Review of Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists

Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists
Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 16
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nice reference on position, chronic problems

On: 2008-07-01

Hardly as comprehensive as its title implies, this book is nevertheless highly recommended as a guide to position and for general, especially position-related problems with cycling. Bike fit is a critical factor in avoiding overuse injuries, and this is the best guide Ive seen on the subject.

Chapter on knees

On: 2008-03-06

If you are like me and have taken up cycling because of knee problems, Chapter 5 makes this book worth the money. This is the single best description of common knee problems and advice that I have found. I have spent years researching knee problems and remedies, and stumbling across this book has been the best coup. If you suffer from knee problems but dont cycle, buy this book. If you are in the medical profession, buy this book because your patients will love you. I have seen close to 20 different doctors, physical therapists, and specialists and none could describe all of the common knee issues and problems this completely, simply, and thoroughly.

Keep me cycling

On: 2007-06-12

Although no book can ever agree with every bit of cycling wisdom a keen rider picks up over the years - this one goes a long way to reinforcing what has become second nature in many instances for me. In addition to that, one bit of information has totally changed the way I ride, a fab way of compensating for unequal leg length without orthotics or cleat spacing. No more sores on one side because of slipping across the seat.
As to seat setback, top tube and stem length and the way it relateds to rider centre of gravity, I must say I think that Keith Bontrager with his "myth of KOPS" (search google) has the best word, complex tho.
This guy Pruitt is pretty hot in my mind, hed have to be to write this book.

Good Read

On: 2007-05-10

This book has some great information in it. I wish it would have more detailed info regarding injuries and different aches and pains. It runs through this info pretty quickly.

All in all a nice cycling reference book.

Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists

On: 2007-03-11

Written for the roadie, Andies book is informative, and thorough. I recommend this book for all cycling enthusiasts.

A mixed bag - fit first, problems aplenty, not "complete"

by: kentboy On: 2007-03-11

If you want a decent book about bike fit, this might be a book for you. But I have mixed feelings about this book, and overall wouldnt recommend it if youre expecting a complete medical guide for cyclists. Despite its title, this book is not "complete," as claimed. It doesnt touch on a lot of issues for riders, like riding in cold weather, for instance. Arnie Bakers book is more complete ("Bicycling Medicine"). Pruitts main focus seems to be on bike fit, and here he seems to know what hes talking about, even if his ideal approach is inaccessible to readers of the book (you have to go to his lab and get reflectors put on you and a movie made). The book is very thin. At its best, this means the author is concise, and some of his insights are great. At its worst, the book seems superficial. The section on supplements is most troublesome. Here, the author seems compromised and conflicted. He allows a physician who has a particular view of hormones, supplementation, and athletics to essentially write in the book, and even to push his products. I was a little insulted by this. Overall, this book probably wasnt worth the money for me -- it isnt complete, and has a lot of internal deficiencies.

If you ride any kind of bicycle, you need this book.

On: 2007-01-12

Short of going to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and getting personally fitted, this is the best way to adjust the settings on your bike. This book takes you through all of the biomechanical factors involved with cycling, and using simple language and techniques, youll be able to improve your bike fit and possibly eliminate a lot of pain. More importantly, you will prevent long-term physical damage.

A must have.

Excellent

On: 2007-01-12

A. Pruitts book is all a cyclist needs to find out how to set up his/her bike, when, how and how much to cycle, how to alleviate physical problems that are inevitably linked with cycling, and how to diet correctly. It even tackles how to manage limb length inequalities.

Pruitt's Medical Guide

On: 2007-01-11

After riding for three years, the book increase my understanding of the variables involved in fitting a bike to each person.

Excellent Resource but not as complete as I'd like

On: 2007-01-09

I have far higher expectations than most when it comes to details, so I may want more than you do... Andy Pruitt does a great job of bringing together the state of the art in terms of basic issues with fit and cycling-related challenges. The book is well written and well organized, and covers just about anything a serious new rider would need to know; I see it as a must-have for anyone in the business of selling bikes so that their customers get good advice in a world where truly awful advice still reigns... in my 20+ years of racing and ultra events, Ive seen or felt nearly every issue described in this book, and I would have appreciated the information years ago... where it falls short are in the finer points of fit when it comes to less common challenges or body types-- Im constantly asked for advice from hard-to-fit cyclists and it would be good to have more detailed science behind some of the information in this book in order to better understand how to make tradeoffs in less-than ideal situations. Another area that would be helpful would be more information on the linkage between bike fit and performance, at least in terms of how small changes can make a big difference when you get into the details... all in all, I count this book a winner because it brings together a lot of information thats out there but not so easily found or digested.

The bottom line-- The average cyclist will definitely benefit from using the information in this book. Every bike shop and bike sales-person shouldnt sleep at night if they dont have at least a basic knowledge of this information. Bike racers absolutely must know these things or theyre wasting energy and maybe even doing harm to their bodies out there.

well worth the money

On: 2006-11-06

I found this book excellent for troubleshooting road bicycle fitting issues having battled several injuries (calfs, lower back, upper back/neck) for last 12+ months riding my road bicycle. The book helped to improve my situation even if it did not help cure all my ills 100%. Some of the fit prescriptions are too formulaic which I in general do not agree with (such as saddle fore/aft and height position, for example). Overall, well worth reading.

peter's opinion, from a Belgian living in France

On: 2006-11-04

This is the best book on cycling I ever read - for me who practised over more than 150.000 miles... Loads of good info in the book make you finally understand what positioning is all about. Easy to read, very understandable. A must for each serious cyclist.

Extremely useful and helpful

On: 2006-08-04

This is a book that every cyclist should have. It is very simply written and set up to be easy to access timely information. It is especially helpful in setting up your bike to avoid injuries that you may not even know you are causing. It is now my goal to go to Colorado and be set up and evaluated on the bike. I am an aging cyclist (almost 60!!!) and this book has increased my hope that this injury prone body will push my bike for years to come.

Expert Advice

On: 2006-07-25

Andys advice has helped me successfully recover from pulled muscles, a strained knee, and more recently the cleat position of my bike shoes. His advice will well proven and since I personally know Andy, he practices what he preaches which gives even more credibility to his expert instruction.

Excellent Book

On: 2006-06-24

I was evaluated by Andy in the early 90s for IT Band Syndrome. There is no more knowledgable person on the practicalities of cycling biomechanics than Andy. This book contains a huge amount of information on bike fit, injury prevention, and injury treatment. I recommend this book for every cyclist of any caliber who has questions about fit or injury.

My only complaint about the book is that Andy is a bit self-promoting in it; talking about how he fixed EddyMs bike fit issues, and how he fixed this or that world-class athletes problem. Dont get me wrong; I have no doubt that he is telling the truth, but at some points, the comments seem a bit out of context.

To prevent bike injuries

by: mwbookrevw On: 2006-05-26

To prevent bike injuries, first you have to get the right bike to fit your style and personal needs - then you have to get Andy Pruitts COMPLETE MEDICAL GUIDE FOR CYCLISTS and follow its advice to the letter. Heres whats missing from other more general cycling advisors: chapters which walk readers through the influences on a good bike fit, chapters which discuss different types of injuries and their causes and recovery patterns, and chapters which discuss typical riding techniques and their long-term health effects.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch