I didn't read it. (Score 2, Informative)

I haven't read this book, and I'm not sure I want too, because it seems to be overkill. Bicyclists in search of a practical, down-to-earth analysis of the bike might check out the prodigious writings of Jobst Brandt, a mechanical engineer and avid touring rider. Brandt eschews quantum mechanics and other irrelevancies and instead analyzes and explains the real problems of bicycles. Most notably, Brandt published The Bicycle Wheel, the definitive text on the function, response, and building of spoked wheels. I used it to select parts for and to build my current wheels and let me tell you, building your first set of bike wheels is even more interesting than building your first PC.

Brandt is a tourer of some note. His Alpine and Sierra Nevada tours are legendary and have inspired a lot of cyclists.

You can access and search Brandt's writings via USENET: try looking at rec.bicycles.tech.