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Obsessive Compulsive Cycling Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Cycling Disorder is an anthology of thirty articles written by an amateur cyclist over a period of ten years. The collection exhibits the madness that engulfs those who descend into cycling obsession, celebrating the average cyclist living in a world defined by the pros. The writings range from fanciful musings concerning the Tao of singlespeeding to lengthy descriptions of end-to-end rides in Britain and Ireland. Mountain biking, road cycling, classic alpine climbs and all sorts of other cycling events are chronicled along the way. Each is written in a lighthearted style designed to bring the reader into the author’s world which is often littered with incident and humour. Within the pages the reader will find a loose ticklist of events to ride, bikes to own and challenges to take on. Each described in the author’s own inimitable style. This latest version comes with added "much better proofreading than last published edition" About the Author Dave Barter is a British cyclist. Excellent we’ve got that out of the way. A non-cycling author of a series of bicycle based reflections would have a hint of incongruity about it. He likes to think of himself as an all rounder having tried many two wheeled disciplines and fallen off most of them. In 2001 he chucked in his job and went cycling. In 2010 he did exactly the same thing again. In between times he’s written a few articles about cycling and a few of them have even made it into print. Dave was born in Ely Hospital in 1966 after his Dad raced floodwater to get his Mum to the ward before the river Ouse burst. This explains why he is always in a rush. Dave lives in deepest Wiltshire with his wife Helen and his children Jake and Holly. Wembley the cat used to reside within the family as well but sadly snuffed it a few years ago. Dave’s fiscal profession is Information Technology. He writes articles to fund bike parts and is currently attempting to finish a number of books. Once he has read them, he’ll turn his attention to his half completed writing projects. Like all good IT practitioners he rarely finishes anything. Obsessive Compulsive Cycling Disorder is the rare exception. Dave has recently published a road cycling route guide to the UK. Great British British Rides is also available from Amazon in paperback format.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2008
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123 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 9, 2019
A collection of articles written across ten years, these breezy and often amusing anecdotes certainly struck a chord in me. He examines the appeal of cycling, especially of distance cycling, and while I am not about to enter a race, or take up mountain biking, both of which are discussed in some detail in this book, I am now, having read this, inspired to repack my panniers with camping gear and protein powder, and perhaps hit the road one more time.
December 8, 2024
If you are a cyclist or an endurance athlete who likes reading about cycling experiences, this is the book for you. It’s funny and highly readable provided you fall into the category mentioned above. Loved the writing style and format too because no fluff and different situations in every chapter because they’re all based on mag articles the author wrote during the span of his career. Not that he’s done writing as I know, provided he’s not dealing with a mechanical and intimidating errant, raucous drivers who hate cyclists!
February 20, 2013
"Bloodisorearseicus" No its is NOT a defense of dark arts spell spouted by Harry Potter. Its the condtion experience by your nether regions when you have riden 200 miles but you only have a 100 mile butt! And the fact that Dave coined this phrase is only one or many reasons I loved this book. Aside from the fact that he rides on the wrong side of the road (he's a Brit) I related to many of the things he related to us.
He was a runner until his body couldn't do it anymore. Check. He is afraid of getting fat, check. He hears about a new challenge and has to try it, and then improve on it the next time, double-check. He is not smart enough to stay off the bike in the cold, Triple check! He never feels like he's trained enough for his biggest challenges.... I could go on and on, but I won't.
The man is a an all around rider. Mountain, single speed, touring, racing, even cyclo-cross. When you read his stories, you can't help but feel the true feelings he only has when on 2 wheels. His wife must be a saint to support and put up with him as she does, but then all of us bikers better have saintly spouses! (I do!)
Most importantly though, the man is FUNNY! It's a easy fun read, I smiled, giggled and at times laughed out loud. Other times I put down the book because he had captured my thoughts and feelings about riding better than I ever could, and I had to process the fact that someone else felt the same way I do.
The most meaningful chapter to me is titled "The Knowledge". I will leave it to you to read this one. I plan to keep the knowledge close to me whenever I need riding inspiration.
If you like to read biking books, and like to laugh, I highly recommend this read. In addition, I sent the author an email while reading, and he replied the next day. A rare occurrence that made my day! I hope you like it as much as I did!
October 1, 2013
I hated this book. It made me so tense, frustrated and angry.
Obsessive Compulsive Cycling Disorder is so well written, so inspiring, and so bloody brilliant, that every minute I spent reading it was a minute that I spent getting increasingly annoyed with myself for being sat on the sofa and not being outside on a bicycle.
I was quite happy being lazy. I have never felt the need or desire to attempt any of the things described in this book. I didn't want to cycle a leg of the Tour de France. I didn't want to cycle in snow, join a cycle club, go mountain-biking, cycle from London to the seaside IN THE DARK, and I certainly had no interest in cyclo-cross. That was before I read this stupid book, now I want to try all of it. Thanks a lot, Dave.
As a result of reading this book, I now feel compelled to take up cycling. This means that I will no doubt go and blow all of my savings on a new bike (or two), cycling equipment, and maybe even some lycra. My marriage will fall apart as a result of me spending more time on the bike and less time with the family. Any spare change left after purchasing all of this crap, will be spent on paperback copies of OCCD to give to friends and family for Christmas, meaning there is no money left to feed my children or pay the mortgage. To make things EVEN worse, the kindle version of this book costs a mere 79p, so you have to deal with the added guilt of how you have short-changed Dave for all of his hard work.
So, not only has this book left me feeling tense, frustrated, guilty and angry, but also homeless, divorced, disowned by my children and in complete financial ruin. I hope you're happy, Dave!
Don't fall into the same trap that I did. Walk away from this book before it's too late.
Obsessive Compulsive Cycling Disorder is so well written, so inspiring, and so bloody brilliant, that every minute I spent reading it was a minute that I spent getting increasingly annoyed with myself for being sat on the sofa and not being outside on a bicycle.
I was quite happy being lazy. I have never felt the need or desire to attempt any of the things described in this book. I didn't want to cycle a leg of the Tour de France. I didn't want to cycle in snow, join a cycle club, go mountain-biking, cycle from London to the seaside IN THE DARK, and I certainly had no interest in cyclo-cross. That was before I read this stupid book, now I want to try all of it. Thanks a lot, Dave.
As a result of reading this book, I now feel compelled to take up cycling. This means that I will no doubt go and blow all of my savings on a new bike (or two), cycling equipment, and maybe even some lycra. My marriage will fall apart as a result of me spending more time on the bike and less time with the family. Any spare change left after purchasing all of this crap, will be spent on paperback copies of OCCD to give to friends and family for Christmas, meaning there is no money left to feed my children or pay the mortgage. To make things EVEN worse, the kindle version of this book costs a mere 79p, so you have to deal with the added guilt of how you have short-changed Dave for all of his hard work.
So, not only has this book left me feeling tense, frustrated, guilty and angry, but also homeless, divorced, disowned by my children and in complete financial ruin. I hope you're happy, Dave!
Don't fall into the same trap that I did. Walk away from this book before it's too late.
November 29, 2015
This book it is just awesome!
As many non-native-speakers. It has been a rule for me to read non-technical books to increase my vocabulary and expression list, since few years now. Kindle had ease this practice so well. Thing is, when you go abroad for some periods of time, you tend to do exactly the same things you usually do in your local environment. Well, cycling it is one of this activities for me, For commute, for workout, for adventure!. So I being to look for lectures that allow me to get into the handy phrases, expressions and so forth about a day to day bike usage. This book goes beyond that!.
Dave achieves bringing you not only his perspective but somehow a projection of every single cyclist in his way to ride a bike, for recreation, for race, for commute, the relationships you weave, the support you receive by your colleagues and family, the common mistakes and common frustrations, the fascination of your senses while biking, the sensation before a race, before an unknown track.. I can actually make this list way longer, But i believe the best thing for you to do, it is picking this book as your next cycling adventure! .
P.S. I'm not a UK resident, actually i have never went to UK, Even though book talks about other regions, while reading this pages I also google'd for the places, and hopefully one day Ill be glad to riding at least one or two described tracks.
As many non-native-speakers. It has been a rule for me to read non-technical books to increase my vocabulary and expression list, since few years now. Kindle had ease this practice so well. Thing is, when you go abroad for some periods of time, you tend to do exactly the same things you usually do in your local environment. Well, cycling it is one of this activities for me, For commute, for workout, for adventure!. So I being to look for lectures that allow me to get into the handy phrases, expressions and so forth about a day to day bike usage. This book goes beyond that!.
Dave achieves bringing you not only his perspective but somehow a projection of every single cyclist in his way to ride a bike, for recreation, for race, for commute, the relationships you weave, the support you receive by your colleagues and family, the common mistakes and common frustrations, the fascination of your senses while biking, the sensation before a race, before an unknown track.. I can actually make this list way longer, But i believe the best thing for you to do, it is picking this book as your next cycling adventure! .
P.S. I'm not a UK resident, actually i have never went to UK, Even though book talks about other regions, while reading this pages I also google'd for the places, and hopefully one day Ill be glad to riding at least one or two described tracks.
October 16, 2012
It was OK, not much more. It is a collection of blogs and some articles turned down for publication in magazines. I'm reluctant to be too critical since it does take a certain verve to firstly write, then self-publish such a set of articles. But it does come across as an amateur effort, even down to needing a bit of editing and proof reading. It didn't seem to hang together, and didn't flow effortlessly. It wasn't really clear to me when I bought it (paperback version from Amazon) that it was an amateur writer's blog, so be aware of this if you are thinking of buying it.
May 10, 2014
Perfect pick me up bits of prose for the bicycle crazed!
August 1, 2019
I enjoyed this book mainly because the experiences described were so unique and foreign to my ideas about cycling events that are possible in the USA. The writing is generally witty and funny. The author does a great job of bringing to life stories from his wide ranging experiences biking in the UK.
The only negative I would mention is that the book is a series of compiled articles and the book therefore lacks flow and an overarching storyline.
Good stuff!
The only negative I would mention is that the book is a series of compiled articles and the book therefore lacks flow and an overarching storyline.
Good stuff!
March 31, 2022
So many echoes
Although I've only attempted a few of the rides and disciplines described in this book, I was fully on board with every one of those. And found it easy to empathise with most of the others. From the pre-ride faffing to post-ride euphoria, every story rang true. It made me determined to revisit the dynamo and commit to my first real Gran Fondo. And to ride more often when I just can't be arsed.
Although I've only attempted a few of the rides and disciplines described in this book, I was fully on board with every one of those. And found it easy to empathise with most of the others. From the pre-ride faffing to post-ride euphoria, every story rang true. It made me determined to revisit the dynamo and commit to my first real Gran Fondo. And to ride more often when I just can't be arsed.
April 18, 2020
Great read albeit during the lockdown probably not the best of timing.. Itching to get out on the bike for a proper ride. Will be tapping up Sweary Dave for his 2nd LEJOG route.. One for the bucket list..
December 11, 2020
I listened to the audiobook from the library while riding my bicycle on our neighborhood flat rail-to-trail. I like the author’s humorous, anecdotal style. Recommended.
September 3, 2025
For any obsessed cyclist
A collection of lighthearted and witty pieces about the way cycling can inveigle its way into your life…completely. An entertaining read
A collection of lighthearted and witty pieces about the way cycling can inveigle its way into your life…completely. An entertaining read
October 15, 2014
Dave Barter is a British cycling enthusiast with a wicked British sense of humor.
He has put together a collection of published and unpublished articles he has written over the years on a variety of his bicycling adventures, from biking the length of England, to all night bike rides, participating in Tour du France stage races, mountain biking in Sardinia and The Alps, and Cyclocrossing in England.
The pieces are uneven as they represent a full cross section of Mr. Barter's writing career (in fact, many time the more recently written introduction to each article is better than the article itself).
I recommend this relatively inexpensive and often amusing book to both the bicycle enthusiast and casual rider. OTOH, I do not believe the non-cyclist would find much of interest in this book.
He has put together a collection of published and unpublished articles he has written over the years on a variety of his bicycling adventures, from biking the length of England, to all night bike rides, participating in Tour du France stage races, mountain biking in Sardinia and The Alps, and Cyclocrossing in England.
The pieces are uneven as they represent a full cross section of Mr. Barter's writing career (in fact, many time the more recently written introduction to each article is better than the article itself).
I recommend this relatively inexpensive and often amusing book to both the bicycle enthusiast and casual rider. OTOH, I do not believe the non-cyclist would find much of interest in this book.
December 8, 2012
I may be biased as an avid cyclist but I love the way Dave writes, it's very British and quite deeply cynical. I can associate totally with the sense that you can always try hard (maybe that is also very British) and have enjoyed reading his musing on cycling. The book itself is as billed a collection of blog entries with a bit of a pre-log before each and not all are funny but some have that odd, slightly dark, self hating sense of humour which appeals and inspires me.
Taking from his log I have decided that in the next 5 years or so I too intend to take on a LEJOG as I can relate a lot to what Dave wrote on his and look forward to his re-dux you never know I may find him somewhere on route swearing at his bike.
Taking from his log I have decided that in the next 5 years or so I too intend to take on a LEJOG as I can relate a lot to what Dave wrote on his and look forward to his re-dux you never know I may find him somewhere on route swearing at his bike.
June 24, 2015
Some fantastic route ideas and great stories. Sometimes a bit too close to home ;-) A big collection of essays. I think this might be more enjoyable sampling from time to time vs. reading all at once, which is how I read it. Oh and OCD? HARDLY. Dave Barter tries every type of cycling from road racing to CX to MTB to stage riding to randonneuring to touring. Way too much variety for a true OCD rider ;-) But that makes it interesting.
My favorite stories were the overnight courier ride from London and the Coast-to-Coast Land's End to John O'Groat's epic ride.
My favorite stories were the overnight courier ride from London and the Coast-to-Coast Land's End to John O'Groat's epic ride.
August 27, 2012
A fantastic read, but then maybe that's because I read in from the point of view of a cycling widow!! Thankfully my husband hasn't quite got to the obsessive compulsive stage.............. but I don't think it'll be too far away!
It was a really good book, little snapshots and stories, I liked the style it was written in and I could feel myself both sympathising with his family for all his exploits and spending, whilst also whishing I cold actually get on my bike!
It was a really good book, little snapshots and stories, I liked the style it was written in and I could feel myself both sympathising with his family for all his exploits and spending, whilst also whishing I cold actually get on my bike!
October 13, 2012
Easy going and well written. For anyone who can relate to the world of cycling, with a good humoured account of all kinds of situations you can bike yourself into. It's a collection of good columns, not a literary masterpiece. I enjoyed listening to the audio version while commuting to work. Got frustrated to, listening to someone ranting about all the fun outdoors while being stuck in traffic on my way to another stressday at the office :)
November 2, 2012
Loved this book. My family knows I'm either obsessed or possessed. I wrote to the author & got a response. I enjoyed reading about his ride from Lands End to John O'Groats. It reminded me of rides I had in London with my best friend. The author really makes the ride come alive & he doesn't pull any punches.
May 28, 2013
A collection of articles about an average bloke riding his bike. Was a bit crappy tbh, although I'm not sure what I expected. Each article was OK, but reading them all together just got a bit tiresome. 5/10
June 22, 2012
Very enjoyable.
June 15, 2012
The humor is very British and those completely uninterested in cycling should skip it. But I really enjoyed his style and if you've ever been carried away by a new hobby you can relate.
August 10, 2012
Great read, very amusing throughout, some excellent stories about the mad world of cycling..
April 27, 2013
fun guy with fun personality doing tough cycling endeavors. Enjoyed it through and through. Can't beat it for $1
September 4, 2013
Collection of magazine articles on cycling by Barter. Generally funny takes on a wide range of 'bucket list' types of events (mountain/road bike)
February 17, 2014
Loved the style. Loved the book. It made me want to go out and do some epic ride. Right now! Today!
August 27, 2014
There are so many points in this book that I thought... "that's me". All good.
May 8, 2012
Not that bad but couldn't get into his style and personality.
August 10, 2012
Eclectic and not your normal cycling book, which is just what I wanted.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews