What do you think?
Rate this book
Ride Places not Miles: A simple guide to bicycle travel for the club cyclist
This book is an unpretentious attempt to simplify 45 years of experience traveling by bicycle for pleasure pointing out the differences between bike touring and the typical experience of the American club rider.
64 pages, Paperback
Published June 6, 2020
11 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 3, 2023
Glad it was free.
I usually commend the work of others. But it has to be good work. This book isn’t that. The author seems to go out of his way to alienate people away from bicycle touring. And he does this based on the most superficial assumptions and stereotypes. He assumes that people who like to wear padded cycling shorts, or use clip-less pedals, or who race, or ride for fitness, or who can’t commute by bicycle daily are all doing it wrong. His use of derogatory and inflammatory speech in the descriptions he uses upon others was totally unnecessary. The majority of this book seemed to be a deliberate attempt to belittle other cyclists who don’t ride the way he chooses to. And then he kept referencing Grant Peterson who has a similar book/booklet that’s even worse than his own. So if you are new to cycling/cycle touring and you want to start off with some good advice, then read something else. This book isn’t edgy. This book isn’t funny. This book isn’t insightful. This book doesn’t build on a sense of community and inclusion. This book is the second worst book I’ve ever read on cycling of any kind. Cycling is an activity carried out my all kinds of people on all kinds of bikes for all kinds of reasons. But most importantly, cycling is a shared activity that can allow entire communities to build a cultural connection that is totally inclusive. Working together to build safer places to ride for everyone should always be a common goal that takes a group effort. This book never gave me a sense of that in any way. (And the photography in the book was mostly really bad.)
I usually commend the work of others. But it has to be good work. This book isn’t that. The author seems to go out of his way to alienate people away from bicycle touring. And he does this based on the most superficial assumptions and stereotypes. He assumes that people who like to wear padded cycling shorts, or use clip-less pedals, or who race, or ride for fitness, or who can’t commute by bicycle daily are all doing it wrong. His use of derogatory and inflammatory speech in the descriptions he uses upon others was totally unnecessary. The majority of this book seemed to be a deliberate attempt to belittle other cyclists who don’t ride the way he chooses to. And then he kept referencing Grant Peterson who has a similar book/booklet that’s even worse than his own. So if you are new to cycling/cycle touring and you want to start off with some good advice, then read something else. This book isn’t edgy. This book isn’t funny. This book isn’t insightful. This book doesn’t build on a sense of community and inclusion. This book is the second worst book I’ve ever read on cycling of any kind. Cycling is an activity carried out my all kinds of people on all kinds of bikes for all kinds of reasons. But most importantly, cycling is a shared activity that can allow entire communities to build a cultural connection that is totally inclusive. Working together to build safer places to ride for everyone should always be a common goal that takes a group effort. This book never gave me a sense of that in any way. (And the photography in the book was mostly really bad.)
December 7, 2019
Calling road cyclists "spandex hamsters" does nothing but perpetuate the "us-vs-them" mentality within the cycling community.
February 9, 2021
Valry from Portage
A fast read to learn a little more about bike touring. Being a single woman, the whole idea of heading out alone is too scary.
A fast read to learn a little more about bike touring. Being a single woman, the whole idea of heading out alone is too scary.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews