It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness On Two Wheels

The author has done a lot of cycling on many different bikes including round the world via some pretty hard core routes. He decides to build a bike, his perfect bike, from scratch. He has a steel frame hand built by a master craftsman and then travels the UK, Italy and the USA not only sourcing the components but meeting the master craftsmen behind some of the finest components available. On the way through he weaves a brilliantly compelling story about the history of cycling and the history of each of the technologies that make up the modern bicycle. Totally recommended.

The title says it all and if you ride a bike you'll know what it's all about. Probably the most inspirational book I've ever read and very informative as well. Every section of the book is packed with historical facts, wonderful stories and just such enthusiasm for cycling - this book is pure joy.

Part history & material culture, part engineering handbook, part educational, part cycling-advocate, part travel book, inspiring and very well written throughout. This is a great, compact book and very hard to put down once you start. It was impossible for me to read this without dissembling my own bike in my head, and had me wandering to the shed a few times to look at components on my own bike that I had paid little attention to in the past. Reading the passages of Penn's own bike travel and his relationship with the bike certainly put my own cycling into perspective. His description of how his bike 'saves his life everyday' makes leaving the house each morning for the commute much easier, and reminds readers of the joy of cycling. I think this book will inspire cyclists to seek out independent manufacturers with a focus on quality and craftsmanship - in an age of mass-production, this has to be seen as a positive development. Hats off to Robert Penn for covering so much ground with such ease.

I could not put down Robert Penn's book, written with a staggering knowledge for the subject, and such passion and infectious enthusiasm. Not only was I totally drawn into Penn's specific quest for building his perfect bike, (though as a painter I would have to plumb for the aesthetic of a Mercian frame!) I also found myself agreeing out loud with the way he used the history of the bicycle and the contemporary scene of bespoke bicycle building as metaphor for a calmer, kinder and wiser world. There is a strong link in this book between the development of a machine and the creation of a more utopian society. And then there's also just the sheer joy of Penn sharing the process of great craftsmanship in the pursuit of perfection, and along the way, through his writing, meeting such strong characters- the sort that are rare now but that I remember from childhood. Utter Bliss.

Rob Penn has captured the spirit of the bike and why we cycling obsessives become so obsessed in this gem of a book. It'll teach you not only about the history of the bike but also some top tips on how your trusted steed works which will help keep you riding. Travelogue, history and maintenance manual all in one! Genius..

I purchased this after having watched the TV documentary of the same name and i was not let down! I had some initial reservations about watching the programme, city guy moves to wales to rediscover himself and finds cycling in the process, it has british movie industry written all over it! The lifelong passion for the bike that was revealed however left me once again chiding my own preconceptions, and yet another inward promise to be more open minded and less reactionary! Obviously the book fleshes out the broad strokes painted on the tv, but the passion and almost reverence that comes across is a joy to read. Clever writing prevents the book going the way of a sentimental eulogy to craftsmen passed, and instead reveals a soaring demand for the bespoke bike, albeit for a very different user. As a cyclist myself i was particularly gratified to learn that the principal aim of the author attaining his dream bike was to ride it all the time, celebrating it through use, and not just having it as another expensive accessory, (penn himself compares the skill and artistry of a framebuilder to that of a watchmaker or tailor)thus needing it to be absolutely perfect in every detail. Any jealousy at the author having the time and money to be able to trek globally in order to acquire the components for his dream bike are soon forgotten thanks to the total passion that is revealed for every detail of the bike through very skilled writing. It's always gratifying to connect with a fellow bikie, even if through the pages of book, and i was very pleased to see that i already own most of his selected reading! If you like cycling, buy this book. If you like travel, buy this book. If you want a dollop of inspiration to get you back on your own bike, buy this book.

Rob's enthusiasm, not just for bikes, but also for the climate their innovation has created, springs out of this book. I enjoyed the people he met - the kinds of people who for me become legends in their determined application of skill, creativity and other nuttiness. Tripping along with him as he watched a welder, I found myself halfway through a piece of fairly complex engineering, only to find that I still understood and I could feel and in some way touch the simplicity and development of the technology. I'm not an engineer, so I love a book that takes me back to fettling in the garage with my Dad. Magic. Connecting me with the heartbeat of our talented forbears (the British contributors to the development of cycling) , their sharing of genius with those across borders, and to their present incarnations, makes me feel hopeful for Britain too - and that's a gift for me. Ta, Rob. My only problem with the book is that I unwittingly read it without thinking of the obvious result - that the discomfort of my own bike - and the reasons for that - is now achingly clear, and I guess I might just see if I can find a local frame-maker.... and some cash... :-)