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Heft on Wheels, a Field Guide to Doing a 180
Take one very large guy. Add booze, cigarettes, and an extreme amount of junk food. Mix in a wry, self-effacing wit. Throw in a bike. The result? Heft on Wheels, a potently funny look at turning your life around, one insanely unrealistic goal at a time. Not that long ago, Mike Magnuson was a self-described lummox with a bicycle. In the space of three months, he lost seventy-five pounds, quit smoking, stopped drinking, and morphed from the big guy at the back of the pack into a lean, mean cycling machine. Today, Mike is a 175-pound athlete competing in some of the most difficult one-day racing events in America. This irreverent and inspiring memoir charts every hilarious detail of his transformation, from the horrors of skin-tight XXL biking shorts to the miseries of nicotine withdrawal. "Heft on Wheels" is an unforgettable book about getting from one place to another, in more ways than one.
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First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 15, 2008
This is really different from most of Magnusun's writing--it's a memoir (not exactly a "guide") about his transformation from one obsession (booze & food) to another (cycling). This is an easy, quick read, nevertheless thoughtful, witty, compelling and totally fasinating. I don't think you'll find yourself highlighting any particularly "heady" passages, but you may find yourself engaged--mesmerized, sometimes grossed out, sometimes laughing out loud.
One thing that I found to be especially interesting is that Magnusun's personal struggle is with achieving moderation; He says, "what I need to do is to become fanatical about living a balanced life." His writing, though, seems thoroughly balanced, which is difficult to achieve in memoir when the subject is essentially "all about me." At moments when you see the ego creeping in, and you think he might be taking himself too seriously, he'll remind you of the ridiculous cover, or say, "I look like...an old guy guy with a five-thousand dollar bike and access to a bottle of Nair."
If you're a writer, drinker, MFA-affiliated, or have ever met Magnusun in the "before" stage--or ever--I think you'll especially get a kick out of this book. My one slight concern is that his passion for cycling won't fully translate to readers who have never watched a tour, or don't at least own a bike...but I'm willing to bet that it does.
One thing that I found to be especially interesting is that Magnusun's personal struggle is with achieving moderation; He says, "what I need to do is to become fanatical about living a balanced life." His writing, though, seems thoroughly balanced, which is difficult to achieve in memoir when the subject is essentially "all about me." At moments when you see the ego creeping in, and you think he might be taking himself too seriously, he'll remind you of the ridiculous cover, or say, "I look like...an old guy guy with a five-thousand dollar bike and access to a bottle of Nair."
If you're a writer, drinker, MFA-affiliated, or have ever met Magnusun in the "before" stage--or ever--I think you'll especially get a kick out of this book. My one slight concern is that his passion for cycling won't fully translate to readers who have never watched a tour, or don't at least own a bike...but I'm willing to bet that it does.
July 16, 2008
This book started out fabulously, really liked it, laughed, got motivated. At some time after the midpoint, Magnuson got "dropped." It was almost like his contract said 'you've got X pages you must write, so I don't care what it sounds like--keep going.' He got mired in obsession, so much so that I as the reader started to not care anymore and wished he would get some psychological help. If it had stayed as a 'look what I did with cycling' story, it would have been fine, but it turned into a 'look what a freakin' psycho I am/have been all along' story, and it was just unfortunate. He's got an interesting style, a great sense of humor. There were some obvious grammatical errors in there that I was not entirely sure were for effect, but I guess I did like his writing, 3 stars worth. Now, if we could just find this dude a great psychiatrist, he'd be all set.
July 16, 2008
How many times can you pat yourself on the back? Well Magnuson managed a 250+ page book to do just that. I think it is an amazing thing to change ones life the way he did...perhaps he can write a book about it. Seriously, how many times can an author, and teacher of creative writing, use the words "awesome"? Well, there were a few decent chapters about the races he was in...maybe you can"hammer" your way through it.
October 15, 2009
I started this book a year ago hoping that it would provide some inspiration for me since I am an overweight male who likes to bicycle. I put it down after a couple of chapters. The author comes of as a bit of a jerk. I had read an earlier memoir he had written titled Lumox, aptly named. I finally picked it up again this fall, I simply can not leave a book partially read. There are some inspitational moments at times, but what really seemed to be the story is that the author exhibits an addictive personality. He trade his addiction to drinking and smoking, to the exclusion of his family for an addiction to endurance bicycling, riding 350 to 400 miles a week, to the exclusion of his family.
June 12, 2009
I re-read this after two years. Mike Magnuson is not only a skilled writer, but a bit of a philosopher. I can really identify with the spirit (if not the exact circumstances) of his tale of self improvement. The book is funny, enlightening, and inspiring. I find myself thinking about it now and then.
September 20, 2014
Though I admire Mr. Magnuson's accomplishment, I neither admire him nor his book. The writing is too narcissistic and I just wound up feeling sorry for his family.
April 2, 2010
As a cyclist trying to lost 25 pounds, I was really looking forward to reading this book. While it was entertaining to some extent, as well as a quick read, I thought it was poorly written which took away some of the enjoyment of the book. The author is a Creative Writing professor at Southern Illinois University, which makes the run-on sentences and poorly constructed paragraphs seem even worse. I feel sorry for his poor students.
He comes across as a bit of an egotistical jerk, which also was a distraction from what otherwise could have been a good book. The subtitle "A field guide to doing a 180" was slightly inaccurate. Yes, he did make drastic changes in his life and his behaviors, but I expected a "field guide" to be a bit more instructional. This book was not. He did discuss the changes he made, but he spent way too much time blabbering about how much he drank/smoked/ate. Yes, I get the point! Let's move on.
It was an interesting book from the aspect of the cycling and training he put his body through, but the negatives outweighed the positives for me. It could have been a much better book.
He comes across as a bit of an egotistical jerk, which also was a distraction from what otherwise could have been a good book. The subtitle "A field guide to doing a 180" was slightly inaccurate. Yes, he did make drastic changes in his life and his behaviors, but I expected a "field guide" to be a bit more instructional. This book was not. He did discuss the changes he made, but he spent way too much time blabbering about how much he drank/smoked/ate. Yes, I get the point! Let's move on.
It was an interesting book from the aspect of the cycling and training he put his body through, but the negatives outweighed the positives for me. It could have been a much better book.
July 7, 2012
In his memoirs Heft On Wheels, cyclist Mike Magnuson tells the story of how he replaced an obsession with cigarettes and booze with an obsession with all things cycling. In the process, he dropped somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 or 90 pounds. Throughout the entire book there is the feeling that one bad spill or stressful day is gonna send Magnuson right back to the bar stool.
I enjoy this book because it is real. Magnuson is inspirational without trying to be. At nearly 300 pounds at the beginning of his journey, when Magnuson writes of being spit off the back of a pack of riders you can feel the persistence and stubbornness his passion for riding required of him. His journey is inspiring even if it isn't necessarily healthy.
Ultimately, this book is about balance. I appreciate it because I possess the same kind of obsessive personalty as Magnuson. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy and it takes a tremendous amount of effort for me to obsess over the "right" things.
I enjoy this book because it is real. Magnuson is inspirational without trying to be. At nearly 300 pounds at the beginning of his journey, when Magnuson writes of being spit off the back of a pack of riders you can feel the persistence and stubbornness his passion for riding required of him. His journey is inspiring even if it isn't necessarily healthy.
Ultimately, this book is about balance. I appreciate it because I possess the same kind of obsessive personalty as Magnuson. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy and it takes a tremendous amount of effort for me to obsess over the "right" things.
July 3, 2009
Interesting book in that the guy wrote it so soon after shedding so much weight by basically transitioning addictions to alcohol and cigarettes to the bicycle. At least he accepts that he's basically an addictive personality, and has merely found an addiction that is the least ruinous to his and his family's health.
May 21, 2010
I read this book very quickly, in about 2 days. I liked the conversational tone of the book. I read it because I am very interested in sports memoirs and happy endings. The story is very compelling, how he lost weight and changed his life by becoming a serious biker. It also has a lot of reflection on who we are and why we do what we do. Highly recommended.
September 6, 2010
Blah. Being newly interested in triathlons I was hoping this book would shed some light on the sport of cycling. And, while it did a little bit, it mostly focused on this guys attempt to kick his addictions. Very repetitive and not well edited. I was left disappointed.
March 15, 2018
As an overweight male who took up cycling two years ago I was very interested when I spotted this book at a local library. I am in awe of all Mike accomplished in cycling, and all he overcame, but somehow he traded his bad obsessions for a much healthier one that seemed to be a bit unbalanced in lifestyle. At the book's conclusion he did find more of a balance regarding his children and family. I appreciate his honesty in himself. He did so in great detail, but it also became repetitive, especially his battles with alcoholism. In that sense it took away from my expectation about being more about cycling rather that a book about recovery. Since Heft On Wheels is copyrighted in 2004, I am left curious to do followup on Mr. Magnuson's cycling endeavors. I am just a few years older, so his thoughts on cycling in mid to late 50's would be of interest.
August 27, 2017
I'm new to cycling (think EXTREME amateur) and thoroughly enjoyed this book although it is as much about quitting drinking (and overcoming any life-controlling habit) as it is about cycling. I enjoyed the author's witticisms and even marked things he said in the book, things that resonated with me. I devoured the book in a matter of hours. Highly recommend. Laugh-out-loud funny in places. Real life. Relevant epiphanies. Enjoy.
January 15, 2022
I love Mike Magnuson, and I love this book because it reverberates with the voice of its writer. Reading Heft on Wheels is like spending an afternoon, spellbound at the Whole Foods bar, as one particularly charismatic storyteller--who you didn't even know told stories, you usually see him pulling in wearing a helmet and spandex--regales you with the triumph and desolation of his life.
"You already know the thing that will cure you," Mike says. Words to live by.
"You already know the thing that will cure you," Mike says. Words to live by.
February 8, 2023
I intensely disliked the writing style and didn’t like the author much either. If I wanted to be pithy and dismissive my entire review would have been, “fat, drunk a-hole trades one addiction for another to become lean, sober a-hole.” But I picked this up to gain motivation and did take away some, so there’s that.
January 20, 2020
A wonderful story of Mike’s journey. I would highly recommend this for anyone battling substance abuse, embarking on a new challenge as a latecomer to cycling, or just the looking for a good, honest story of how sport and desire turned around one man’s life.
September 17, 2024
As a former Heft (a couple of times), I can relate to the story. Good wisdom on the human struggle can be found inside this tome, even though the writing style isn't always great (sometimes the timeline is confusing.)
October 24, 2012
This is an odd book. It's a very personal account of a super-obsessive guy who's having trouble crossing the threshold into middle age. His health and fitness are very poor and he takes a very unhealthy approach to correcting, err no... confronting this. Sound terrible? Well it turns out that he's got a great wit and can write well enough to tell his story in a very entertaining way.
It's a quick read-- more like an extended magazine article than a meaty book. He conveys his love for cycling in a highly relatable way. If you, too, love cycling, that might be enough for you. Also, if you're staggering through mid-life, looking to regain focus, you might also identify with this book. This is not a self help book as there is little in the way of a model to follow. It's more of a cautionary tale than a "field guide." He quite clearly lays out that he's a morbidly obese, chain-smoking alcoholic. If you were his friend, you might conclude that he is probably self-medicating to treat his OCD and depression. He simply decides one day that growing old on his current path is starting to really suck and he's going to address this by abusing himself with a bicycle.
The book is very personal, but lacks a bit of depth. That's probably by design but makes it a bit confusing and unsatisfying at times. He's partying his way through his 20's and 30's. What does his wife say about this? We know that it's destroying his health but how is it affecting his relationship with his children? On the cover of the dust jacket is a picture of him at his heftiest, naked, on his bicycle (a parody of a famous Lance Armstrong photo.) It gives the sense that the author is laying himself bare for the reader, but the tone of the book seems to protect the deeper layers of what must have driven him to desperate rock bottom and what propelled him, quite maniacally, up and out of it. The tone is that of a great story told by a witty, eccentric and boisterous bar patron who's just getting his first few drinks in him: Self-effacing enough to draw big laughs and self-congratulatory enough to save some face.
On the positive side, the thread of finding his aggressive inner competitor later in life is quite inspiring as are his physical achievements-- climbing Mount Mitchell on a bike a year after being almost a hundred pounds overweight? Steadily riding 400 miles a week? You may find yourself envying these feats and daydreaming about your own goals. In this respect, I really enjoyed the book as an example of what's possible with the appropriate sacrifice and focus.
In the end, it's an illustration of extremes that the reader can relate to on his or her own scale. The rocky journey into middle age is a universal truth that has us all grasping for control of something -- anything to regain that sense of mastery that youthful ignorance had gifted us throughout our earlier lives. Mike Magnuson bought a bike and hammered his body into compliance with his lifelong dream of speed and unrealized human potential. To make peace with his slothful years spent sitting his girth on a barstool, he sweated his way to personal redemption and describes this with enough humor and skill to make the reader smile and ponder their own journey.
It's a quick read-- more like an extended magazine article than a meaty book. He conveys his love for cycling in a highly relatable way. If you, too, love cycling, that might be enough for you. Also, if you're staggering through mid-life, looking to regain focus, you might also identify with this book. This is not a self help book as there is little in the way of a model to follow. It's more of a cautionary tale than a "field guide." He quite clearly lays out that he's a morbidly obese, chain-smoking alcoholic. If you were his friend, you might conclude that he is probably self-medicating to treat his OCD and depression. He simply decides one day that growing old on his current path is starting to really suck and he's going to address this by abusing himself with a bicycle.
The book is very personal, but lacks a bit of depth. That's probably by design but makes it a bit confusing and unsatisfying at times. He's partying his way through his 20's and 30's. What does his wife say about this? We know that it's destroying his health but how is it affecting his relationship with his children? On the cover of the dust jacket is a picture of him at his heftiest, naked, on his bicycle (a parody of a famous Lance Armstrong photo.) It gives the sense that the author is laying himself bare for the reader, but the tone of the book seems to protect the deeper layers of what must have driven him to desperate rock bottom and what propelled him, quite maniacally, up and out of it. The tone is that of a great story told by a witty, eccentric and boisterous bar patron who's just getting his first few drinks in him: Self-effacing enough to draw big laughs and self-congratulatory enough to save some face.
On the positive side, the thread of finding his aggressive inner competitor later in life is quite inspiring as are his physical achievements-- climbing Mount Mitchell on a bike a year after being almost a hundred pounds overweight? Steadily riding 400 miles a week? You may find yourself envying these feats and daydreaming about your own goals. In this respect, I really enjoyed the book as an example of what's possible with the appropriate sacrifice and focus.
In the end, it's an illustration of extremes that the reader can relate to on his or her own scale. The rocky journey into middle age is a universal truth that has us all grasping for control of something -- anything to regain that sense of mastery that youthful ignorance had gifted us throughout our earlier lives. Mike Magnuson bought a bike and hammered his body into compliance with his lifelong dream of speed and unrealized human potential. To make peace with his slothful years spent sitting his girth on a barstool, he sweated his way to personal redemption and describes this with enough humor and skill to make the reader smile and ponder their own journey.
December 13, 2008
I can't remember where I saw a reference to this, but it was pretty vague - a guy (Mike Magnuson) writes about his growing interest in cycling. I like to ride, but I'm mostly a commuter - anyway, I thought it could be interesting. Unless you like to read about Lance, there isn't much out there with cycling as an important theme, significant sub-theme, or for that matter mentioned at all.
The subtitle, "a field guide to doing a 180" the "180" is the author's particular way of turning his life around from one of addiction to drinking, smoking and eating. At the beginning, he's 255 pounds and eats, drinks and smokes to excess - although he has a systematic plan for these activities, because he has to work his road biking into the mix. This is the odd part - even before he converts to what for him is the religion of road biking, he was riding mileage that 98 percent of the population would find impossible. But of course, it wasn't very pretty (at 255 pounds) and he was slow relative to his fellow riders. Given the pack of cigarettes a day he says he smoked, I find the whole thing improbable, but apparently it's true.
So then he has an epiphany (that involves appearing naked in the rain riding his bike in a photograph published in GQ magazine, if you can believe that - the photo is on the cover of the book) and realizes he must give up all alcohol, all cigarettes, and cut back on most food before his 39th birthday. He must change! He must do the minimal to keep his job (less than he did as a drinking-smoking-eating fool) as an English professor in Southern Illinois and ride 400 miles a week, enter impossible century (100 mile) bike events, and train-train-train.
So he does.
This is a "field guide?" Of course not, since I think the people this approach would work for is likely limited to him alone. But there is a certain entertainment value in the book, if you find his writing amusing - his bio notes he has written articles for Esquire, GQ, and Bicycling, so he's got that slightly ironic, slightly arched-eyebrow humor thing down pretty well.
And there are some good lines in this thing - well, I liked them, anyway. "Cycling is my hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, not systematic forms of torture." Yes, I know that one, although on a lesser scale than this masochist. I'm never so happy as riding in a downpour while all the cars go by, the occupants thinking, "that looks very uncomfortable" or whatever they are thinking.
Somewhere in this thing is a message that it is critical to be passionate about one's interests.
Years ago in National Lampoon, Michael O'Donoghue wrote an article called, "Michael O'Donoghue's How to Write Good" that explained that if the beginning author was having trouble "wrapping things up" it was always possible to have all the main characters run over by a truck. Unbelievably getting hit by a truck is part of this one too, but since Mr. Magnuson has written the book it's not a spoiler to point this out. He is hit by a truck, but happily survives. (And yes, learns some more life-lessons that he happily shares with his readers.)
The subtitle, "a field guide to doing a 180" the "180" is the author's particular way of turning his life around from one of addiction to drinking, smoking and eating. At the beginning, he's 255 pounds and eats, drinks and smokes to excess - although he has a systematic plan for these activities, because he has to work his road biking into the mix. This is the odd part - even before he converts to what for him is the religion of road biking, he was riding mileage that 98 percent of the population would find impossible. But of course, it wasn't very pretty (at 255 pounds) and he was slow relative to his fellow riders. Given the pack of cigarettes a day he says he smoked, I find the whole thing improbable, but apparently it's true.
So then he has an epiphany (that involves appearing naked in the rain riding his bike in a photograph published in GQ magazine, if you can believe that - the photo is on the cover of the book) and realizes he must give up all alcohol, all cigarettes, and cut back on most food before his 39th birthday. He must change! He must do the minimal to keep his job (less than he did as a drinking-smoking-eating fool) as an English professor in Southern Illinois and ride 400 miles a week, enter impossible century (100 mile) bike events, and train-train-train.
So he does.
This is a "field guide?" Of course not, since I think the people this approach would work for is likely limited to him alone. But there is a certain entertainment value in the book, if you find his writing amusing - his bio notes he has written articles for Esquire, GQ, and Bicycling, so he's got that slightly ironic, slightly arched-eyebrow humor thing down pretty well.
And there are some good lines in this thing - well, I liked them, anyway. "Cycling is my hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, not systematic forms of torture." Yes, I know that one, although on a lesser scale than this masochist. I'm never so happy as riding in a downpour while all the cars go by, the occupants thinking, "that looks very uncomfortable" or whatever they are thinking.
Somewhere in this thing is a message that it is critical to be passionate about one's interests.
Years ago in National Lampoon, Michael O'Donoghue wrote an article called, "Michael O'Donoghue's How to Write Good" that explained that if the beginning author was having trouble "wrapping things up" it was always possible to have all the main characters run over by a truck. Unbelievably getting hit by a truck is part of this one too, but since Mr. Magnuson has written the book it's not a spoiler to point this out. He is hit by a truck, but happily survives. (And yes, learns some more life-lessons that he happily shares with his readers.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
perfect timing
39 and relate to a lot of things in this book. Thank you for writing your story. Of to mount my bike ( also known as work)
39 and relate to a lot of things in this book. Thank you for writing your story. Of to mount my bike ( also known as work)
December 2, 2015
I don't want to write what everyone else has written. I found this book to be quite painful. I love cycling and have been doing it for some time. The benefits are immense! The price one pays for doing it can also be painful.
Mike seemed to push everything aside for his biking which became an obsession. So, in a sense, I came away wondering if it was really worth it. What price did he pay for neglecting his family and his job so he can bike 20 or 30 hours a week? He continually mentioned that each weekend he spent 6 hours riding on Saturdays.
He also went into detail about his biking trips and adventures. He would have been better off traveling with his family and having some balance in his life. I really felt sorry for him instead of happy for him losing weight and transforming his physical stature.
His is an extremist who is self-absorbed and out of control. This poor fellow somewhere early on lost all balance in his life. If it is not drinking and partying until all wee hours of the morning, it is biking two, three hundred miles a week, compulsively training for all manners of grueling suffer-fest bike rides. All the while, he has seemingly lost sight of his family, his work, and just about every other aspect of his life. Only after a harrowing crash with a truck does the author begin to come to grips with this. Mr. Magnuson's journey, his fortitude, and his dedication are indeed inspiring. The impression of him that I walk away from this book with though, is of a self-absorbed and obsessive adult-come-adolescent who still has not found the balance in his life.
Nevertheless, the book and his story are easy to relate to and I enjoyed it overall so it gets three stars.
Mike seemed to push everything aside for his biking which became an obsession. So, in a sense, I came away wondering if it was really worth it. What price did he pay for neglecting his family and his job so he can bike 20 or 30 hours a week? He continually mentioned that each weekend he spent 6 hours riding on Saturdays.
He also went into detail about his biking trips and adventures. He would have been better off traveling with his family and having some balance in his life. I really felt sorry for him instead of happy for him losing weight and transforming his physical stature.
His is an extremist who is self-absorbed and out of control. This poor fellow somewhere early on lost all balance in his life. If it is not drinking and partying until all wee hours of the morning, it is biking two, three hundred miles a week, compulsively training for all manners of grueling suffer-fest bike rides. All the while, he has seemingly lost sight of his family, his work, and just about every other aspect of his life. Only after a harrowing crash with a truck does the author begin to come to grips with this. Mr. Magnuson's journey, his fortitude, and his dedication are indeed inspiring. The impression of him that I walk away from this book with though, is of a self-absorbed and obsessive adult-come-adolescent who still has not found the balance in his life.
Nevertheless, the book and his story are easy to relate to and I enjoyed it overall so it gets three stars.
December 16, 2011
After recently finishing Tucker Max's second book, "Assholes finish first," I felt that Max had his life together way more than the author of this book, Mike Magnuson. The first 80 pages had me literally angry at the book: here's this guy, in his late thirties, partying like a stereotypical frat boy (and I was in a fraternity, so I can say that)...in my head, I just keep screaming "Grow up! you have a wife and family!" I did not sympathize with him, and i was disgusted by the people he kept company with. He never actually flat out said he was an alcoholic, although he did repeatedly allude to drinking as more of an addiction than a chronic partier. even worse, there was little mention of actual cycling. there are only so many ways a man can keep saying 'I eat too much, I drink too much, I smoke too much' before it just gets annoying.
Finally, on page 81, I smiled. Magnuson seemed committed to turn his life around, and I was pleased for him. He even referred to a number of occasions where he was actually on a bicycle! My absolute favorite chapter involved his trip to California--i would seriously love a trip through wine country! I agree that this book really isn't all that well-written, especially for a writer and educator, but I did find Magnuson's casual, conversational tone easy to relate to; I WANT to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was writing in such a simplistic style...Also, from experience, i find it difficult to truly and eloquently put into words something I am truly happy or excited about. there is too much room to ramble, and frankly, sometimes it's easier to complain than it is to praise. Magnuson seems to share this problem.
Finally, on page 81, I smiled. Magnuson seemed committed to turn his life around, and I was pleased for him. He even referred to a number of occasions where he was actually on a bicycle! My absolute favorite chapter involved his trip to California--i would seriously love a trip through wine country! I agree that this book really isn't all that well-written, especially for a writer and educator, but I did find Magnuson's casual, conversational tone easy to relate to; I WANT to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was writing in such a simplistic style...Also, from experience, i find it difficult to truly and eloquently put into words something I am truly happy or excited about. there is too much room to ramble, and frankly, sometimes it's easier to complain than it is to praise. Magnuson seems to share this problem.
March 6, 2014
What a great cover story: a fat, hard drinking, tobacco-abusing party guy rediscovers his bicycle, loses eighty pounds and totally turns his life around. The pages inside seem to deliver the goods, describing the author's dramatic transformation and all of the fortitude and commitment that is involved with this. One has to give this guy credit: it is not everyone who can do this.
Unfortunately, one cannot help but pity the author as he trades one self-absorbed and obsessive lifestyle for another, albeit healthier, one. This poor fellow somewhere early on lost all balance in his life. If it is not drinking and partying until all wee hours of the morning, it is biking two, three hundred miles a week, compulsively training for all manners of grueling suffer-fest bike rides. All the while, he has seemingly lost sight of his family, his work, and just about every other aspect of his life. Only after a harrowing crash with a truck does the author begin to come to grips with this. Mr. Magnuson's journey, his fortitude, and his dedication are indeed inspiring. The impression of him that I walk away from this book with though, is of a self-absorbed and obsessive adult-come-adolescent who still has not found balance in his life.
Nevertheless, the writing style is jocular and witty, and this book is a fast and humorous read. In the end, this is a light and quite entertaining read that despite its shortcomings, gets my 3 stars.
Unfortunately, one cannot help but pity the author as he trades one self-absorbed and obsessive lifestyle for another, albeit healthier, one. This poor fellow somewhere early on lost all balance in his life. If it is not drinking and partying until all wee hours of the morning, it is biking two, three hundred miles a week, compulsively training for all manners of grueling suffer-fest bike rides. All the while, he has seemingly lost sight of his family, his work, and just about every other aspect of his life. Only after a harrowing crash with a truck does the author begin to come to grips with this. Mr. Magnuson's journey, his fortitude, and his dedication are indeed inspiring. The impression of him that I walk away from this book with though, is of a self-absorbed and obsessive adult-come-adolescent who still has not found balance in his life.
Nevertheless, the writing style is jocular and witty, and this book is a fast and humorous read. In the end, this is a light and quite entertaining read that despite its shortcomings, gets my 3 stars.
November 20, 2013
I liked this book in the beginning. Then hated it in the middle. And then liked it again at the end. I started getting annoyed that he rarely talked about his kids or his wife. Like almost not at all. He was absent when he was smoking and drinking all the time and now here was absent while out biking all the time. Healthy but absent. Which isn't a huge deal as my guess is his wife probably didn't mind him being out of the house, but it was like he never thought about them. That's what was bugging me. I nearly stopped reading. Who gives a shit about a dude who doesn't give a shit about his family?
But, and I hope I'm right about this, I think Magnuson wrote it that way because it mirrored his obsessive state of mind at the time. It's only toward the end (224 or so) that he starts to own up to how he's been neglecting his family on some level. At that point I was back to giving a shit. When he self-deprecatingly referred to himself as 'His Highness' --that's the Mike Magnuson I was pulling for in the beginning.
It's a good book. And I don't like cycling all that much. Riding my bike, yes. Dressing up and turning it into a job, not so much. And I've always thought Lance was a bit of douche. Before it became official.
Regardless, it's a good, honest book about trying to live a better life.
But, and I hope I'm right about this, I think Magnuson wrote it that way because it mirrored his obsessive state of mind at the time. It's only toward the end (224 or so) that he starts to own up to how he's been neglecting his family on some level. At that point I was back to giving a shit. When he self-deprecatingly referred to himself as 'His Highness' --that's the Mike Magnuson I was pulling for in the beginning.
It's a good book. And I don't like cycling all that much. Riding my bike, yes. Dressing up and turning it into a job, not so much. And I've always thought Lance was a bit of douche. Before it became official.
Regardless, it's a good, honest book about trying to live a better life.
November 14, 2015
Heft on Wheel is a wonderfully entertaining story of one man's struggle to ride. Mike Magnusson has an exceptional way of storytelling that brings the reader right into the story. Being a mountain biker myself, I found that I was both laughing and crying while reading this book. So much of what Mike is doing has inspired me to do something about my horrible eating habits and my non-biking during the cold winter months. Nothing stopped him from getting out there and doing what he loves.
Mike has quite a wonderful philosophy of life and cycling. As a reader and cyclist, you will take some of this and apply it to your life. Did he do everything correctly and safely? No, but sometimes drastic measures are called for. Could he have hurt his body? Yes, but he learned from his mistakes, which is what everyone should do, but often don't.
Heft on Wheels by Mike Magnuson is a highly recommended book that no cyclist should miss. It is an excellent book any way you look at it.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10.
Mike has quite a wonderful philosophy of life and cycling. As a reader and cyclist, you will take some of this and apply it to your life. Did he do everything correctly and safely? No, but sometimes drastic measures are called for. Could he have hurt his body? Yes, but he learned from his mistakes, which is what everyone should do, but often don't.
Heft on Wheels by Mike Magnuson is a highly recommended book that no cyclist should miss. It is an excellent book any way you look at it.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10.
October 17, 2008
Mike Manguson spent much of his adult life drinking, smoking and over eating. As he approached 39 years of age he decided he needed to make a change. He'd always enjoyed cycling -- even though he sometimes had trouble sticking with it for great periods of time -- and decided he'd work at becoming the best he could be on a bike. An expensive bike. He goes from being the guy some of the other's in his ride group refer to as someone 'who shouldn't be here' to a leader of the pack. Along the way he rides up and down a couple of mountains, gets hit by a truck, drops a bunch of weight, and gives up his vices (and the way of life that accompanies them) -- not in that order.
August 8, 2011
Wow... for being an English teacher with an already published book, this was horribly written and an easy read, just hard to get through... I wanted yo stop half way, but figured I've gone this far. As much as I wanted to like this ride through one man's goals on a bike I didn't. Sure I've done some of the rides he mentioned in California, and they are hard but calm down on the self maturation to your ego. You list weight, you built your bike skills. I've heard much more interesting stories from people worse off and if they were so modest about their achievements could write an amazing book... wow for giving this book two stars Im being pretty mean. Oh well, go bikes!
December 6, 2007
If you are ever feeling like you suck, and you are out of shape, like, for REAL...then there might be something to that. If you find yourself feeling this way, you MUST read this book. It will get you off of your office-grown soft booty, and hopeful sweating out the miles, sweating out the frustration, and leave you fitter, more confident, and happier. At least, when I felt like I sucked, and was out of shape (and I really was), it did these things for me.
December 27, 2007
My bicycling boyfriend loaned me this book. Even if I weren't an avid cyclist, the story is very compelling in a "dude, I cannot believe how much this guy really hates himself!" sort of way. I ended up not liking the author at all by the time I reached the end of the book. But at the same time reading it stirred up tons of self-reflection and motivated to work harder at identifying and working on the things I care about.
June 23, 2014
Very enjoyable and inspirational read. This author captures the truly exhilarating feel of the ride. He is much more dedicated than I, but at least makes me feel that I am in the race with him. Though, I would never be able to stay up with him, I can ride at my pace and know that each turn of the pedals is a victory and more exercise than the person sitting not he sofa or in the bar...love this and highly recommend to other riders, beginning and seasoned!
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