Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike

Grant Petersen

May 2012 · Sold by Workman Publishing Company

About this ebook

“No matter what or how you ride, read this book and remind yourself just how enjoyable cycling can and should be.”—Eben Weiss, author of The Enlightened Cyclist
 
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, and a final chapter titled “Velosophy” that includes the essential, memorable thought: Your Bike Is a Toy—Have Fun with It.

Winner Silver Medal 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards


 

Ratings and reviews

That's what I was told by a mechanic who worked at the same shop as my favorite mechanic. He was joking of course but, in a sense he's right. A Grant Peterson perspective is different from what has become normal in today's bicycle culture. That is a good thing because too many riders out there subscribe to a impractical approach when you see them on the road. Too many buy what the industry pushes as the latest and greatest. This is a useful second perspective. BTW. My mechanic and I drink the kool aid.

This is a delicious book about riding a bike for fun and sanity. It's a must-read, because it provides the perspective that allows you to escape any potential snootiness that elbows you into taking cycling too seriously. When you read and live this book, you will not become a cycling-bore. Unracers of the world unite!

Good & easy reading. Keep me reading more & more chapters everytime I have time. Tell me to enjoy my bike as it is. And tell me to love many other more-important things.

About the author

Grant Petersen is the founder and owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works. He has been featured in Outside and Men’s Journal, among other magazines. He lives with his family in Walnut Creek, California, and online at Rivbike.com.