JOBST BRANDT RIDE BIKE!

A$90.00

Cyclist, inventor, maverick: the untold story of one of cycling’s most influential outsiders & inspiring explorers.

Years before mountain bikes or gravel bikes existed, Jobst Brandt (1935-2015) took bicycles to places they’d never been before. Best known for writing The Bicycle Wheel, the maverick California engineer pioneered dirt riding & lightweight touring. His legendary “Jobst rides” took Bay Area racers including Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher & Eric Heiden over dirt roads & landslides in the Santa Cruz mountains & the Sierras, & he maintained a love affair with the Alps, touring 2,000 miles across Europe’s mountain passes for almost 50 years.

As he pushed riders & bicycles beyond traditional limits, Jobst turned towards improving bicycle technology. With Palo Alto Bicycles, he founded Avocet & introduced innovations such as treadless tires, the bicycle computer, & touring shoes, while his mentoring of a young Tom Ritchey influenced the birth of mountain biking. 

Told through stunning archive photos, documents, & in-depth interviews, JOBST BRANDT RIDE BIKE! is an unconventional biography of a man whose passion, intellect, & sense of adventure changed the way we ride bikes today. It will introduce him to a wider audience & establish his place in cycling history. 

Cyclist, inventor, maverick: the untold story of one of cycling’s most influential outsiders & inspiring explorers.

Years before mountain bikes or gravel bikes existed, Jobst Brandt (1935-2015) took bicycles to places they’d never been before. Best known for writing The Bicycle Wheel, the maverick California engineer pioneered dirt riding & lightweight touring. His legendary “Jobst rides” took Bay Area racers including Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher & Eric Heiden over dirt roads & landslides in the Santa Cruz mountains & the Sierras, & he maintained a love affair with the Alps, touring 2,000 miles across Europe’s mountain passes for almost 50 years.

As he pushed riders & bicycles beyond traditional limits, Jobst turned towards improving bicycle technology. With Palo Alto Bicycles, he founded Avocet & introduced innovations such as treadless tires, the bicycle computer, & touring shoes, while his mentoring of a young Tom Ritchey influenced the birth of mountain biking. 

Told through stunning archive photos, documents, & in-depth interviews, JOBST BRANDT RIDE BIKE! is an unconventional biography of a man whose passion, intellect, & sense of adventure changed the way we ride bikes today. It will introduce him to a wider audience & establish his place in cycling history. 

“I still hear Jobst’s strong voice: His truth, inspiration, and design wisdom help me live out today.” Tom Ritchey

“He inspired me. He was a critic too. I appreciated that.” Gary Fisher

“People like Jobst are so important. They see things, and see where things need to change.” Joe Breeze

 JOBST BRANDT RIDE BIKE!  Features unseen photos & documents from Jobst Brandt’s archive

With contributions from Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze & those who knew Jobst best

Produced in collaboration with the Brandt family

Hardcover, 260 x 210mm portrait / 224pp

More than 40,000 words / 205 images