Completely rewritten, updated, and expanded edition of the "instant classic" that took everybody by surprise. Updated with the most important 2009 product introductions.

How could such a specialized subject find so much interest? Whereas all other cycle history books cover the early development in great detail but have nothing more to say once the modern safety bicycle is introduced at the end of the 19th century, this book picks up where the others leave off. It is the history of the modern bicycle during the last century—or, put another way, the first century of the derailleur bicycle.

The book is packed with fascinating illustrations, including hundreds of Daniel Rebour's wonderfully detailed renderings—many of them never seen in print before.
 

Frank Berto is a retired mechanical engineer, who has written well over a hundred published articles on technical aspects of bikes and biking. He was engineering editor for Bicycling Magazine during its heyday—when coverage of technical issues was still considered important, and even experienced cyclists looked forward to each new issue of the magazine.

His first published book, Bicycling Magazine's Guide to Upgrading Your Bicycle, was published by Rodale Press in 1988, and in 1998, we published his The Birth of Dirt: History and Development of the Mountain Bike.

Since 1998, he has regularly attended the International Cycling History Conferences and presented a number of papers on various historically significant technical subjects.
 

“This is a large, beautiful, hardcover book, profusely illustrated and full of fascinating information on the development of derailleur gearing and the modern bicycle.

“Every reader of Human Power should (...) buy this book. It gives you all the history, the fundamentals, the reasons for continual changes in design, the pitfalls to avoid, and so on that you will ever need.”

David Gordon Wilson, in Human Power, Fall 2000

“The Dancing Chain was a major 5-year undertaking that has accomplished what no one else has even attempted to do: track the rich and intriguing history of bicycle drive-trains from the earliest days right up to the present.

“Even if you've never paid attention to my book reviews in the past, please trust me on this on—The Dancing Chain is a must. Out of my normal rating of 1 to 10, I give this one a 12!”

Gabe Konrad, in On the Wheel, Winter 1999