How To Rock and Roll : A City Rider's Repair Manual

by Sam Tracy, Peter Davidson (Illustrator)

"Sam Tracy is the world's Most Dangerous Bike Mechanic! He wants you to ENJOY fixing your bike! He not only wants you to adjust your own bike, he wants you to adjust your attitude! His no-nonsense midwestern radicalism blasts the lycra-chrome designer consumerism that plagues bicycling in its place he asserts the autonomy and human freedom he fervently believes a daily bicyclist can enjoy. This visionary prole hurls invective and epithets, lampoons pretensions and sparks our imaginations. Fix your bike? Sure! Fix the world, too? Why not?!?" Chris Carlsson , Critical Mass pioneer

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Sam Tracy began producing the zine Biker Pride in the early 1990s, and the project later broadened just enough to become the urban cycling-focused Multiplier. He is the author of Bicycle!: A Repair and Maintenance Manifesto (Speck) and How to Rock and Roll. Having toiled as a bicycle mechanic and messenger for more than a decade, Tracy is now taking a break from the industry to serve as the office manager for a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness. He lives in Roxbury, Massachusetts, with his wife, Kerri, and their intrepid cat, Kozmo.

Reviews

[Marcus K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad to hear that this is out of print. I first saw it as a photocopied zine, and quickly snatched it up once Sam found a real publisher. It stayed by my side during my last few years at the infamous Baatcave Bike Library and never steered me wrong. If you find a copy, check out the hub section. The reference picture shows a cigarette in his hand and a beer can at his side. Punk fucking rock, this book is.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, of course, is an ongoing read, but I would definitely recommend it for people who want to learn more about their bikes/be able to fix stuff for themselves. It's easy to understand, and the author is a smart ass and kinda funny guy too.