5 comments about Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance.

1. If you are overwhelmed by all the moving parts or are just looking for a reference, this book is for you.
   
   This book contains detailed descriptions and illustrations of everything you need to know to maintain and tweak your mountain bike.



2. zinns book is right up to date on keeping your hi tech bike in good
   shape,the best i have read



3. Now although I ride alot, I'm not really big on reading Mountain bike books from cover to cover. And I actually refer to the companion Mountain Biking DVD-Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance DVD more often. This one, on the other hand is just a wealth of information. It covers so many different areas. I've looked at other books in the stores. If you want to own just one Mountain bike maintenance book, this is it. I myself only have one-this one. If you are a more visual person, as I am - get his DVD video. It's awesome too.Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance
   
   I often ride my mountain bike at night and use these lighting products:Down Low Glow Lighting Kit - Two Tubes-Envy(green)



4. This book was recommended by a friend of mine to facilitate my Padawan ways of bike maintenance. I'm very impressed, and the illustrations are excellent. Everything is broken down into the most basic steps when making a repair/modification. It's so much easier to maintain and repair your own bike, than to have your LBS do it. Don't be a tool, buy the book.



5. Excellent book full of information about MTB parts including differences from one brand to another. Full of drawings that helps understand how things should be done.

5 comments about More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride.

1. The Book is Great, However the pages are coming unglued and falling out, individually. Very bad book binding process, must contact Bowtie for concerning issues.



2. This is a great book for improving your riding skills such as braking, riding and turning at slow speeds, and handling road curves.



3. If you're too stupid to take the MSF course or equivalent, this is the next best thing. If you've already taken the course, this book fills in a lot of the cracks. Easy to read, and it willl save your life!



4. I read this book and keep refering to it for years till I handed to my Dad (a new rider at 55) to help him understand motorcycle riding a bit more.



5. This book is an excellent place to gain more knowledge of motorcycling or to review old information on motorcycling. Will probably reread book every year before motorcycling season begins.

5 comments about Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques.

1. If there was just one book I had to buy, this wouldn't be it, but I liked it. It had a lot of good things to say about mental attitude. There are some things I would of like to see him leave out, like his pictures. I am glad that I read it and will review it from time to time.



2. "Total Control" isn't the pinnacle of riding techniques. Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling," (both of them) and Ienatsch's "Sport Bike Ridng Techniques" are the hands-down winners in that respect. However, the book has some worthwhile content that other books don't cover. As a secondary source, it is well worth price. Some of his scrunched-up portrait photos would have a buzzard turn around and fly the other way.



3. I first read "A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding", then I read this book. I greatly appreciated Twist of the Wrist for providing the geeky details and well-written descriptions of what was happening to the bike and rider when everything is working correctly (or not), but this book was able to add some more pictures that helped to clarify things which weren't clear to me from Twist of the Wrist.
   
   There were some descriptions in Total Control that resonated better with me than what was in Twist of the Wrist, and vice versa. The same thing can be said for the drawings and pictures.
   
   My recommendation: buy both books. If you don't like reading very much and want better step-by-step pictures, then Total Control is probably the better book for you. Once again, I strongly recommend buying both books - Total Control and Twist of the Wrist 2.



4. Purchased the book for my son whose passion is riding his sportbike on the track and hopefully race in the future. Read portions of the book myself and I have to recommend it to all who are sportbike aficionados. The book is to the point - dead center. Gives great pointers, helps you understand what you may be unable to articulate. Great read!



5. If you ride a sport bike and want to learn to lean it correctly/safely around curves, fast without jerks and changes in the arch, this is the best specialized book for you! Learn about the common reasons people crash like you have never heard it before--why we panic and what that causes, which ultimately results in a crash. And how to overcome it! Great book.

No comments about Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa.

5 comments about Honor Few, Fear None: The Life and Times of a Mongol.

1. I thought this book was very well put together. I didn't want to put it down until I finished it. I'm a huge supporter of the Mongols MC!! It's a black and white world and if you don't like oh well!!



2. I bought the book because I was curious. I also like to read. The book moves along quickly and does offer some insight into the writers world. However It is written from the perspective of someone who does not view their world as deeply and disturbing as others might. I also felt the writer was more passionate about describing his childhood, which I found fascinating and well written. The rest of the book I felt the writer skimmed over important details that would have made it meatier and a better read. It felt like he was trying to cover, or justify things or at least it just came across as that. I can understand why the writer wouldn't want to write in detail some of the occurances which were mentioned, but from the readers perspective this is where it got weak and boring. For example, when the writer described being initiated into his first gang, he was very specific as to how he was led into that direction, He led the reader along a journey where the initiation became part of his world. I thought that was interesting and good reading. The details of his Mongol life were less interesting and more skimmed over. I still recommend the book, I think the perspective is very interesting. I wish the writer would have penned a fictional book really detailing out the passion and intensity of the what the title of the book suggests you to consider. I am thinking that perhaps he didn't do so to prevent liability. For the reader it just felt flat. I am sure there is a very passionate and intense story there somewhere. If not, then it explains exactly how someone can be involved in a lifestyle where denial and skewed perspective prevents you from truly understanding what you are involved in. I'd like to see him write fictional stories with more passion and detail that might grip you and take you on the real journey. In some instances he was flat out emotionless - although this might be the only way to survive conflict, it doesn't make for good reading.



3. I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK VERY MUCH. IT FASCINATES ME. THE AUTHOR SEEMS SO DOWN TO EARTH, EVEN THOUGHT HE IS IN A MOTORCYCLE CLUB. I HAPPENED TO KNOW SOME OF THESE GUYS IN THE MC, THEY ARE NOT AS BAD AS THE POLICE MAKES THEM OUT BE.I'M HOPING RUBEN CAVAZOS WRITES ANOTHER BOOK.



4. Well Doc, I think you've done it. This is the only book I've found that tells the Mongol story. You've done a good job of writing it and it seems to tell the tale Quite well. If anyone is interested in the 'History' of the 1% clubs, this book should be in the mix.



5. This book did keep me interested enough to read it, but took only a few hours to do this. Not very insightful about the working of this club, but if you're interested in how the author thinks, you'll get a little bit of insight....and alot of whining about law enforcement.

5 comments about The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

1. "Ralph!" cried his frightened mother, "you haven't been associating with PEOPLE!" That may seem a rather unfriendly thing to say, but Ralph is a mouse. And people are...well..the enemy. Aren't they?
   
   But Ralph has discovered a boy named Keith who can understand his language (and vice versa). Ralph has also discovered Keith has the most fabulous, fantastic, mouse-sized motorcycle, and Ralph is crazy about it. To Keith it is a small, motorless, favorite toy. To Ralph it is the real thing!
   
   And so the secret friendship blossoms: Keith loves Ralph and Ralph loves Keith's motorcycle, which Ralph is allowed to borrow to become involved in all kinds of dangerous (for a mouse) and fun adventures and misadventures. You'll chuckle all the way through.
   
   [Modern fantasy suitable for the intermediate grades.]
   
   A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up



2. This book really let's you use your imagination and enter the world of a hotel mouse. I somehow missed reading this book as a child. I loved it so much, I went out and bought the 2 sequels. I can't wait to have my 11 year-old son read it.



3. I can't remember the last time I read this. I figured it was simple enough to read to my class of 1st graders and sure enough we were soon all in love with the story (though I believe that this is more of a boy book).
   
   It is more than a story about a mouse who uses a human boy for his toy motorcycle. It has a great message of courage, responsibility, and friendship. Ralph is a fascinating character and you come to feel everything he feels. His thoughts are suprisingly deep and thus his courage is wonderful.
   
   This is not one of those little stories that puts a tiny little critter in a situation a normal human would find terrifying. Here we deal with the horrors of owls, vacuums, waste baskets, and the forbidden ground floor of the hotel where Ralph lives. Even so, they become scary and one cannot imagine how Ralph will survive.
   
   An utter classic. Everyone should read it.



4. After purchasing The Mouse and the Motorcycle for a long road trip with my 7-year-old granddaughter, I can't say enough about the story or about the reader, B.D. Wong. While there is at least one other audio version available, Wong is absolutely superb in his rendering of the characters and noises. We rode absolutely enchanted by Cleary's story and Wong's interpretation of it. Although the long road trip is over, my granddaughter still requests that I play The Mouse and the Motorcycle when she rides with me. This will be a favorite of your children and grandchildren. In fact, when I'm invited to book showers for babies, this is one of the gifts I present. It will become an all-time favorite, I guarantee it!



5. My son is 7 and an advanced reader, but he doesn't pick up a book for fun--until we checked this one out of the library. Now he is interested in all Beverly Cleary books. This classic from my childhood (the first Cleary book I ever read too) still holds up. The interactions between Ralph and Keith are realistic and sweet, Ralph's adventures on the motorcycle are thrilling, and the world inside the hotel is vivid. While my son still prefers my reading this to him, he has wanted to read a chapter here and there. This is a wonderful, charming introduction to Cleary and a good start as a first chapter book.

5 comments about Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.

1. Thought provoking and insightful, this truly comes from the heart. It is difficult to imagine someone having to go through the tragedies suffered by Mr. Peart but he is able to put together a riveting account of the turmoil he suffers while grieving over the loss of loved ones. If this book does not cause you to shed a tear, you aren't paying close enough attention.



2. 
   I had high hopes of this book when I first heard about. I thought we would get deep insight into the mind of the Ghost Rider and how he would deal with the tragic loss of his family. Perhaps in a certain way, we did, he road his bike thousands of miles, which is fine, but there is so much missing from it. The author is a very private man who chooses only to give us an edited version of his pain, misery and redemption. The book is simply a traveling manuscript that lists places where the Ghost Rider cruised to and where he stayed and dined. It deviates at times to more intimate settings such as with his wife's family and friends but they are so few and are never given ample room.
   There is also a bizarre array of letters to the Ghost Rider's friend Brutus that is filled with inside jokes and highlights that the reader never connects with and is left out of. The editing of the book was also poor - examples include the letters (perhaps they should have been deleted altogether) and the conclusion was done too loosely. There were too many events that were hurried over.
   I do not see how others could rate the book so high - perhaps they are fans or they enjoyed it as a travel book. I did leave with a deeper appreciation of traveling after reading it and noting the sound wisdom of "keep moving," in order to stay focused at the task at hand, which was to...finish the ride?



3. Fred and Chris' review is shockingly disturbing. I read this book 3 times and wept uncontrollably at Neil's losses. I cannot believe that you would complain that he is shallow, and complained about the number of pages it took to tell of the events. How much more does he need to tell? Selena lost control of her vehicle, flipped it, and it killed her. It was a terrible accident without cause. Jackie fell into the worst depths of a depressive state and it killed her along with the terminal cancer. A disease I battled personally for 2 years but actually ended up in remission.
   
   To complain that this book reads like a Mapsco means neither one of you understand or care about how most readers like myself want to know everything, every description, every detail of what he is seeing and feeling. Neil writes so that you feel you are right there with him and that is what I love about his writing style.
   To say that he cares more about his friend who is in jail for marijuana possession, (not HARD DRUGS) instead of Selena and Jackie is very callous. If he cared about his friend over his family, he never would have been in seclusion for so long and would have probably returned to drumming a lot sooner. HE LOVED HIS LITTLE GIRL MORE THAN ANYTHING!!! Look at the way he talks about her in all of his books. He was a very doting father and very involved in her life.
   The fact that he did not just take a bottle of pills and end it all after those tragic events shows how much courage and strong character he really has. And just because he can handle his liquor does not mean he is teetering on the brink of alcoholism. Sounds like something a member of the infamous AA would say.
   Saying that he has a diminishing respect for humans individually and as a whole just means that you don't like the way he looks at some people and situations. After reading all his books I realize that I think and feel the exact same way as he does. You just don't like his observations because he tells the truth and tells it like it really is, and no one ever wants to hear the real truth.
   He can't help it if he does not really like being famous, nor can he help it that he is pretty much the best damn lyricist and drummer ever!! Its a little nerve racking to have people running after you all the time.
   
   This book takes you through his private hell and emotional wreckage that feels like he will never come out of, and in a lot of ways he never really will. Yes he has found a new soul mate and has a renewed zest for life, but one never gets over the loss of their baby and you can see it in his eyes in recent pictures, he is not completely the same person he was before and never will be again and to say he is in need of some personal work makes me feel the both of you need personal work a lot more than he ever did!! Let's see how you handle it when you loose your loved ones.
   I have more respect and admiration for Neil Peart than a lot of peope I personally know and I am glad that he was able to find the will to live.



4. This book was inspirational! It provides a good reality check when you feel like life is handling you more than you can deal with.



5. i don't know what more i can say, book more than worth reading, if you love music, RUSH, adventure, bikes, just to name a few and i you can appreciate what it takes for soul to lose everything an want to keep moving forward this is a worth wild read for you.
   
   i personally love it for all that and the way he speaks so painfully honest of eventing, himself included. not to mention his amazing ability to be perfectly descript and yet it inst my method of choice to fall asleep, if you have ever read those kind of books im sure you can relate. and as you go you will see more and more of who Niel Peart is, much of it being hi sense of humor, all be it subtle r dark at times always there. all i can say is buy it and read it, i did it on a whim simply cuz i love Rush and always like to hear what fellow drummers have to say.

5 comments about Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library).

1. Hell's Angels begins: "California, Labor Day weekend . . . early, with ocean fog still in the streets, outlaw motorcyclists wearing chains, shades and greasy Levis roll out from damp garages, all-night diners and cast-off one-night pads in Frisco, Hollywood, Berdoo and East Oakland, heading for the Monterey peninsula, north of Big Sur... The Menace is loose again, the Hell's Angels, the hundred-carat headline..." With a start like that how could you help but be hooked? This is Hunter before Gonzo.
   
   Hunter Thompson's Hell's Angels is a fantastically written profile of the outlaw motorcycle club from their postwar origins to their explosion on the public conscious in '64-'65. It begins with the Angels gaining nation-wide attention via a fumbled rape trial and follows the surreal path that led to their interactions and then clashes with Ken Kesey and the counter-culture movement.
   
   Hunter takes an odd stance here. He seems to oscillate between respecting their rebelliousness and really looking down on them as worthless losers. This sort of Yin-Yang of the Hell's Angels follows through the book. They are both repellent and attractive and Hunter does a very good job of sussing out why this is in writing that is compelling and often brilliant. Liberally sprinkled with quotes of contemporary articles, song lyrics and scraps of poetry that fit into the text without distracting.
   
   Hell's Angels is a gritty, classic slice of reportage that manages to entertain in the way good fiction entertains with a gripping narrative and larger-than-life characters.



2. In depth report of the infamous motorcycle gang by the only person with enough gall and wit to pull it off; Hunter S. Thompson. Excellent correspondence of what the Hell's Angels stood for in their prime. If you enjoy learning about the brutality humans are capable of then this is a book for you.



3. A very high quality production run, hard-bound with illustrated dust jacket etc. of a very hard to find modern classic. Read Thompson as he was before he became a cartoon character like caricature. Succinct and insightful with the acerbic wit front and centre where it belongs. A cracking good read ! Excellent value too in this Modern Libraries edition. Why pay all-kinds of stoopid money on E-bay for a dog-eared paperback when you can have this for little more than the price of lunch for one alone.



4. I fear many young readers don't read Hunter because their sole perception of him stems from the Fear and Loathing movie. Perhaps it makes them overlook him, falsely believing they could only take something away from his genius if they themselves were acid freaks or outlaw motorcyclists. What they don't understand is story development is only part of the delicious masterpieces Hunter serves up. He could make a sentence, one short, lonely sentence brilliant. He could read the inner workings of his non-fictional subjects' minds, both good and bad, as though he held some secret intercom to their brain. Regardless of the story, whether it was some drug binging adventure in Vegas or hot presidential campaign, Hunter's details lacked in nothing. If he wrote it, the reader can close their eyes and be in that distant place in that distant time. I wasn't yet born in the 60s and 70s, but I can see that the residue from that era still heavily molds our society and our government. To move forward, it is important to understand our past. And, Hunter's work serve as an ambassador or a time machine for us to go back and reconcile and comprehend such an unbelievable time.
   So, read the book. Read all his books.



5. This is a wonderful republishing effort in hardback with a great photo of Hunter on its cover - a tribute to Thompson's literary accomplishment and treatment of the Hells Angels when they were truly a cultural attraction.
   
   Hunter's writing is clear, fast-paced, insightful, hysterial, and damning with just a bit of the Thompson humor to get the real point across. There's not be a book on the Times and the Angels since to match it.
   
   Great addition to the library - thanks, Dr. Thompson - RIP

5 comments about Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well.

1. If you ride a motorcycle on the street, and you would like to know how to avoid accidents and control the motorcycle better in turns and braking, poor driving conditions like rain or gravel, how to lean, etc, this is the best book for you! Easy to understand with great pictures and even a cd!



2. I highly recommend this book to all beginners and experienced riders. No the book is not going to teach you how to ride a bike or everything you need to know. But it may give you that 1 tip that saves your life. The author does assume you have some basic knowledge. So if you don't know what a fork is or where the shifter lever is on a bike the MSF book would be a better place to start. I am a complete newbie to bikes right now and I couldn't imagine going to the streets without all the knowledge I gained from this book.
   
   Highly recommended!



3. The book provides a lot of tips and useful information, a lot of it common sense and lot of it new knowledge, especially for a new rider. The only thing that holds it back from being a 5 star is the continuous lecturing on the dangers of motorcycling. The books starts off with the dangers with numbers and in almost every section, almost every paragraph it seems to continue the rant on the dangers. Its to the point that you just almost want to stop reading it because of the danger of a paper cut when you turn the page. But, in the end more knowledge about riding is better and this is a book that ties together information with stats, and reinforces good riding techniques.



4. After 30 years, the bug hit me and I bought a new crusier. Checked many sites for the best books out there, this one came highly recommended. It is a good book to refresh the basics and give you some simple exercises you can do to get the feel of the bike back. I will give it to my son to read too. I haven't taken the riding class yet, may, but not sure. One thing I learned from riding, better safe than sorry, speed will kill and the car wins every time. Ride safe and live long.



5. "The service was excellent. Everything came as promised and in the condition promised. Wonderful job!"

5 comments about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values.

1. I bought this book because it was required by my English lit teacher!! Required reading!! Anyways, I didn't enjoy this book at all. Not my type, definitely.
   But if you are interested in reading this book, just remember, this is one book that you can judge by its cover. It's about exactly what the title indicates. Kind of a novel/bio about a man who gets into motorcycles and becomes philosophical about them. A little bit creepy, not too interesting and even some steamy scenes.
   Weird...
   and not worth my time.



2. My father read the book when he was 25 and said it changed his life. I read the book only last year, at 25 as well. It changed my life too, and my perceptions of it. It's a very brilliant piece of work, with such astute commentaries on society, philosophy, and yes, quality. Unfortunately, the title, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is hard for people to get at first. One friend of mine even thought I was reading manual to learn how to fix motorcycles. But I don't know what else I'd call it.



3. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is perhaps the most tedious, pedantic, tiresome, misleading, and intellectually-barren book I have ever had the misfortune of reading. Perhaps the worst thing about this self-absorbed, unreadable rant is that on every page, Persig seems compelled to draw attention away from his text's lack of substance by providing countless misrepresentations of all the great philosophers. Not only does he use language that is dry and uninteresting, but he incorrectly describes nearly all of the philosophers and philosophical systems that he mentions.
   Pirsig's book is nothing more than adolescent rambling. On every page, Pirsig arrogantly and vainly tries to portray himself as some kind of synthesis of erudite Western scholar meets wise Eastern sage. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the most despicable aspects of his pedestrian work of pseudo-philosophical tripe is that he uses his own quasi-philosophical terminology to describe concepts that could better be represented using the terminology of existing systems. He constantly tries to reinvent many philosophical terms, and then misuses other terms. The result is a most confusing and convoluted read, especially if you are already versed in philosophy. Perhaps the saddest thing about Pirsig's mock-literary atrocity is that many people seem to regard Pirsig's arrogant tirade as an introduction to philosophy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The book could potentially serve as a dull introduction to pathetic, narcissistic, schizophrenic authors who manage, through some quirk of fate, to achieve popularity, but that's about it...



4. Thought provoking,
   I understand this book was used in many philosophy classes for many years.
   It was fun to listen to durring my commute to work.
   Being a motorcycle rider, I found it eseptionaly easy to relate to.
   Everytime I was getting lost in the mediphisics, the author would get back to the original story to bring back my intrest.
   Very well written.
   Ernie K. Rivewrside, ca.



5. Reading it is like catching a bug between your teeth at 70 miles an hour. Surprise at first, then comprehension. A belated thanks to Mr. Pirsig for weaving philosophy, science, engineering, and fatherhood, into an insightful and compelling read.