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The Elite Bicycle: A Portrait of the World's Greatest Bicycles
The Elite Bicycle A Portrait of the World's Greatest Bicycles Author:Gerard Brown, Graeme Fife On a modern bicycle, carbon fiber, titanium, and ceramics?the same materials employed in aerospace vehicles and Formula 1 race cars?are combined with high-strength steel, machined aluminum, and finely tooled leather. Today's bicycle makers marry space-age engineering excellence to artisan eccentricity. In France, for example, top-quality racing ... more »tires are still made by hand from cotton, silk, and latex, while in Germany the tires are made from polyamide thread and vulcanized rubber on huge industrial presses. The approaches could not be more different and yet each is prized among cyclists for their unique qualities and capabilities.
The Elite Bicycle examines the world?s finest road and bicycle component companies. Old-world craftsmanship and modern process engineering sit side-by-side on the page, while photographs of the factory processes show the different and fascinating techniques that help fabricate these superb machines.« less