Yesterday, Joe Cruz was reminded of the “Complete Book of All-Terrain Bicycles,” a 1985 book by author Eugene Sloane. Find a peek into this classic text and learn how it became one of Joe’s early sources of off-road cycling inspiration here…

In 1985, Eugene Sloane — the author of numerous cycling books starting in the 60s — published his Complete Book of All-Terrain Bicycles, a manual for selecting and riding ATBs. The label “ATB” was already a number of years old and was a very early usage to define the category. This book was one of my earliest sources of knowledge about off-road riding. It had sections on major brands of the time, on riding technique, on touring and bike camping, and on maintenance.

Complete Book of All-Terrain Bicycles, Eugene Sloane
  • Complete Book of All-Terrain Bicycles, Eugene Sloane
  • Complete Book of All-Terrain Bicycles, Eugene Sloane

My New England circle in the 1980s called these bikes ATBs and mountain bikes interchangeably. Nowadays, many of us find “ATB” more elegant and evocative of the actual riding we do. I’m glad that the term is coming back into popularity. Used copies of the book can be found with an internet search.

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