Cranks from Cooperstown: 50 Bike Rides in Upstate New York

Rating:
Summary: Great Cue Sheets for Day Rides around Cooperstown
Review: If you are planning on going to Cooperstown and would like to do any kind of cycling in the area, I highly recommend this book. The book is divided into two parts. The first half is a somewhat standard review of bicycles, bike safety, etc. This half would be useful for a neophyte cyclist, but is less so for someone with a bit more experience.

The second half of the book is a collection of fantastic cue sheets with rides ranging from very short rides (less than ten miles) on as flat terrain as possible to some very challenging rides approaching 100 miles (some longer). The cue sheets have maps and include information on where to pick up food along the route. They also are rated according to difficulty and list elevation changes along the route.

I've done several rides from the book and did not get lost once. The directions are very good. The rides are loops which depart from parking lots which the author has ensured are cyclist friendly.

The riding in the Cooperstown, New York area is as good as anywhere I've been; with quiet roads and the opportunity to see wildlife like deer, wild turkeys, and hawks. The drivers (what few you will encounter) are mostly considerate. The riding can be pretty challenging for a flat-lander like me with some rides having over 5,000 foot gains in elevation.

I wish that every vacation destination had a book like this for cycling. In my opinion, with a book like this available, Cooperstown ought to be as associated with cycling as it is with baseball.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cue Sheets for Day Rides around Cooperstown
Review: If you are planning on going to Cooperstown and would like to do any kind of cycling in the area, I highly recommend this book. The book is divided into two parts. The first half is a somewhat standard review of bicycles, bike safety, etc. This half would be useful for a neophyte cyclist, but is less so for someone with a bit more experience.

The second half of the book is a collection of fantastic cue sheets with rides ranging from very short rides (less than ten miles) on as flat terrain as possible to some very challenging rides approaching 100 miles (some longer). The cue sheets have maps and include information on where to pick up food along the route. They also are rated according to difficulty and list elevation changes along the route.

I've done several rides from the book and did not get lost once. The directions are very good. The rides are loops which depart from parking lots which the author has ensured are cyclist friendly.

The riding in the Cooperstown, New York area is as good as anywhere I've been; with quiet roads and the opportunity to see wildlife like deer, wild turkeys, and hawks. The drivers (what few you will encounter) are mostly considerate. The riding can be pretty challenging for a flat-lander like me with some rides having over 5,000 foot gains in elevation.

I wish that every vacation destination had a book like this for cycling. In my opinion, with a book like this available, Cooperstown ought to be as associated with cycling as it is with baseball.

Rating:
Summary: The New Gold Standard for Bicycle Tour Guides
Review: The cover of "Cranks from Cooperstown" proclaims: "Two Bike Books in One! A How-to-Bike Instruction Manual & A Bicycle Tour Guide with 50 Tear-out Cue Sheets and Maps". It is all of that and more. And it appears to have been a "labor of love" for the author, Dennis Savoie, a physician who began cycling in 1983 and has since become a "long rider".

The very comprehensive instruction manual begins with basics such as how to choose the right kind of bike and how to calculate the correct frame size, two areas where initial mistakes can be very costly. That is followed by good advice on every aspect of cycling. A newbie who starts with this book could become an accomplished rider without ever developing any of the bad habits that come from doing it wrong and not knowing better. It covers technique (braking, cornering, climbing, etc.) as well as the technical stuff of chainrings and cogs. There are gear charts and diagrams galore, all made easy to understand. In addition to instruction on how to ride a bike, there is a section on how to "drive" the bike, which is a road survival guide. Maintenance, repairs, and adjustments are also covered. It ends with how to dress and what to carry on a typical road ride. This first part of "Cranks" is almost an Effective Cycling course in 40 pages.

The second part of "Cranks" is aimed at both the experienced and the new tourist. Designed in the style of a League of American Bicyclists National Rally book, but much better, it has tear-out cue sheets and maps for 50 rides. The rides are grouped into 13 series, each series exploring a different area of Otsego, Schoharie, Montgomery, and Herkimer Counties. There are 25 numbered rides ranging in length from 7 to 100 miles. The first 11 of these leave from Cooperstown; the other 15 are remote starts, leaving from villages within a 10 to 20 mile radius from Cooperstown. Most of the rides have several places to cut across the loop to the return, making a shorter ride. The century, for example, has inner loops of 25, 50, 62, and 75 miles (how'd he do that?). In addition, there are places where rides of one series meet another and rides from each can be combined, providing almost endless possibilities. Each ride is described in full. Points of interest are listed along with distance, elevation gain, and a difficulty rating. A two-page map shows all the rides and how they interact with each other. A two-page topographical map gives a clue as to the overall hilliness of the area. The beginner is not forgotten here; there are instructions on how to use a cue sheet.

Because the rides are self-led and speed doesn't play a part, the difficulty ratings are based solely on elevation gain per mile. The ratings are Easy, 0-45 ft/mile; Moderate, 45-60 ft/mile; Difficult, 60+ ft/mile. It would be nice if any extra difficult climbs were considered in the ratings. Distance must also be factored in.

Cooperstown lies at the southern end of Lake Otsego, 80 miles northeast of Binghamton, 75 miles southwest of Albany, 80 miles southeast of Syracuse, and 45 miles southeast of Utica. This lake and nearby Lake Canadarago appear to be misplaced "Finger Lakes". They, and the river valleys, run north and south, held in by long ridges. It is typical NY country that makes for easy north-south runs and challenging east-west crossings.

Now, a shameless plug:

Overall, "Cranks from Cooperstown" is a very impressive book. It would be a wise purchase or gift for anyone who is

considering buying his/her first bicycle or has recently begun cycling or who has just never received good, basic advice. It would be great for anyone looking for a new touring area, or for a group looking to have a multi-day rally type event or maybe a week-long big loop tour without the problem of finding a route. Maybe you want a place you can go to year after year and do a different section each time, like hiking the Appalachian Trail. The 25 outer loops add up to over 1000 miles; doing all 54 rides individually would be 2000 miles. "Cranks" is also a great book for the armchair tourist or map aficionado.

Is your slogan "I Love NY"? Want to know everything there is about Cooperstown? Are you taking the family to the Baseball Hall of Fame? Do you want a unique, one-of-a-kind, nothing else like it, high quality coffee table book cleverly illustrated with drawings of antique bikes and riders? Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: The New Gold Standard for Bicycle Tour Guides
Review: The cover of "Cranks from Cooperstown" proclaims: "Two Bike Books in One! A How-to-Bike Instruction Manual & A Bicycle Tour Guide with 50 Tear-out Cue Sheets and Maps". It is all of that and more. And it appears to have been a "labor of love" for the author, Dennis Savoie, a physician who began cycling in 1983 and has since become a "long rider".

The very comprehensive instruction manual begins with basics such as how to choose the right kind of bike and how to calculate the correct frame size, two areas where initial mistakes can be very costly. That is followed by good advice on every aspect of cycling. A newbie who starts with this book could become an accomplished rider without ever developing any of the bad habits that come from doing it wrong and not knowing better. It covers technique (braking, cornering, climbing, etc.) as well as the technical stuff of chainrings and cogs. There are gear charts and diagrams galore, all made easy to understand. In addition to instruction on how to ride a bike, there is a section on how to "drive" the bike, which is a road survival guide. Maintenance, repairs, and adjustments are also covered. It ends with how to dress and what to carry on a typical road ride. This first part of "Cranks" is almost an Effective Cycling course in 40 pages.

The second part of "Cranks" is aimed at both the experienced and the new tourist. Designed in the style of a League of American Bicyclists National Rally book, but much better, it has tear-out cue sheets and maps for 50 rides. The rides are grouped into 13 series, each series exploring a different area of Otsego, Schoharie, Montgomery, and Herkimer Counties. There are 25 numbered rides ranging in length from 7 to 100 miles. The first 11 of these leave from Cooperstown; the other 15 are remote starts, leaving from villages within a 10 to 20 mile radius from Cooperstown. Most of the rides have several places to cut across the loop to the return, making a shorter ride. The century, for example, has inner loops of 25, 50, 62, and 75 miles (how'd he do that?). In addition, there are places where rides of one series meet another and rides from each can be combined, providing almost endless possibilities. Each ride is described in full. Points of interest are listed along with distance, elevation gain, and a difficulty rating. A two-page map shows all the rides and how they interact with each other. A two-page topographical map gives a clue as to the overall hilliness of the area. The beginner is not forgotten here; there are instructions on how to use a cue sheet.

Because the rides are self-led and speed doesn't play a part, the difficulty ratings are based solely on elevation gain per mile. The ratings are Easy, 0-45 ft/mile; Moderate, 45-60 ft/mile; Difficult, 60+ ft/mile. It would be nice if any extra difficult climbs were considered in the ratings. Distance must also be factored in.

Cooperstown lies at the southern end of Lake Otsego, 80 miles northeast of Binghamton, 75 miles southwest of Albany, 80 miles southeast of Syracuse, and 45 miles southeast of Utica. This lake and nearby Lake Canadarago appear to be misplaced "Finger Lakes". They, and the river valleys, run north and south, held in by long ridges. It is typical NY country that makes for easy north-south runs and challenging east-west crossings.

Now, a shameless plug:

Overall, "Cranks from Cooperstown" is a very impressive book. It would be a wise purchase or gift for anyone who is

considering buying his/her first bicycle or has recently begun cycling or who has just never received good, basic advice. It would be great for anyone looking for a new touring area, or for a group looking to have a multi-day rally type event or maybe a week-long big loop tour without the problem of finding a route. Maybe you want a place you can go to year after year and do a different section each time, like hiking the Appalachian Trail. The 25 outer loops add up to over 1000 miles; doing all 54 rides individually would be 2000 miles. "Cranks" is also a great book for the armchair tourist or map aficionado.

Is your slogan "I Love NY"? Want to know everything there is about Cooperstown? Are you taking the family to the Baseball Hall of Fame? Do you want a unique, one-of-a-kind, nothing else like it, high quality coffee table book cleverly illustrated with drawings of antique bikes and riders? Buy it.