The Elite Bicycle: Portraits of Great Marques, Makers, and Designers - Tapa dura

"The Elite Bicycle is one of the finer coffee table books we've seen in years. The book profiles some of the world's greatest (and disappearing) bike artisans with shart portraits, incisive photojournalism, and keen essays." -- Outside magazine "This beautiful book is all about the bike -- in exquisite, intimate, celebratory detail. This beautiful book is all about the bike -- in exquisite, intimate, celebratory detail." -- Experience Life magazine "While the only way to truly experience the quality and craftsmanship of these components is to ride them, the book gives an effective introduction to many of the brands we often hear about without ever fully appreciating why. After spending a few hours with The Elite Bicycle, you'll no longer be a just a name-dropper." -- Bicycling magazine "What makes The Elite Bicycle so fantastic is not so much what is said about the people and companies themselves, but the insightful, lesser-known tidbits that provide a greater depth of understanding" ]It's little gems that are peppered throughout the already rich descriptions of people and place that make the profiles spring to life." -- RoadBikeReview.com "An eccentric and entertaining book, beautifully produced with top-quality photos and amusing but informative text and a foreword by cycling-mad British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, The Elite Bicycle deserves to find a place on many a cyclist's bookshelf this holiday season." -- PezCyclingNews.com "The Elite Bicycle delivers something quite different...it's the sense that you've spent an afternoon at the builder or company's work space, that you've seen the work being done and then been left to wander on your own. You could unleash a dozen cycling photographers on the same set of subjects and very few would come up with anything so evocative." -- Red Kite Prayer

The Elite Bicycle brings together intimate portraits of the world's greatest bicycle artisans, examining the philosophies, the meticulous workmanship, and the eccentric personalities behind cycling's most prestigious brands. Their materials and methods could not be more disparate, yet their pursuit is the same: the perfect bicycle. In chapters featuring some of cycling's greatest craftspeople, The Elite Bicycle offers up a conversation with the men and women who make the most coveted bicycles. Lavish, oversize photographs and personal interviews invite readers into their workshops to show the melding of old-world craftsmanship with space-age materials in fascinating studios and factories that fabricate superb machines. The Elite Bicycle is both an homage to the bicycle maker and a collector's piece in its own right, celebrating the stories behind the greatest bicycles and components in the world.