It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness On Two Wheels: In Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels: Amazon.de: Robert Penn: Englische Bücher

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A book as brilliant as the invention it celebrates. A wonderful read (Nick Crane, Author Of 'clear Waters Rising' And 'bicycles Up Kilimanjaro' )

What I'm left with after consuming the book is a sense of poetry. A distinct and lingering feeling of elegance, design history and aesthetics. It made me look at the hundreds of thousands of bicycles I pass every day in Copenhagen in a completely new light. It made me wonder what my perfect bicycle would look like (Mikael Colville-Andersen Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog )

No matter how shiny and costly the item of bike bling, there is a back story, usually a good one. Artfully, Penn turns his quest for hardware ... into a worldwide spin around cycling and its culture (William Fotheringham Guardian )

[Penn] writes with authority, humour and refreshing candour ... A celebration of craftsmanship over technology and of a bygone era when things were built to last ... If Penn is to be believed, we are entering a golden age of cycling, when it really will be all about the bike once more (Sunday Telegraph )

[Penn] writes with a Bill-Brysonesque facility for concentrating a lot of information and research into an easy-to-read and surprisingly compelling tale. Best of all ... his account enriches your enjoyment of a ride (Tim Dawson, Cycle Guy Sunday Times )

'Gem of a book ... Penn ... describes his quest to build the perfect bicycle, mixing in an entertaining dose of cycling history and culture in the process (Economist )

Fantastic ... It is a really interesting read with some great stories on the science, history and culture of the bicycle. Well worth a read if, like me, you love cycling! (Paul Smith )

I've just spent a week pedalling slowly from Windermere to Aviemore with a copy of Penn's zealous eulogy in my pannier. His infectious admiration for the exhilarating sociability of cycling, coupled with reverence for quality craftsmanship, made highly engaging company ... appreciate the wit and enthusiasm of this unusual odyssey (James Urquhart Independent )

The pages overflow with pioneers, mavericks and geniuses – certainly, it is hard to imagine anyone who reads this book being able to buy a bike "off the peg" again ... A depiction of a world you might vote for, Penn's does not sound bad at all (Tim Lewis Observer )

Whizzed through Robert Penn's 'It's All About the Bike'. Must read for cyclists and/or obsessives (Tweeted By Alistair Campbell )

Kurzbeschreibung

As seen on TV The bicycle is one of mankind’s greatest inventions – and the most popular form of transport in history. Robert Penn has ridden one most days of his adult life. In his late 20s, he pedalled 40,000 kilometres around the world. Yet, like cyclists everywhere, the utilitarian bikes he currently owns don’t even hint at this devotion. Robert needs a new bike, a bespoke machine that reflects how he feels when he’s riding it – like an ordinary man touching the gods. It's All About the Bike is the story of a journey to design and build a dream bike. En route, Robert explores the culture, science and history of the bicycle. From Stoke-on-Trent, where an artisan hand builds his frame, to California, home of the mountain bike, where Robert tracks down the perfect wheels, via Portland, Milan and Coventry, birthplace of the modern bicycle, this is the narrative of our love affair with cycling. It’s a tale of perfect components – parts that set the standard in reliability, craftsmanship and beauty. It tells how the bicycle has changed the course of human history, from the invention of the ‘people’s nag’ to its role in the emancipation of women, and from the engineering marvel of the tangent-spoked wheel to the enduring allure of the Tour de France. It’s the story of why we ride, and why this simple machine remains central to life today.

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Das ultimative Buch für Fahrradbegeisterte 9. Dezember 2010

Von Helmut Janus

Format:Gebundene Ausgabe

Robert Penn will ein Fahrrad für den Rest seines Lebens, wenn es gut geht noch für einige Jahrzehnte. Er will nicht irgend ein Rad von der Stange, sondern sein ganz persönliches Fahrrad, das nur aus den besten Teilen aus der ganzen Welt zusammengebaut sein soll. Dazu reist er zu allen Komponentenherstellern von England über Kontinentaleuropa bis in die USA. Er sieht zu und beschreibt, wie der Rahmen von einer kleinen, aber feinen englischen Rahmenschmiede geschweißt wird, wie die Schaltung in Italien zusammengebaut wird, die Reifen in Deutschland gefertigt werden usw. Das alles verbindet er mit einer Technikgeschichte des Fahrrads und einer Geschichte des Radsports. So wie sein Rad immer weiter fertig gestellt wird, zieht Penn den Leser mit auf einer Radtour zu den Technikpionieren und den frühen Radrennfahrern. Das ist nicht nur lehrreich, sondern auch ungeheuer unterhaltsam, und mit der Lektüre wächst unweigerlich das Verlangen nach dem eigenen Traumrad. Auch ohne Wörterbuch erschließen sich für den deutschen Leser mit einigermaßen passablen Englischkenntnissen die technischen Vokabeln. Wenn es überhaupt eine Kritik gibt, dann die, dass Penns Fahrrad ein klassisches Straßenrad wird und viele Teile wie Nabenschaltungen, Hydraulikbremsen und moderne Beleuchtungsanlagen, die für Alltagsradler wichtig sind, nicht vorkommen. Trotzdem wird dieses Buch jeden anstecken, der auch nur ein bisschen anfällig für das Fahrradvirus ist.

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A MUST Read! 22. Januar 2012

Von Blue30

It is easy to describe: If you love cycling, especially road cycling and if you have a real passion for this sport, if you like cycling along a small, narrow and empty road on a Sunday morning and if you like at the same time your well maintained bike built up with individual parts you HAVE to read this book! I loved every single page!

Thank you Robert Penn for writing this awesome book about the history and passion of cycling!

Bikoholics, buy this book and enjoy 3. Dezember 2011

Von Sark

Format:Taschenbuch

If you are a bicycle lover and enthusiast of cycling this might be a book for you.

In this book Robert Penn tells his story of his quest to compose the ultimate bicycle.
Of course this is a question of taste.
But his enthusiasm is understandable and makes one eager to buy a new bike!
..

I really enjoyed this book.