Product Description
Take your road cycling to the next level with the newest techniques, equipment, and skills from the leading magazine in the sport. Check out how to:

* Ensure your bike is in tip-top shape in 8 easy steps
* Boost your efficiency with smooth pedaling and proper form
* Brake without wasting speed or wiping out
* Ride safely in wet, cold, and hot weather
* Convert your mountain bike for the road
* Master the skills of riding in traffic
* Get long-distance secrets from the Race Across America record-holder
* Train indoors with these 5 workouts
* Prevent saddle sores, numbness, and knee pain
* Motivate yourself to train harder
* Discover the world of recumbents and tandems
* Sprint like a champion
* Attack hills for maximum fitness
Amazon.com Review
Maybe you're a novice who has yet to squeeze into that firstpair of sexy Lycra shorts. Or perhaps you're a seasoned racer who isseeking ways to become stronger and faster. Whatever the case, youwill be well served by Ed Pavelka's comprehensive guide, which takesthe reader on a highly readable ride through road cycling--from thebasics of handling and maintenance to the subtle intricacies ofracing. Instead of asking the reader to take his word on everysubject, Pavelka has gathered a cast of Olympians and renownedmechanics to tackle whichever topic reflects his or her strongestsuit. Besides the basics, chapters also include in-depth advice onsprinting, hill climbing, using heart monitors effectively, trainingindoors during the wintry months, and even surviving your commute inthe concrete jungle. If that's not enough, Pavelka has devoted anentire section to medical concerns, including overtraining, soreknees, and saddle sores. --Ben Tiffany ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

serious
If you are serious about riding then you need this book. Things you might not other wise think of, to make you a better rider in everyway. Handle the bike in turns, and in traffic. Top riders sharing their knowledge, seriously.

Easy reading collection of articles
As another reviewer pointed out, this is a colleciton of articles that don't make one continous book. I look at it as more of a manual. I didn't read it in order, but just went through the chapters that I thought were relevant and returned for the others later.

I am pretty new to cycling (beyond riding my bike as a kid). Although I was not impressed with the review of fast food burritos, I did find much of the information to be useful and encouraging.

It is a primer. You'll probably want to move on to other cycling books if you are interested in the topic, but this is a decent place to start.

Light Reading
If you want to know little about not a lot then pick this book up. Yes, there is some good advice, but by no means a cycling bible. Do we really need to go over the menu and nutritional value of fast food restaurants?

Dated, but still a fun read
I'm an experienced cyclist and I found this a fun read.It's a collection of articles that were published in Bicycling magazine back in the 90's on various aspects on road cycling.There are sections on skills, training and nutrition and I found useful information throughout the book.I feel that the articles were chosen to have a timeless slant as there aren't many examples on equipment, most of the articles are on technique.
Specifically I found the few articles on training that included examples to be helpful, like the suggested trainer routines, use of an heart rate monitor, and estimating calories burned.
This type of book is what I call a bathroom book, as the short articles are perfect reading when you want something to read for a few minutes.
The book is also a success in that it helps get you in the mood to go riding.There's not a lot new here, but it's fun to read someone elses opinion on something most of us already know how to do.

Untrustworthy.There must be better books for this subject.
Some information in this book I find implausible, and some I /know/ to be false, which further reduces any confidence I may have in the rest of the information.For a subject like cycling, you need someone who understands the underlying physics as well as helpful subjective seat-of-the-pants techniques.Ed Pavelka seems to only have the latter skill, which gives his advice no firm foundation.

A case in point is the brief article on steering.His final conclusion is sound - that countersteering (see Wikipedia for an explanation) is how you steer effectively, but he prefaces it by asserting erroneously that there are 3 ways to steer.To paraphrase, he says you can steer simply by pointing the handlebars where you want to go, without leaning the bike at up to 15mph (defying the laws of physics), or you can steer just by leaning the way you want to go, or you can countersteer.

There is only one way to steer: countersteering.Most of us never realize that is what we're doing.Most of us learned to do it unconsciously on the day we first learned to ride, and from then on we muddle through with a unconscious "micro-countersteer" that starts the bike falling sideways, which we catch by turning the corner.The key to good steering is to use deliberate, active and controlled countersteering - a skill which becomes obviously essential on a motorcycle, where the increased weight makes it impossible to muddle through a turn on unconscious control.

He comes to the right conclusion - so what's the big deal?Well, to me, the big deal is he's made me read and try to understand false information which is of no use whatsoever, and /his/ understanding of the subject is flawed.How am I supposed to trust anything else he says, if it's nothing more than his assertions based on his own gut feeling?

Frequently, theory alone is insufficient, very occasionally practice trumps theory, but best of all is practice based on theory._Sound_ theory. ... Read more

Product Description
From the late 1800s through the first half of the 1900s, pulp magazines--costing a dime and filled with both fiction and nonfiction--were a staple of American life. Though often overlooked by popular culturalists, sports were one of the staples of the pulp scene; such standards as the National Police Gazette and All-Story carried some sports stories, and several publications, such as Sport Story Magazine, were entirely devoted to them. An overview of the pulps is followed by an examination of those devoted to sports: how they came into being, the development of the genre, the popularity of its heroes, and coverage of real-life events. The roles of editors, writers, artists, and publishers are then fully covered. A chapter on Street & Smith, the foremost publisher of sports pulps, follows, while a concluding chapter discusses the reasons for the demise of the pulps in the early 1950s. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most neglected aspects of a golfer's game is course management - the vitally important ability to wisely evaluate the course, the conditions, and the shot and make the right decision. In The Golf Magazine Course Management Handbook, PGA Master Professional Gary Wiren presents a concise, simple program to the fundamentals of a sound, smart game. You will learn to: know your game, such as club distances and shot tendencies; evaluate risks and rewards, then make the right decision; control your attitude and emotions in competitive situations; curve the ball and manage trajectory when you need to; handle serious lies and situations on the course; cope with poor weather conditions; and much more.With examples drawn from the pros and his own experience, Wiren reveals the keys to playing smarter and better golf. Included is an invaluable six-step stroke-saver system that is sure to enhance any golfer's game. (5 1/2 X 8 1/4, 96 pages, b&w photos) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Brand new to golf?
If you are brand new to the game of golf and need a crash course in what areas of the game you should give attention this is a good book for you. On the flip side, if you are familiar with the game, this is in no way a good buy. Maybe I was naive for expecting this book to provide more in-depth suggestions to playing certain types of holes or situations the average golfer will encounter on the golf course. So to echo what I said: If you know nothing about the game, this could open your eyes to what you should consider. If you are looking for insightful tips on how to really manage a round of golf look elsewhere. Personally I feel this was a waste of money and 30minutes of my life I'll never get back.

excellent advice
This book is loaded with lots of good advice to help you think your way around the golf course. ... Read more

Product Description
"It's All Part of the Game" dramatically recounts how, against the odds, "Sports Illustrated" grew from a misbegotten enterprise into a cultural institution. From halting editorial beginnings, "Sports Illustrated" has evolved into a journalistically tough and visually spectacular magazine that remains one of the truly influential voices in journalism. photo insert.Amazon.com Review
The Franchise recounts the story of an industry joke that went on to become one of the most successful magazines in publishing history. Under the visionary leadership of managing editor André Laguerre, Sports Illustrated--launched in 1954--continually pushed the envelope, revolutionizing color printing in the process and making the careers of an immensely talented group of writers and photographers. Author Michael MacCambridge analyzes editorial and marketing strategies, including the infamous swimsuit issue, and profiles most of the key players--with an emphasis on the crack team of sportswriters that has included such talents asDan Jenkins, Frank Deford, and Rick Reilly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

History of SI
While doing a research paper on the history of SI I came across The Franchise. It was just what I was looking for. Being only a college student I had no clue how important SI was to the sporting culture in America. MacCambridge has done his research and this seems to be a very scholarly piece on something that generally is not too scholarly. It was a bit long but isn't it better to do more work than not to have done enough. I can't think of one issue about SI that MacCambridge didn't cover in this book. I am fortunate to have this book because it helps my research for my senior thesis.

Underrated Gem
With SI opening up its back issues online in March 2008, MacCambridge's "The Franchise" is worth another look at the creation and evolution of the magazine. The sections on Dan Jenkins and Andre Laguerre are great reads and would fit well in the traditional "bonus" piece section of SI that Laguerre created as editor and Jenkins often filled.

The major misconception seems to be that this book is about sports. It is about sport journalism. If you know that going in, you should be pleasantly surprised. SI was widely recognized as the best written journal of its kind, actually the prototype of the "New Journalism." The writers in the 1960s and early 70s were kings. But, after Laguerre's sacking, eventually the power turned to the managing editor, particularly the mentally unstable Gilbert Rogin and the talent-challenged Mark Mulvoy. Pictures replaced words, image replaced talent, and SI seized being a must read. Fascinating, fascinating stuff.

Whoa! Easy there, dear readers!
The negative reviews of this book seem unwarranted to me (and, would it be fair to assume, largely from one particularly bitter reader?). MacCambridge can write, he's done his homework, and he has in fact made a number of interesting observations. Even though I disagree with many of them (e.g., his inordinate fuss over Dan Jenkins), I find it hard to discount anyone who recognizes SI for the "wildly profitable, mass-market magazine best known for its swimsuit issue" it's become. If your reaction is "yeah, so what's wrong with that?" don't bother with the book. If, on the other hand, you'd be interested to learn how a magazine which used to commission such engaging prose on everything from elk hunting to college wrestling matches to major league baseball became the narrowly-focused, crass exercise in corporate branding it's today, and how it's coped with ominous developments like the Warner merger, ESPN and the baffling rise of Rick Reilly - don't let the pithy criticism put you off.

Granted, the book does drag in spots, and would almost have benefited from some more energetic editing (and a few more photos of the cast of characters), but it's a welcome change from the obsequious, mass-market stuff which typifies sports-related journalism today.

I would have increased my rating by another star had the publisher bothered to produce a more imaginative (and sympathetic) cover.

Great for some, disappointing for others
This is an engrossing book for readers who want to understand the interplay between the writers, editors, and publishers of SI - in other words the people who created (and in some cases are still creating) SI.

It is NOT for people seeking out behind-the-scenes tidbits concerning the subjects covered in and on the magazine, including the swimsuit models.

Not a very good history of S.I.
This book fails on every count: as a history of the magazine; as a readable story; as a critical overview. The writing is just not very good, and insights and analysis sorely lacking. Who wants to read dull anecdotepiled upon dull anecdote? Not me. ... Read more

Product Description
Concept drew strong purchase intent among male golfers and was a top choice for favorite title and as a gift in research.

·GOLF Magazine has a total readership of 6.1 million.

Customer Reviews (7)

golf magazaine:the best short game instruction book ever
The book has alot of great pictures and information and various aspects of the golf short game shots so improvement is easy if you practice what you see !!

Decent short game book for beginners
The title of this book is definitely wrong.It is not in the top 5 or 10 best short game books (look for Dev Pelz' Short Game Bible or Phil Mickelson's book if you want the best.It's more geared for a beginner golfer and can be useful for someone who is new to the game.The DVD is pretty useless too, with 10 small 2-3 minute snipets of lessons.

Great Golf instruction book
This is a great golf instruction book. After I read a couple of chapters I went to the practice range and worked on the drills. The drills/instructions have improved my 75 and 50 yd shot by 150%.
The book was worth 10 time the $21 I paid!!!!!

Great Short Game book - worth the $$

My wife bought this book for me for Valentine's Day . . . . while we were in the bookstore and I handed it to her saying 'buy this for me for Valentine's Day'

It's full of great tips, suggestions, pictures, easy to understand suggestions.

The BEST part of this book is that I finally know what I need to do when I'm in certain short game situations.What club do I use/where does the ball go/what kind of swing do I need when:

I'm 30 yards out in the rough?Bunker with a high wall?Just off the green on hardpan?20 yards out on the fairway with a close cut pin?A far away cut pin?

This book answers them all. I even made up a cheat sheet and will be bringing it with me the next time I get out so I know what to do from just about any situation 60 yards and in.

Great stuff.Buy it and you won't be disappointed.

Must have
If you love golf, this book is a must have. It had everything that you need to get stared ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A must read to improve your clay target scores
Having shot clay targets for a few years.The ideas in the book were not out of the blue.The author just layed it out in a clear manner. I especially liked the way in which he list the different level ofshooters.So you can get a better feel where you are and what you need totrain on.....I would recomend this book to anyone who wants to inprovetheir score in any of the clay target sport...It is not written for agolfers eyes it is written in a shooters eyes. So the visualization processis easier to see the point ans the Targets turn to Dust.

Thorough & In-depth "System"
My shooting buddies and I have had many discussions around the mental side of the game."How do you turn it on?""If you really concentrate on winning the big tournament, you will put too much pressureon yourself."

Dr. Keyes really puts all the mental aspects ofshooting together into a comprehensive system that can allow you to knowwhere you are mentally and how to get where you want to go.Veryinterestingand enlightening.

Good Book
I have read this book and you will find many jewels of how to "think" and how "not to think" when shooting clay targets in competition.It is well worth reading.The slower you readthis book the more you will retain for there is much here hidden withineach page.Many top shooters I know have read this book, you should too. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more