wvoldguy:
Fat Tire Flyer is an interesting look back at the early days of mountain biking in northern California. Charlie Kelly's writing style is unassuming, engaging, and occasionally mildly self-deprecating. His organizational skills and interest in writing led him to thoroughly document events in the cycling world through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and much of that material found its way into this book, with a large number of photographs to support the narrative. An enjoyable read.
United States on Feb 27, 2021
orygunzoo:
I've ridden Bay Area trails since well,if you count a 1967 Schwinn 10 speed and a 10 year old kid,54 years and have had the pleasure of meeting a number of folks in this book.Before mass marketing and the latest greatest thing,and before marketing told us that we had to get a "gravel bike" (anything with two wheels and pedals is potentially a "Gravel Bike"),by accident and then design a movement was born.Well worth the time to discover how "Klunker" came to be and how going ahead with little direction or knowing the how to's shouldn't be a reason to quit an idea.I may be the wrong guy to listen to,I have a Santa Cruz original Superlight XTR gathering dust and a Bridgestone XO-1 and MB-1 being constantly ridden so....Retrogrouch and Klunkers amigos...
United States on Feb 16, 2021
Philipp Riedl:
...schönes Buch mit schönen Fotos und schönen Details alles natürlich, auf Englisch. Ich hoffe das steigt noch im wert.
Germany on Jan 19, 2021
Charles:
Hard to get book very good price.
Canada on May 09, 2018
Remo:
E' dal 2005 che cercavo le origini della mtb, e tra spezzoni e articoli ero riuscito a ricostruire la sua storia; poi dal 2014 la pubblicazione di FTF, ha reso più semplice ricostruire il tutto.
Un libro che consiglio a chi ha voglia di andare al di là del presente e cercare di capire la storia dietro questo magnifico sport.
Grazie al libro e agli autori, sono andato a testare di persona i luoghi e le vicende della mtb orginiale.
In inglese.
Italy on Nov 16, 2016
bonzpopbonzpop:
The ultimate literary reference for every serious mountain biker. There has never and will never be any book to rival this.
Charlie Kelly is the sage of Marin County's MTB movement. The Repack Gang of Klunkers have written their names into history and leave a legacy that few will surpass.
They're my heroes and idols and I cannot imagine how my life would've been had it not been for the mountain bike that these guys invented, produced, marketed, wrote about, promoted and brought to the world.
To Charlie & Joe, thank you for writing this book and for being legends in your own lifetimes.
United Kingdom on Sep 26, 2016
AlembicAlembic:
I bought this book for a fellow mountain bike fanatic here in the intermountain west where riding in the mountains and desert borders on obsession. I stayed up late to read almost the entire book before I delivered it for his 50th birthday the next day.
Charlie has clearly honed his skills as a writer through the years. His prose is straightforward, entertaining, and absent any irritating quirks or repetitiveness. The book tells the story of the birth of mountain biking in Marin County very effectively. It is a first person account which concentrates on Charlie's own experiences, not interviews and research, which is what makes it so effective. Charlie richly illustrates his book with pictures, posters, and printed artifacts that bring this story to visual life for the reader. There are interesting side articles in the body and an appendix that augment the tale. It appears that Charlie carefully preserved notes and materials through the formative period of mountain bike development with an eye to posterity and we are the lucky benefactors.
My first full-suspension mountain bike was a Gary Fisher and I now know about its early origin. I am...
United States on Nov 28, 2014
Dana Kelly:
This is the best "history of" mountain biking book to be written. Charlie Kelly has established himself as the authority on the subject, as well as the official archivist of the sport. The pictures are impeccable, and the writing is even better. He has a humor and humbleness to his writing that makes the book an enjoyable read, intermixed with the complex mechanics behind the various bike systems and optimizations they went though.
In full transparency...he is my father. He is admired by our hometown, and revered within the mountain bike community globally. I can't go anywhere with him in Marin County without some hippie mountain biking veteran saying to me "Are you Dana? I've seen you on the back of this guy's bike since you were 6 months old!"
It's nice to see him get the spotlight after many of his counterparts have had theirs. I cannot recommend this book enough.
United States on Oct 14, 2014
J. C. Lampe:
I received my copy of Fat Tire Flyer yesterday and so far, I'm thrilled. I only had time to flip through the book, looking at all the photos and illustrations and they do not disappoint! Many full-color 1970's photos of the primary suspects involed in the founding of mountain biking as a sport. I also was able to read the chapters up to the point where Charlie Kelly invites Gary Fisher to move into the household that became the HQ for modifying old cruiser bikes into Klunkerz!
Anyone who has read Berto's "Birth of Dirt" or seen Savage's documentary, "Klunkerz" will love this first-person account of the invention of the mountain bike and the modern sport of mountain biking.
United States on Sep 25, 2014
| Experience the Thrill of Mountain Biking with the Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of an Iconic Sport | Park Tool's Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair: Step-by-Step Guide to Maintaining and Repairing Your Bicycle | Lennard Zinn's "Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance": A Comprehensive Guide to Bicycle Repair and Maintenance | |
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| B2B Rating |
84
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97
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95
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| Sale off | |||
| Total Reviews | 6 reviews | 27 reviews | 35 reviews |
| Mountain Biking | Mountain Biking | ||
| Sports Biographies (Books) | Sports Biographies | ||
| Publisher | VeloPress; 2nd printing edition | Park Tool Company; 4th edition | VeloPress; 5th edition |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 111 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when.execute { if { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative { if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when.execute { A.declarative{ if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } }); }); | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 684 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when.execute { if { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative { if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when.execute { A.declarative{ if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } }); }); | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,289 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when.execute { if { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative { if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when.execute { A.declarative{ if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } }); }); |
| Hardcover | 264 pages | ||
| ISBN-13 | 978-1937715168 | 978-0976553069 | 978-1937715373 |
| ISBN-10 | 1937715167 | 0976553066 | 193771537X |
| Language | English | English | English |
| Dimensions | 11.3 x 1 x 9.7 inches | 8.5 x 1.1 x 11 inches | |
| Triathlons (Books) | Triathlons | Triathlons | |
| Item Weight | 3.75 pounds | 1.96 pounds | 3 pounds |
| Best Sellers Rank | #81 in Mountain Biking #151 in Triathlons #3,160 in Sports Biographies | #3 in Bike Repair #23 in Cycling Travel Guides #30 in Triathlons |
Canada on Jul 10, 2021