patlo's Reviews (1.32k)

This is a love story to the bicycle. It's the story of the author having his perfect custom bike made, and visiting each component manufacturer to see how they do what they do. It's also a history of the bicycle, mountain biking, bike culture and the resurgence of the bike in contemporary days. I absolutely loved it, and fell more in love with bicycles and bicycling as a result.

I listened to the audiobook version, and it was excellent in that format.

Majestic, powerful, haunting fairy tale. Will stay with me for a long, long time.

If this isn't one of the Great American Novels, I'm not sure why not. It's an epic family saga. It's huge in its scope and its challenge, and in its impact.

I think I may prefer[b:The River Why|23196|The River Why|David James Duncan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167391170s/23196.jpg|993607] by the same author, but both are fantastic novels. This is more grand; Why is more philosophical.

I'll reread this one more than once (as I have with Why). Highly recommended.

This is a fascinating and entertaining look at long distance motorcycle rallying through the eyes of a newlywed marriage therapist. It is well written and a fun page turner. I highly recommend this glimpse into a unique sport from a unique perspective, that of a passenger team member on a rallying team.