Fat Tire Flyer book review
March 6th, 2015
By Andrew Dodd in Lifestyle
Mountain bike history in coffee table format
- Written by MTB icon Charlie Kelly
- www.velopress.com
- RRP £20.95
- available from Amazon.com and good book shops
Documenting the history of the mountain bike movement, Fat Tire Flyer is a lovely coffee table book for any mountain biking fan.
One of the most pleasing things about mountain bike history, is the story of how it all began with a bunch of hippies in Marin County, California, bombing down mountain fire roads on old beach cruiser bikes they had customised.
The author of this book – Charlie Kelly – was one of those hippies who sparked the off road cycling revolution, and takes us through the events as they unfolded from it’s beginnings in the early ‘70s.
Some of the most influential figures and bikes appear inside Fat-Tire Flyer
The accounts in this book make for great reading, and although we’ve heard many of the stories in the excellent Klunkers movie, there is a lot more detail in this book, as well as the whole story in images.
Read all about the infamous Repack down hill race; the bike development through the early years and how modern day bike designers like our good friend Scot Nicol of Ibis bikes came on to the scene.
It’s a fascinating account of mountain bike history – and given mountain biking is old enough to have one now you really should brush up the its past. You might be surprised to see many things have already gone full circle, and the guys that used to hang it out sideways on mountain roads wearing flares and flannel shirts got many things right the first time round.
Verdict
Fat Tire Flyer is a lovely hard back book full of great images and fascinating stories. It should be on every mountain biker’s coffee table – essential reading.
