Book of the year: "Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit"

[BengeBoy]

My copy just arrived tonight -- wow.

http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Bicycles-Passionate-Christine-Elliott/dp/186470313X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241056823&sr=8-1


Vanilla, Ira Ryan, Bill Davidson, Strawberry, Moots, Independent Fabrication, Don Walker, Richard Sachs, Alex Singer, Black Sheep, Roark, Bilenky, Bruce Gordon, bob Brown, Calfee, GURU, Kirk, Llewellyn, Lynsky, Naked, Robin Mather, Pegoretti, etc...

[MattTuck]

sorry if this is a thick question...

Is it a coffee table/picture book? or is a history of frame building?

[BengeBoy]

It's a coffee-table type book; actually just a little bit smaller than those books typically are.

It has short profiles of about 30 different framebuilders from around the world, plus anywhere from 3 to 7 pages of photos of bikes built by each builder.

[Michael Maddox]

Got mine, too.

The red sport-tourer on pages 42 and 43 is here in the room with me.

This book is pure porn for someone like me. :p

[BengeBoy]

That's a great bike.

I'm guessing a lot of the photos were taking in early 2008 - several of the bikes in the book were on display at the NAHBS show in Portland last year.

[Louis]

The red sport-tourer on pages 42 and 43 is here in the room with me.

Way cool !!! It's a beauty, and looks like it's just my size. 60?

I'd never heard of Bob Brown. The Twin Cities certainly has its share of builders.

If I got a pre-paid label and sent the book off to several of the builders, I wonder if they would autograph it for me?

I have an art book and have asked a few of the artists in there to sign it, and they were happy to oblige. Of course I also bought paintings from them...

Louis

[Steve in SLO]

I got my copy last night and had to stop myself at Moots to make it last. Great book, and true confirmation to your mate that you ARE a Weird Bike Freak.

[Louis]

Great book

Indeed a very good book, but tarnished by a few omissions. Kelly Bedford, Curt Goodrich, Carl Strong and Dave Wages, for example. I assume it was just a timing issue for Kelly and Dave - I don't think they were truly "independent" when the time came for the final winnowing. Not sure why Curt and Carl are not in there. Obviously there are limits, and you can't put everyone in, but those guys are all at the top of the craft. ATMO

[David Kirk]

I haven't gotten my copy yet but I'm told that my photo makes me look fat.


Dave

[Louis]

I'm told that my photo makes me look fat.

But in a good way. Blame the person who took the pic :p

[Steve in SLO]

I haven't gotten my copy yet but I'm told that my photo makes me look fat.


Dave

Perhaps, but Karin's photo makes her look fit, and we all know who is most important to please...

[CNY rider]

I haven't gotten my copy yet but I'm told that my photo makes me look fat.


Dave

I think they meant "phat".

[David Kirk]

But in a good way. Blame the person who took the pic :p

You mean to say I made me look fat? How could I do that to me?

Dave

[Steve in SLO]

Perhaps, but Karin's photo makes her look fit, and we all know who is most important to please...

You know, I just reread the thread and thought my post above could have been misinterpreted. It was not specifically about Karin, but rather about our significant others in general.
My apologies for any uncomfortable silence in the Kirk household I may have caused.

[David Kirk]

You know, I just reread the thread and thought my post above could have been misinterpreted. It was not specifically about Karin, but rather about our significant others in general.
My apologies for any uncomfortable silence in the Kirk household I may have caused.


No worries at all. We thought nothing ill of your post.

No let's get back to how the book makes my ass look big.

Dave

[Louis]

No worries at all. We thought nothing ill of your post.

No let's get back to how the book makes my ass look big.

Dave

And you look pretty mean sitting on that alignment table.

[David Kirk]

And you look pretty mean sitting on that alignment table.

Great. Just great. Now I'm a mean looking fat ass.

Do you like the book?


dave

[Steve in SLO]

Great. Just great. Now I'm a mean looking fat ass.

Do you like the book?


dave

Yes, especially its accuracy :beer:

[David Kirk]

Yes, especially its accuracy :beer:

Touche!

dave

[John M]

If I got a pre-paid label and sent the book off to several of the builders, I wonder if they would autograph it for me?
Louis

Maybe go to NAHBS next year and walk around the room and get the sigs. By the time you paid for shipping to and fro from everyone, it probably would equal the cost of a plane ticket to the show.

[Louis]

Do you like the book?

Absolutely. The book itself is very cool, but the fact that I've met several of the folks in there is the icing on the cake.

I have a few quibbles with some stuff (e.g. exactly how did they decide to devote all that space to bamboo bikes? I think Calfees are neat, but IMO it's the CF stuff that make them book-worthy). Overall it's well worth the money.

I have a riding buddy at work who rides a generic Iron Horse. I've been on his case for years to get a "nice" bike, but he's a cheap engineer. My plan is to take the book in and hopefully inspire him to move up a notch or two.