Tom Cuthbertson, author of Anybody's Bike Book, Bike Tripping and many
other works, died of pancreatic cancer on October 9, at his home in
Santa Cruz, CA.
This
obituary gives the details of his life.
In the article in the December issue of Bicycle Retailer, announcing
his death, a bike industry figure named Jim Langley said, "To a
generation of cyclists, [Anybody's Bike Book] unlocked the mysteries of
the ten-speed..." That was certainly true for me. It made the inner
workings of the bike accessible and understandable.
Cuthbertson was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War,
serving in a hospital rather than going overseas to fight. This
gentle, moral expresssion of what was good about what came to be known
as the Counterculture came through in his writing about cycling. To me
it added a great deal to cycling's merit. It made cycling a much more
positive force than a mere fitness activity or avenue to competitive
glory.
On a quick search I could not find a picture of the original cover of the book, but here's a link to the
revised edition, still available.
Cuthbertson rode because he loved to ride. According to articles about
him, when he went for a bike ride it could be two hours or ten, and he
thoroughly explored the back roads around his area. He also advocated
bike commuting. But the tone of his writing was not excessively
technical. He was a great voice for the "ten speed boom" before the
avalanche of technophilia buried simple cycling under posh materials
and scientific training schedules. When he said "Anybody" he meant
anybody.
Go ride.