Atomic Zombie’s Bicycle Builder’s Bonanza

...cool bikes from old scrap...for anyone...the cheapest novice bike hobbyist can realize...dreams of building...wildest bike -- www.recumbents.com, Dec. 2003

of great interest…a fine and useful book…[makes] it possible for many people to make their own bike dreams a reality. -- BikeRod & Kustom, Dec. 2003

A book review by Warren Beauchamp

Warren's 'bent rating: 5 sprockets!

I have been following Brad Graham's (mis?)adventures on his Atomic Zombie web site for a number of years. I always got a chuckle at his latest junk to gem creation. It always amazed me how he could take a pile of junk bicycles from his local scrap heap, whip out his grinder and welder, and create something wild and perfectly functional. Okay, maybe the skyscraper bikes were a bit less than practical, but who cares they were fun! In any case, the Atomic Zombie had alluded to the fact that he was writing a book about his bicycles and now it's a reality.

Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builders Bonanza is a practical guide to building cool bikes from old scrap bikes. This is truly a book for anyone, even people with no building experience. He starts with detailed instructions on how to build a workbench and how to weld, and proceeds from there with explaining how to acquire and then dismember the bikes you'll use to create your own masterpiece. I wish I had a book like this when I was starting to build bikes! Brad explains in detail how to build 14 different bikes, including choppers, tall bikes, recumbent bikes, and some really odd ones. My favorite is the Marauder low racer.

Each project details the parts you will need, shows detailed pictures of the building process, and then shows the completed bike in action. Brad mixes stories of bikes gone awry in with the instructions to provide a humorous style that is informative as well as a good read.

With this thick 388 page book, even the cheapest novice bike hobbyist can realize his dreams of building the wildest bike on the street! (www.recumbents.com )