Momentum Is Your Friend: The Metal Cowboy and His Pint-Sized Posse Take on America | 
 enlarge | Author: Joe Kurmaskie
Publisher: Breakaway Books
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $11.99
You Save: $11.96 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 110126
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 318
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 1891369652
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.6092
EAN: 9781891369650
ASIN: 1891369652
Publication Date: September 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Most people bring their inner child on an epic adventure. Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie actually took his two kids along. For a 4,000-mile bicycle ride across America, Joe's seven-year-old son, Quinn, rides a tagalong bike attached to his dad's; and behind that is five-year-old Enzo in a bike trailer.
Our hero the Metal Cowboy answers the question "What are you, crazy?" with a resounding and cheerful "Yes." Unassisted-with no support crew except his boys' comic relief and the periodic kindness of strangers-he pedals hundreds of pounds of gear and offspring over mountain passes, across the wide plains, through thunderstorms, and into the heart of what it means to be a dad. Along the way they encounter everything that makes up America-small-town kindness and inner-city heart, wild horses and highway roadkill, a?bitter Vietnam vet and a hopeful young inventor, grizzly bears and bison roaming free, cyclists and monstrous RVs, a very peppy cheerleader and a visitation from the ghost of the author's father, horrible traffic and serene dirt roads, a monastery and a distillery, baseball, and yes, lots of pie. By the time they reach Washington, DC, two months after leaving Portland, Oregon, they've bonded in a rare way. Kurmaskie
writes, "We share a secret, the three of us; one permanent summer in our hearts now, where we're never apart."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
I started bike riding again - Thanks Joe! August 8, 2008
I was in the middle of another book (a book by Neil Peart - I'm back to it now) when I picked this up -- 3 days later I put it down!
Although Joe comes off as a bit of a cynic at times, dealing with life on the road would probably do that to you. The book flows well and is very entertaining.
He often starts a story at one point and then neatly ties it into the next section. It does NOT feel like a collections of short stroies to me at all but a well thought out, fully realized book.
I have already lent it out....
 Many quotable quotes but not always my taste November 12, 2007
I am an avid cyclist and have ridden across the US. Many chapters were excellent and the book is full of quotable quotes. The book is a little uneven in the level of interest it generates from one chapter to the next and I could have done with less of the Metal Cowboy's political views. Overall, I would recommend it to friends and family.
Momentum Is Your Friend November 5, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Young father pedals across America with his two sons. It sounds grueling. It was, but the way Joe writes, we get to experience both the exhaustion and the pleasures of the ride. With his 250 pounds of "dead weight" in back, he goes up and over mountains, and battles winds and storms, and manages to keep his sense of humor.
His parenting from the front of the caravan (Joe pedaling in front, kid sort of pedaling behind him, kid riding in trailer) makes me wish I'd read this much earlier in my life.
He's a great writer with a fascinating topic.
What bike would Jesus ride? May 16, 2007
This book is about cycling, raising kids, and finding out after you're an adult that there is more growing up to do--things I've done recently.
I laughed harder and cried harder. I wanted badly to hop on my bike and ride off into the night--but I couldn't put the book down long enough to get on my bike.
Most importantly, after reading this, you will learn the answer to the question: What bike would Jesus ride?
Joy To The World May 2, 2007
If you are not familiar with the Metal Cowboy, I encourage you to read this book. If you're tired of all the negativity the daily news lays in your lap, then read "Momentum..." to reinforce your belief in the goodness of most people and the joy they can bring into your life.
The Metal Cowboy and his posse of two (his very young sons) ride their bicycles across the country seeing important national sites such as the world's largest ball of twine; and, more importantly, meeting and introducing you to real characters who will make you smile at the things they do and say, and who will renew your faith in America and her people. Two people I met in the book, Stacy and Benny, helped me close a tragic chapter in my life with a smile instead of a tear. And two others, Joe's young sons, renewed my faith in the future of our country.
I recommend you visit the Metal Cowboy on the Internet. He's every bit as fascinating as the real people he introduces you to in his books. And if you're looking for adventure, travel, interesting characters (who are real people), and good writing read this book.
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