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Home > The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings
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The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings is a celebration of the bicycle by people who ride. . .a tribute to one of the finest, most efficient, most useful machines ever invented. The 25 contributors are talented writers and cartoonists, each with a unique take on bicycling. Whether in critical observation, concern, memorial, fact, or in jest, each story and cartoon is definitely worth a look. You do not have to be a cycling expert to read this book; there is something here for everyone. Contributions from around the globe include an essay from Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Hylton; predictions for the future of cycling from Dirt Rag publisher Maurice Tierney and Richard Fries, publisher of Bike Culture; an exclusive interview with Chris Carmichael (long time coach of Lance Armstrong); several essays from Pulitzer Prize nominee Gianna Bellofatto. Other contributors are Portland Magazine executive editor (and former New Yorker staffer) Ted Katauskas; Mason St. Clair; author Theresa Russell; and Andy ( Ask the Mechanic) Wallen. Scattered throughout the book is a collection of cartoons from cartoonists whose work has appeared in a wide array of magazines including The New Yorker, Esquire, The Progressive, Dirt Rag, Oregon Cycling, The Funny Times, Discover, Guideposts, Reader's Digest, and Forbes. Contributing cartoonists include Bob Lafay, Neal Skorpen, Jonny Hawkins, Andy Singer, Bob LaDrew, and many others.
Also available for Kindle.
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Customer Reviews:
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 Engaging reflections on cycling, November 21, 2007
By StdPudel (Somerville, MA United States)
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This deceptively slim volume would make a great gift for any avid cyclist. Judging from the essays in The Bicycle Book, some introspection is inevitable over the miles. Any cyclist is bound to find at least one kindred spirit among the dozen or so men and women who lend their voices to this collection.
At this point in my life my bicycling is more theoretical than actual, but this book vividly recalled to me how liberating my bike was for me and of the times I appreciated choosing it over the car. The cyclists in this book are an unpretentious, scruffy bunch who are passionate about bikes and biking. Collectively they make it clear you don't need the latest 36-speed bike and lurid spandex outfit to be counted among their ranks - any bike will do as long as you love it and love riding it.
The Bicycle Book is divided into three sections, as the subtitle suggests. The third section, "Wanderings" is the longest and my favorite. I enjoyed journeying in spirit with each essayist. Because of the self-contained nature of each essay, it makes great bedtime reading: low stress and lots of logical stopping points.
I recommend this book for cycling enthusiasts of all denominations. As a nice touch, the author is donating 15% of his proceeds to three charities, including Soldier Ride, an adaptive cycling program for wounded soldiers.
17 of 17 people found the above review helpful.
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 A Bit of Reality: Actually Quite Bad, April 24, 2010
By Naturalist-Skeptic (Twin Cities, MN)
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I am an enthusiastic bicyclist and reader. I've ridden a bike around the world for two years, self-supporting (OK, the two of us did use airplanes and boats between the bits of rideable land.) I used to commute to work by bike (no longer practical with kids). I've built my bikes up from bare frames. I build my own wheels. I've had a custom bike built for me. Riding is my exercise of choice, weather permitting. I've read hundreds of non-fiction books, quite a few of them about cycling and/or travel. Who knows how many thousands of miles I've put under my wheels. I enjoy watching the Tour de France. Enough on credentials.
I did not like this book. I thought I would; the other reviews certainly pointed that way. I kept flipping ahead, seeing if anything enjoyable would come along. The next-to-last article was the only one I found fairly worthwhile: A travelogue of a couple's trip across the USA. (But they were so concerned about putting miles under the wheels, it seemed like it was just a trial, a stunt, to them, with no enjoyment (for the reader either.) Did they see anything besides their handlebars?
This is all "inside baseball." It's all inside jokes (wit), inside signals and navel-gazing (wisdom). If you are not a serious bicycling enthusiast (and even then) I doubt you would find much of interest here. This is what happens when the local bike club decides to self-publish. Amateurish throughout. Just not very interesting to read. Reads like webpage entries: choppy, disconnected, which I think the great bulk of the book was originally.
All in all, I wish I'd spent the $11 on a couple of beers down the pub instead.
Or spend your money on these excellent alternatives:
Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle (classic)
Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure (still reads well)
Jupiters Travels: Four Years Around the World on a Triumph (A true classic of travel writing, a bucket-list book; ignore the motor)
One Man Caravan ("Incredible Journeys" Books) (A classic, ignore the motor)
12 of 14 people found the above review helpful.
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 "The Bicycle Book" by Jim Joyce, May 16, 2008
By Diana B., RN, Diva Nurse (North Bergen, NJ United States)
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This book is one of the best $14.95 investments I've ever made, full of wonderful essays and cartoons, such as:
--John Stuart Clark, a Scotsman who describes riding through a violent storm in Wyoming and then his adventures riding with his wife through the Sahara.
--Ella Lawrence's observations of the various multinational fans attending the Amstel Gold Bike Race in the Netherlands.
--Gianna Bellofatto's "Life is a Bike" series on life, love, and bicycling.
--Rhona & Dave Fritsch's account of their 3710-mile cross-country tandem journey from Washington State to Ocean City, NJ.
The Delaware County Bicycle Club's "Bonkers" cartoon character's two-wheeled adventures (and misadventures).
"The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings" is a must for any bicyclist's library!
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings, December 4, 2007
By Jan Haber "Villager Edito.. (Nyack, NY, USA)
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Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings is a collection of stories, cartoons, essays and interviews that address all aspects of bike riding. It surely belongs in the collection of everybody who ever set foot to pedal.
The wit in the title is abundantly demonstrated in six essays by Gianna Bellofatto (aka Joan Reid, Feature Editor of The Nyack Villager) and author of the column, Life Is a Bike. In one of her essays she hands down the Laws of Cycling: "Fourth Law: You can never get lost while riding a bike; your ride is merely extended. ... Sixth Law: You always look younger on a bicycle."
Other contributions include sports writer Scott Roberts' interview wth Lance Armstrong's coach, a husband and wife's journal of their tandem bike ride from Washington State to New Jersey (3,710 miles accomplished in forty-seven days), Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Hylton, with his thoughts on bicycle-friendly communities. There are predictions on the future of bicycling and thoughtful commentary on the sport and pastime--even tidbits for non-bikers; we learn that cyclists affectionately refer to their bikes as wire donkeys and each other as gear heads.
This book is a treasure for the cyclists on your holiday gift list.The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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A 'must read' for any and all bicyclists, December 2, 2007
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
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Compiled and edited by bicycling enthusiast Jim Joyce (founder of The Bicycle Exchange), "The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings" is a collection of original stories, narratives, and cartoons with the theme of bicycle riding. The contributors range from Pulitzer Prize-winning author and newspaper columnist Thomas Hylton (who initiates this anthology with his piece on 'Bicycling and Walking'; to Scott Robert's 'Keeping Up With Lance' based on a one-on-one interview with Chris Carmichale who is Lance Armstrong's long time coach and friend; to New York City-based Gianna Bellofatto, the author of the 'Life Is a Bike' series and contributor of six terrific essays; and so many other informed and informative men and women sharing a passion for bike riding. A 'must read' for any and all bicyclists, "The Bicycle Book" is a unique and very highly recommended addition to personal and community library Outdoor Recreation collections.
5 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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A 'must read' for any and all bicyclists, December 2, 2007
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
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Compiled and edited by bicycling enthusiast Jim Joyce (founder of The Bicycle Exchange), "The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings" is a collection of original stories, narratives, and cartoons with the theme of bicycle riding. The contributors range from Pulitzer Prize-winning author and newspaper columnist Thomas Hylton (who initiates this anthology with his piece on 'Bicycling and Walking'; to Scott Robert's 'Keeping Up With Lance' based on a one-on-one interview with Chris Carmichale who is Lance Armstrong's long time coach and friend; to New York City-based Gianna Bellofatto, the author of the 'Life Is a Bike' series and contributor of six terrific essays; and so many other informed and informative men and women sharing a passion for bike riding. A 'must read' for any and all bicyclists, "The Bicycle Book" is a unique and very highly recommended addition to personal and community library Outdoor Recreation collections.
5 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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A Great Read - For Cyclists and Non-Cyclists Alike!, January 13, 2008
By James Nicholson (New Jersey)
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Gianna Bellofatto, a friend of a friend, turned me on to Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings, a collection of cycling stories, articles and cartoons, edited by Jim Joyce. I knew from Gianna that she was contributing to this book and I was happy to read her articles and discover many new ones.
First, let me say that it is a relatively small book, 149 pages, but it is packed with interesting material. So interesting that, although small in size, I have not yet worked my way through all of it -- preferring instead to parcel it out in small doses to make it last longer!
I recommend this book to all of you, for yourselves or as a gift to a fellow cyclist. It's a celebration of the bicycle by people who love to ride, packed with original stories and illustrations from a talented group of writers and cartoonists. One cartoonist I was already familiar with was Bob Ladrew, whose work has always amused me in the monthly magazine of the Delaware Valley Bicycle Club.
Gianna's essay series, "Life is a Bike," is described in one review as ever clever, pleasantly quirky, and always an American original. I certainly agree and especially enjoyed "Romancing the Bike".
There are articles to satisfy the "gear heads" amongst us and a very interesting interview with Coach Chris Carmichael. There are also a number of articles I look forward to in anticipation, having not yet gotten to because, as I said above, I don't want the fun of reading it to end too soon.
The editor, Jim Joyce, is the founder and editor of the online magazine, The Bicycle Exchange ([...]), and also a contributor of articles to the book. He plans to donate fifteen percent of his royalties from this book, divided equally amongst the League of American Bicyclists, [...] (a program providing cycling tours for wounded soldiers) and the United States Association of Blind Athletes.
To me, this book sounds like an ideal gift. Buy one for yourself and one for a friend.
3 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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A Relaxing Point To Point Read From Your Easy Chair, February 11, 2008
By jerry (Moon Township, PA)
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Jim Joyce's "The Bike Book--Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings" is for gearheads, travel loggers, illustrator illumines, comic junkies, physics freaks, folksy fanatics, Garrison Keller cheerleaders, economics evangelicals, humor twirlers, news "nosies", philosophical philanders, "roadie" raconteurs, and commuter commodores.
The perfections and imperfections; the certainties and uncertainties; the knowns and the unknowns possess real life metaphors expressed through the eyes of these essay cyclists. No matter if you are a recreationalist or a hardcore dirt-ragster, there is something in this collection of essays written with two-wheelers in mind. As Gianna Bellofatto (a great name for a bike frame), a contributor to this book, says, "Life is a Bike". Damn right there!
It can be read in an afternoon when the wind is too strong and the rain too hard. When finished, you will feel like the sun came out, the sky opened up, and a light breeze blew in from the South.
This book is a Stocking Stuffer for yourself, and a relaxing point-to-point ride from your easy chair!
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Entertaining, May 10, 2011
By Nacho (Michigan USA)
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Entertaining, easy to read.
Definitely for cyclists, non cyclists won't enjoy as much.
Illustrations are great they add one star all together.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Very Funny Read!, September 21, 2010
By G. Sauder (California)
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This book is filled with hilarious stories of cyclists along with really creative cartoons. It makes seasoned cyclists smile as they identify with the stories, while making newbies love the sport.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Review for the Westerville Bicycle Club, August 22, 2008
By Shari Heinrich (Columbus, OH USA)
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The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings, edited by Jim Joyce (Satya House Publications: Hardwick, MA, 2007), is a delightful compilation of short essays on cycling (some humorous, some inspirational, some amazing) and cartoons. Whether you have just a few minutes (before someone else arrives at your cycling meet point, perhaps?) or a full hour to devote to reading (how many folks won't look for an excuse to get out of detailing the bike for one more day?), this book can provide a pleasant distraction from our hum-drum everyday lives, and place us right back on the saddle.
Joyce covers a fun gambit, from how cycling is the fountain of youth (Law 6 in Gianna Bellofatto's "An Invitation to the Open Road & the Laws of Cycling"; "The Next 30 Years? How about the Next 50?" by Chip Haynes), to helpful mechanic hints ("Bits and Bolts from Ask the Mechanic," by Andy Wallen), and everything in between.
Then there are the cartoons, decorating the pages like your favorite bike accessories. You'll find yourself laughing at which sign of the cycling zodiac would represent you (Neal Skorpen's "The Cyclist's Zodiac"), or picturing bicycles for other animals than those captured (Skorpen's "Bikes of the Animal Kingdom" and "More Bikes of the Animal Kingdom")--of course the lemur's bike doesn't have any brakes; what does that say about our fixie crowd?, or even the cycling crest (Skorpen's "Human Power"). You'll laugh at how Bonkerz describes the cycling bank bandit (Bonkerz is Bob LaDrew's character who appears in the Delaware Valley Bicycle Club newsletter).
The book ends with some inspirational tales of wandering on the bike--ever think about riding across the Sahara? John Stuart Clark and his wife have done it ("Saharan Margins"). Riding Across the USA? I know some of you have done that. Check out Rhonda & Dave Fritsch's "Cross Country Tandem Trip: A Journal." Or, for the most vivid images I've had evoked by words in a long time, surrounding a storm the author could not outrace, check out Clark's "Desert Storm."
The editor, Joyce, also authors some pieces in here, in the "Wanderings" section. Who hasn't survived a ride because of a mentor's wisdom? ("Remembering Hank") Or gotten help exactly when you needed it? (brother Bill Joyce contributes "California Angel") Joyce was a TOSRV vendor this year, and I enjoyed jawing with him as I made my purchase. Hmm, I wonder where my piece on night-of-TOSRV repair jobs would fit in this book?
Please note, Joyce plans to donate 15% of his royalties to several worthwhile organizations: League of American Bicyclists; SoldierRide.com; and the United States Association of Blind Athletes.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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bicyclycle book, November 26, 2011
By scott
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This deceptively slim volume would make a great gift for any avid cyclist. Judging from the essays in The Bicycle Book, some introspection is inevitable over the miles.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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 Limited Audience Book on Reflections, November 13, 2011
By Arex (Cream City, WI USA)
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I have mixed feelings regarding this publication. On the one hand, I found the inside jokes and anecdotes touching. On the other hand, I could not help but wonder why the author/editor chose to limit the entertainment value to people with some deep experience on two wheels. This book works well for regular bike-travelers, commuters and bicycle athletes. It probably would be mildly appealing to the recreational/occasional rider. But it has little to nothing for non-cyclists and/or new riders.
I hoped The Bicycle Book would add to what I've been able to draw from Bike Snob and Bicycle Diaries. With all due respect, readers can probably draw more value than this book offers from a subscription to one of the more down-to-earth bicycle magazines. Still, there is certainly an audience for a book like this one. It all depends on your personal expectations.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Entertaining, May 10, 2011
By Nacho (Michigan USA)
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Entertaining, easy to read.
Definitely for cyclists, non cyclists won't enjoy as much.
Illustrations are great they add one star all together.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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O.k. but not stellar, July 26, 2011
By Dave (Maine)
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This is a nice little book, but not quite what I was expecting. Given the cover shot and the subtitle ("Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings") I was expecting something a little more substantial, a little more insightful, a little more worldly. Turns out the articles are cutesy but not compelling. There are bad bicyle cartoons throughout (really, are there Good bicycle cartoons??) which also diminishes the overall book. I guess I was hoping for a lot less wit and a lot more wisdom and wanderings.
Worth a read and certainly an appropriate gift for a cyclist, but if you're looking for something more substantial such as essays from people who have cycled far away places and interacted with interesting locals, you might want to pass on this one.
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