Back in the day, the CONI Italian manual was the leading reference guide. Having said that, I was greatly influenced my Mr. Sloan.
Keith Kessel Shreveport, La. USA
On Mon, June 15, 2009 7:51 pm, Steve Whitting wrote:
> Hopefully this is not too off-topic, but I was wondering how much of our
> "Bike Boom Era" perception of what a "good bike" should be here in the
> U.S. was colored by the late author Eugene A. Sloane's "The Complete Book
> of Bicycling"? I recall reading this back in the early 1970s and
> I (being young and ignorant) considered it to be one of the "bibles" of
> cycling - along with John Forester's "Efective Cycling". I have both
> books, btw. My early Forester edition is crudely illustrated and GBC
> bound.
> It has been a while since I read his book, but I seem to recall Mr. Sloane
> praising Mafac Centerpull brakes and Reynolds 531 tubing, but having
> little to say about Columbus tubing or Campy NR brakes. I also recall
> his 1.09-times-inseam formula for saddle height that may have contributed
> to the "big frame craze" in the States. (No disrespect intended or
> otherwise implied toward the late Mr. Sloane.)
> Your thoughts?
>
>
> Steve Whitting
> Prairieville, Louisiana USA
> http://ciocc-cat.angelfire.com/