Spandex Elective Bicycle Touring is the identify of a brand new, brief ebook in regards to the fundamentals of motorcycle touring by creator, Peter Rice. This skinny 60-page textual content is a campy introduction to the world of long-distance bicycle touring and would make the right reward for the bicycle vacationer who has all the things, however shouldn’t be bought by people in search of an in-depth how-to bicycle touring ebook.
Whereas Spandex Elective Bicycle Touring is supposed to be a brief, concise education on the fundamentals of bicycle journey, it’s a bit too mild and ethereal for my suggestion. With extraordinarily brief chapters on what to pack, learn how to practice for a tour, learn how to plan a correct route, the place to seek out locations to sleep at evening, what to eat, learn how to transport your bicycle and an entire lot extra, the ebook tries exhausting, however leaves lots to be desired.
The creator, Peter Rice, does his finest to be humorous all through the ebook and make bicycle touring enchantment to anybody who needs to journey by bike – not simply skilled spandex-clad street cyclists. However Rice additionally admits that he has solely 4,000 miles of bicycle touring expertise, which is extraordinarily little on the earth of long-distance bicycle touring. Whereas 4,000 miles could appear to be lots to some individuals, it’s a distance that actually solely equates to at least one long-distance bike trip throughout the USA, which is precisely what it seems like Peter did to achieve his private cycle touring expertise. However 4,000 miles throughout the USA shouldn’t be sufficient (for my part) to put in writing a ebook in regards to the topic of long-distance bicycle touring, or to offer out “skilled recommendation” to individuals who could buy this textual content with plans of biking all world wide.
One reviewer on Amazon nailed this level precisely when he wrote:
“Having clocked considerably extra touring miles than Rice has (he has solely 4,000 miles below his belt whole – which on the earth of bicycle touring is subsequent to nothing and explains why his booklet is missing in a number of methods), I discovered a few of his suggestions (and approaches) extremely impractical and a few downright harmful.”
Whereas I commend Rice for having the inspiration and follow-through to place this brief ebook collectively, I personally have written a number of common books about bicycle touring and I perceive how tough it’s to publish a ebook of any variety. However I wrote my how-to ebook, The Bicycle Touring Blueprint, after 100,000+ miles and 14+ years of touring by bike in additional than 50 completely different international locations all world wide. There’s no manner I might have written a ebook about bike touring and tried to move it off as skilled recommendation after simply my first brief bike tour in the USA. I may need, at the moment, been capable of move on a number of the fundamentals of the “sport” with a really country-specific slant, however I’d be unable to seize the entire image of worldwide bike journey. And that, I’m afraid, is the large downfall for this ebook. The creator is just too inexperienced to be giving out any in-depth, or actually useful bicycle touring recommendation.
In my view, Spandex Elective Bicycle Touring could be a pleasant little $5 merchandise that might be offered in reward shops and novelty retailers. It’s brief, it’s straightforward to learn, it has some enjoyable (infantile) drawings scattered all through, and it’d make a very good reward for that particular somebody in your life who likes to journey by bike.
However for those who’re in search of a ebook that may actually aid you to plan and put together in your personal bicycle touring adventures, I might advocate getting a duplicate of The Bicycle Touring Blueprint as a substitute. The Bicycle Touring Blueprint is greater, longer, extra in-depth and dearer than Peter Rice’s Spandex Elective Bicycle Touring, however it’s by far a extra detailed, complete ebook – written by a real Bicycle Touring Professional with lots of of 1000’s of miles of bicycle touring expertise below his belt.