In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally...
read full description
reviews
Nov 14, 2010
Ryan
rated it: 
Social networks collate travel photos, Lonely Planet and its competitors find hotels, and travelogues have become so numerous that we can spend months exploring them before going to the airport. Perhaps the best way to find the unknown is to read a travelogue from the 19th century. David V. Herilhy, author of Bicycle: The History, offers a two-for-one deal: a travelogue and an epic tale of adventure and mystery.
Back in the 1890s, Frank Lenz set out from Pittsburgh to cycle around the More...
Back in the 1890s, Frank Lenz set out from Pittsburgh to cycle around the More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Aug 23, 2011
This book is set in the 1890s when cycling was new and hot. A few young guys took the craze to the limit by attempting to cycle around the world. William Sachtleben completed the feat with his partner Allen (500 miles of it by ship) and later Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh tried to do it solo going west rather than east. He made it all the way to Turkey (carried his bicycle thru most of western China and Burma) where he disappeared. His sponsor, a cycling magazine, sent Sachtleben out to find him. Unf
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 09, 2011
james
rated it: 
In the latter part of the 19th century, bicycling became enormously popular in America. It started with the very high wheeled bike with a tiny trailing wheel. These were cumbersome and dangerous. About 1890 there appeared a new type of bicycle called the safety bike. The photos in this book show the safety bicycle, whose design is exactly the same as modern bikes - minus such refinements as brakes and gears.
This book, in addition to giving the reader a glimpse into the world of cyclin More...
This book, in addition to giving the reader a glimpse into the world of cyclin More...
Sep 06, 2011
Jenny
rated it: 
This is one of those rare but enjoyable histories that takes you places you know nothing about and delivers some powerful twists. I assumed I was going to be learning mostly about the history of cycling, which I did. But this particular cyclist blundered into the Armenian massacre that took place under Turkish rule--a tragic genocide unknown to most Americans. So what starts out as a sepia tinged tale of the Gay '90s turns into a tragic story of how westerners with tunnel vision, meddling in pol
More...
Sep 23, 2010
Joemmama
rated it:
In the 1890's bicyclists were called wheelmen. The were transitioning from the high wheeled boneshakers to what was called a safety bike, similar to the bikes we ride today.
Frank Lenz was a wheelman, he participated in racing, and long distance rides, hoping to escape his boring life as an accountant. His goal was to ride around the world on a bicycle by himself.
He had watched as William Sachtleben and a partner, traveled around the world, and he felt he would succeed sol More...
Frank Lenz was a wheelman, he participated in racing, and long distance rides, hoping to escape his boring life as an accountant. His goal was to ride around the world on a bicycle by himself.
He had watched as William Sachtleben and a partner, traveled around the world, and he felt he would succeed sol More...
Apr 09, 2010
Lydia
rated it:
I was mildly disappointed by this book. The story, in the summary, seemed like an incredible one and I couldn't wait to get started.
The book is broken up into manageable parts each covering a country traveled. It's a fascinating story, once you actually dig through the somewhat dry text to get to it and I'm glad I pushed my way through the book, but.. yes, it was dry reading.
I think one of my favorite parts of the book was in the beginning. Up until reading this book I More...
The book is broken up into manageable parts each covering a country traveled. It's a fascinating story, once you actually dig through the somewhat dry text to get to it and I'm glad I pushed my way through the book, but.. yes, it was dry reading.
I think one of my favorite parts of the book was in the beginning. Up until reading this book I More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jun 08, 2011
Emma
rated it:
I am conflicted about this book: I enjoyed the topic: cyclists traveling the world at the end of the 19th century, taking pictures, and one of them mysteriously disappearing, in areas where sometimes no other Western man had ever gone. The snippets about landscape and people are short but give a good idea. The synopsis of the book is actually confusing: it just speaks about the Lost Cyclist, and it sounded like another guy was looking after him after his disappearance – he does, but only later o
More...
Dec 16, 2011
Robertisenberg
rated it: 
One of the most enjoyable histories I've ever read -- largely because of the subject, but also because Herlihy tells such a gripping, romantic, mysterious story. His research is impeccable, and the narrative pedals along as steadily as a bike on rough roads. Although his story is tragic, Frank Lenz has become a new hero of mine, for his humble Pittsburgh origins, his tenacious "globe-girdling" venture, and his martyrdom in the name of anthropology of adventure. I wanted to begrudge his
More...
Aug 02, 2010
Rose
rated it:
History is rife with fascinating but forgotten cases of lost explorers and unsolved murders. David Herlihy’s The Lost Cyclist includes both. It also spotlights the bicycle craze of the 1890s and the Gilded Age passion for conquering unknown territory.
In the spring of 1892 Frank Lenz, a modestly famous competitive cyclist from Pittsburgh, announced that he was undertaking a trans-continental bicycle trip that would encompass over twenty thousand miles and take him through some of the More...
In the spring of 1892 Frank Lenz, a modestly famous competitive cyclist from Pittsburgh, announced that he was undertaking a trans-continental bicycle trip that would encompass over twenty thousand miles and take him through some of the More...
Dec 25, 2010
Gpickle
rated it:
I rate this book as one that I liked the idea of reading more than I enjoyed actually reading.
To be sure the book has a lot going for it, if you are into this kind of thing. It has wonderful photography. It has lots of information about the early days of bicycles here in the US, and around the world, too! It has excerpts from letters written by Americans in places like China from the 1890s. Pretty crazy stuff contained within. But this book also has a lot not going for it. It i More...
To be sure the book has a lot going for it, if you are into this kind of thing. It has wonderful photography. It has lots of information about the early days of bicycles here in the US, and around the world, too! It has excerpts from letters written by Americans in places like China from the 1890s. Pretty crazy stuff contained within. But this book also has a lot not going for it. It i More...
Feb 23, 2011
Driftless
rated it:
I was surprised that I'd never heard of this before. In 1892, an adventuresome accountant from Pittsburgh named Frank Lenz decided to ride his bicycle around the world. Starting in his home town, looping through New York City and then heading west across North America, he would take in the sites and see the world. Taking a brief hiatus, he shipped to Honolulu and then Japan before tackling a westward crossing of the massive and dangerous Asian continent. As the title of David V. Herlihy's b
More...
Mar 24, 2011
Patricia
rated it:
I love the history of the bicycle and how it opened up travel to many. In the 1880's adventures vied to be the first to make longer and longer voyages astride their wheels.The globe had been girdled by two yung men whose story is sumerized in this book. Frank Lenz decided to beat their time while taking pictures....with the newly invented photograph equipment....and ending back dispatches to a cycling magazine. He is warned not to enter an area of tribals wars. He does not heed the warning a
More...
May 30, 2010
J.R.
rated it:
In this less adventurous age and less energetic society the idea of riding a bicycle around the world is not calculated to draw much enthusiastic response. Doing it in the 1890s required more than the normal quotient of courage and stamina.
In that period when the bicycle was the focus of an enthusiastic boom riders were going distances that stagger the imagination today. Herlihy has rescued from obscurity the amazing story of not just one heroic adventurer but also that of the brave More...
In that period when the bicycle was the focus of an enthusiastic boom riders were going distances that stagger the imagination today. Herlihy has rescued from obscurity the amazing story of not just one heroic adventurer but also that of the brave More...
Jun 25, 2011
Mary
rated it:
Overly long but interesting story about an American man who tried to cycle around the world in the late 1880's and subsequent search for him (after he disappeared) by another cyclist who had made the same journey (in the opposite direction) a few years earlier. I'm amazed by the level of detail (from letters from the missing cyclist as well as later interviews from the man who went to find him) but the story often gets bogged down in too much trivial detail and takes WAY too long to get the "
More...
Nov 19, 2010
Michael
rated it:
This was a good travel "adventure" story (or really, three stories) although it bogs down towards the middle of the third part. If I hadn't been on a plane with nothing much else to read (besides work stuff) I would have put it aside.
There are three parts to this - one is the story of the west-to-east bicycle travel of William Sachtleben and a friend in the first days of the "safety bicycle" (essentially a modern two wheeler but with hard tires), the second is t More...
There are three parts to this - one is the story of the west-to-east bicycle travel of William Sachtleben and a friend in the first days of the "safety bicycle" (essentially a modern two wheeler but with hard tires), the second is t More...
Dec 29, 2011
Laura
rated it:
This book had potential to be a 4 or even 5 star book, but the author made some unfortunate odd choices that lowered the final rating.
Set in the later 1800s, this is the story of the early days of cycling. Our hero, Lenz, starts on one of those odd-looking (to us) big wheels, slowly moving to the "safety" (what we think of as the normal bike). We learn a lot about those early bikes, and it's really quite impressive how the early riders raced and took long trips over not More...
Set in the later 1800s, this is the story of the early days of cycling. Our hero, Lenz, starts on one of those odd-looking (to us) big wheels, slowly moving to the "safety" (what we think of as the normal bike). We learn a lot about those early bikes, and it's really quite impressive how the early riders raced and took long trips over not More...
Jan 17, 2012
Leif
rated it:
This book had so much promise, and yet it turned out to be so ... boring ? I'm still reeling at how this could have happened. You have a story about a guy -- no, three guys ! -- who decide to ride their bicycles around the world. In the 1890s. With portable cameras ! Through the Gobi Desert !! As if that wasn't enough, there's also murder, international intrigue and a rescue mission !
And yet, somehow the resulting book is pretty dry. I was wondering to myself throughout the story how i More...
And yet, somehow the resulting book is pretty dry. I was wondering to myself throughout the story how i More...
Jul 28, 2011
In 1892, American Frank Lenz was circling the globe on his early bicycle when he disappeared in the mountains of Eastern Turkey--then successful globe-circling bicyclist William Sachtleben went looking for him, finding that he was probably killed by Kurdish tribesmen. Then, the cheerfully cooperative Ottoman government rounded up five Armenians, found them guilty and proceeded to use the incident as the trigger for letting Kurdish troops destroy an Armenian village.
Oct 13, 2010
Carol Ann
rated it:
Mid way through I realized I was not enjoying the story. It is non-fiction and since Pittsburgh played a role in it I gave it a chance. Some daring young men (we have them in each generation) decide the bicycle is the way to go (go as around the world). Frank Lenz takes off solo through unknown areas - hello- can you point me to Turkey? A tip of the hat to the author who did extensive research to bring this man to life! Ha Ha
Jun 12, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
A solid, if stolid, account of a young man looking to circle the globe on one of those new contraptions, the safety bicycle. This starts slow, switches to different explorers altogether, then finds an interesting narrative stretch and coasts downhill to Lenz's disappearance. After this point, the forward motion of the narrative hits a brick wall as the man who goes to Turkey to find out what happened is thwarted for month after month.
After month.
And we are given the detai More...
After month.
And we are given the detai More...
Mar 14, 2011
Kitty
rated it:
Bicycling in the late 1800's bore only a passing resemblance to cycling today. Rough, muddy roads, heavy frames and solid tires made for a different experience. Yet that didn't stop "wheelmen" from attempting long distance, even around the world adventures. One such wheelman set off on his safety bike but disappeared in Turkey. This book describes his journey, as well as an attempt to find him. At times the narrative bogged down but the period photos were fascinating.
Jul 30, 2011
The topic fascinates me (circling the globe by bicycle), but the writing is clunky, particularly the first 100 pages. If you can get through that, it is a fascinating history, not just of cycling, but of regional issues in the middle east. My favorite part? The photo of Lenz in front of Iolani Palace, 1892, right before the overthrow of the monarchy.
Sep 04, 2011
A bit of a long slog to read, but still an interesting history of the cycling world in the late 1800s. Part travelogue of adventurous “wheelmen” who circled the globe on their primitive, fixed-gear bicycles and part murder investigation of the one rider who disappeared nearing the completion of his solo ride around the world.
Sep 08, 2010
Jason
rated it:
I would call this an epic tale of idiocy. However, there is something romantic about it. People still think that bicycling around the world or riding a motor cycle around the world is beautiful. I personally think that it is stupid. How do you account for the miles in the boat or plane that got you to the next continent? It's dumb.
That said, this is well researched and has nice historical photography. I couldn't get more into it than that.
That said, this is well researched and has nice historical photography. I couldn't get more into it than that.
Jul 02, 2010
Owen
rated it:
A pure delight for any cyclist or history buff, Herlihy's prose explores the days when cyclist-adventurers (called 'wheelmen') were modern-day Magellans. There were many bicycle expeditions made in the late 19th century, and Herlihy gives us a sampling of each, but the most invigorating of all is the tale of Frank Lenz, who abandoned his desk job in Pittsburgh for enlightenment-attainment and record-setting purposes. His disappearance somewhere in Central Asia prompted a national fever of specul
More...
Jul 20, 2011
Garrett
rated it:
Near the turn of the century, Pittsburgher Frank Lenz decides to gird the globe on his new-fangled velocipede. He doesn't make it home. The gems here are Herlihy's descriptions of early bicycle races and touring and the wild stories of Lenz's (and other cyclists') experiences of pedaling through Asia 100 years ago.
Aug 14, 2010
Tori
rated it:
Maybe 3.5 stars. I liked the book - the story was very interesting - but I thought the author did too much research......... Parts of the story dragged on with too many details of people and places that didn't really contribute to the overall story. this was the true tale of Frank Lenz, an American bicyclist at the end of the 1800's, who went on a quest to bicycle around the world. He ended up disappearing in Turkey, near the end of his journey, and the author details both the events o
More...
Jan 13, 2012
Chris
rated it:
Great research of the early days of bicycing and some of the reather fearless and amazing pioneers. But somehow not as compelling reading as I expected (and I am a cyclist). Still, I recommend it for anyone who wants to know what world travel was like in the late 19th century. In a word: harrowing.
Aug 31, 2010
Tuck
rated it:
the author talks all gilded age for 50 pages or so, but he soon gets over that and the tale turns into a pretty good study of american megalomania, bicycle fever, fried eggs in china,etc..this will teach you lots about turn of the century usa, travel, bikes, and the people who decide to ride their bikes around the globe.
Mar 31, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
As the other reviews said, was great except for the middle. It got a little boring because it is real life and sometimes real life is boring, go figure. It was an interesting story about how cycling changed during the time period and how little it has changed to present (excluding the excessive use of carbon everything, of course). I would recommend to bike lovers and history buffs.
