Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike

( 9 )

Overview

In the same way that Michael Pollan’s slim bestseller Food Rules brought a gust of common sense to the everyday activity of eating, Just Ride is a revelation. Forget the ultralight, uncomfortable bikes, flashy jerseys, clunky shoes that clip onto tiny pedals, the grinding out of endless miles. Instead, ride like you did when you were a kid—just get on your bike and discover the pure joy of riding it.

A reformed racer who’s commuted by bike every day since 1980, whose writings ...

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Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike

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More About This Book

Overview

In the same way that Michael Pollan’s slim bestseller Food Rules brought a gust of common sense to the everyday activity of eating, Just Ride is a revelation. Forget the ultralight, uncomfortable bikes, flashy jerseys, clunky shoes that clip onto tiny pedals, the grinding out of endless miles. Instead, ride like you did when you were a kid—just get on your bike and discover the pure joy of riding it.

A reformed racer who’s commuted by bike every day since 1980, whose writings and opinions appear in major bicycling and outdoor magazines, and whose company, Rivendell Bicycle Works, makes bikes for riders ready to opt out of a culture overrun by racing, Grant Petersen shares a lifetime of unexpected facts, controversial opinions, expert techniques, and his own maverick philosophy. In 87 short, two-to-three page chapters, it covers:

• Riding: Count Days, Not Miles; Corner Like Jackie Robinson; Steer with Your Hips, Shift with Your Legs

• Suiting Up: The Shoes Ruse; Ponchos—the Ultimate Unracer’s Garment

• Safety: #1 Rule—Be Seen; Helmets Aren’t All They’re Cracked Up to Be

• Health and Fitness: Why Riding Is Lousy All-Around Exercise; Saddles Don’t Cause Impotence; Drink When You’re Thirsty—Not Before

Also includes chapters on Accessories, Upkeep, and Technicalities as well as a final chapter titled “Velosophy” that includes the essential, memorable thought: Your Bike Is a Toy—Have Fun with It.

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Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review
…if you want to go biking but have been scared away by the sport's cult of gear and equipment, then your bible has been written. Grant Petersen's Just Ride is a wonderfully sane, down to earth and frequently funny guide to riding, maintaining, fixing and enjoying your bicycle…If you like the gear, he's fine with that, and if you don't agree with all his advice, no problem. But he makes the case that at its core, biking should be a simple, democratic, sometimes ludicrously enjoyable means of getting around.
—Dave Eggers
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780761155584
  • Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
  • Publication date: 5/8/2012
  • Pages: 256
  • Sales rank: 130,791
  • Product dimensions: 4.54 (w) x 8.78 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Grant Petersen is the founder and owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works and writes the Rivendell Reader. His writing and opinions have been featured in major bike and outdoor magazines, including Bicycling, Outside, and Men’s Journal. He’s commuted exclusively by bike since 1980, and lives with his family in Walnut Creek, California. His website is www.rivbike.com.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 9 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 19, 2012

    Excellent advice - great book - teaches everything i learned com

    Excellent advice - great book - teaches everything i learned commuting and more. I'd buy Grant's book again just to get the word out - the racing fringe help and hurt every sport they touch, and shame on them for making me feel bad about enjoying biking. Thank you Grant for the hints and tips i didn't know, and for correcting the wrong advice i got from racers over the years.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 21, 2012

    Great Book for All Bicyclists, New and Old

    If you are thinking of taking up bicycling but are worried about the expense and specialized high performance gear, or if you are an old hand who cannot go on a simple ride without a competitive urge to drop your companions because you just have to do so, read this book.
    Very easy reading in short topical essays, Grant Petersen counters the racing-oriented nonsense that prevails in most bicycle-related books and magazines and instead provides excellent advice for recreational riders and commuters, the vast majority of bike riders. You don't need to blow a fortune on special shoes, special clothes, and special racing gear; you just need a bicycle and a will to ride it. He provides plenty of tips and suggestions to improve your riding skills.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 15, 2012

    Why pay to read rants you've heard before? It's hard to take ad

    Why pay to read rants you've heard before? It's hard to take advice about simplifying cycling and the evil marketers from a guy who's non-custom made in Japan bikes retail for upwards of $3000

    1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 9, 2012

    It was good. Real easy reading. Author uses humor throughout whi

    It was good. Real easy reading. Author uses humor throughout which is great! Some of the chapters I skipped because I didn't care about including Frame Arithmetic, Tire Casings...otherwise it was good. I don't know that I would recommend it to everyone though. I'm just a recreational rider...pretty amateur actually but I wanted simple information, light-hearted as it started but then got too detailed for me and so I lost interest.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 19, 2012

    Where are we racing to anyway?

    This book may seem radical to some riders but I see it as very pratical. Brought me back to reflect on my early days as acommuter/rider on an old renovated 3 speed to and from school and later on when I jumped to ten speeds but commuted around campus and the university town I was living in at the time. No racing just practical use of a two wheeler to get on with daily life and save money!

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  • Posted June 12, 2012

    Well crafted; essential reading for cyclists

    Finally, a book that doesn't read like a chamber of commerce newsletter or a teaser for billboards.
    Get this book and recall its messages as you hit the road on your bicycle.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 19, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 16, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

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