JOBST BRANDT - RIDE BIKE! Features unseen photos and documents from Jobst Brandt’s archive and contributions from Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and those who knew Jobst best.

Cyclist, inventor, maverick: the untold story of one of cycling’s most influential outsiders and inspiring explorers. Jobst Brandt (1935-2015) was a California cyclist and engineer whose passion and intellect changed the way we ride bikes today. Years before the evolution of mountain bikes and gravel bikes, his legendary ‘Jobst rides’ took riders and their bikes to places they hadn’t gone before.

Best known for writing The Bicycle Wheel, the maverick California engineer pioneered dirt riding and lightweight touring. His legendary “Jobst rides” took Bay Area racers including Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher and Eric Heiden over dirt roads and landslides in the Santa Cruz mountains and the Sierras, and he maintained a love affair with the Alps, touring 2,000 miles across Europe’s mountain passes for almost 50 years. As he pushed riders and bicycles beyond traditional limits, Jobst turned towards improving bicycle technology. With Palo Alto Bicycles, he founded Avocet and introduced innovations such as treadless tires, the bicycle computer, and touring shoes, while his mentoring of a young Tom Ritchey influenced the birth of mountain biking. Told through stunning archive photos, documents, and in-depth interviews, JOBST BRANDT RIDE BIKE! is an unconventional biography of a man whose passion, intellect, and sense of adventure changed the way we ride bikes today. It will introduce him to a wider audience and establish his place in cycling history.

“I still hear Jobst’s strong voice: His truth, inspiration, and design wisdom help me live out today.” - Tom Ritchey

“He inspired me. He was a critic too. I appreciated that.” - Gary Fisher

“People like Jobst are so important. They see things, and see where things need to change.” - Joe Breeze

Hardcover 224 pages / 260 x 210mm portrait / More than 40,000 words / 205 images