reader of BikeSnob's blog, I enjoyed the book immensely. But beyond, that, this is the type of book I would give to my non-cycling friends who just need a little nudge to get them on a two-wheeler of their own.
I got this for my hubby who loves to rides bikes but doesn't read a lot. He could not put it down. This is a must read for bike riders. Its funny yet also informative. The price was good too.
BalasHapusMy wife recently bought me this book for my birthday, keeping up with my ever increasing interest in cycling for pleasure. Perhaps her purchase was spurred on by my compatriot, Bradley Wiggins, recent Tour de France win and my obsession with tracking my rides on my beloved single speed bike on my iPhone.
BalasHapusFor some reason she did not think I would like this book; was unsure if I would like the writing style or content. She could not have been more wrong. On a plane heading to London, I was conscious of laughing out loud at page after page. The Bike Snob is very funny. Whether discussing the history of biking or classifying various types of urban cyclist, his relaxed and humorous style really works. Throughout however the Bike Snob's passion for cycling ties together his often wandering stream of consciousness narratives. I read Bicyling magazine, but in the Bike Snob I recognized myself, a shared love of cycling around Manhattan and Brooklyn for no other reason than to be out on a bike (Bike Snob is a New Yorker), and someone who is not above being honest about something so simple, cheap and easily accessible.
A superbly written, funny book.
(I now read the Bike Snob's blog religiously too).
BalasHapusI'm a big fan of his blog, but this was a real surprise to me. Very funny of course, but much , much more. A real love letter to cycling, with an historical perspective and just a fun read from beginning to end. You'll end up loving the Snob and being more motivated than ever before to just ride. The Bikesnob uses cycling as a metaphor for life, and his view of life is witty, funny and profound.
BalasHapus