Mike Barry grew up scouring the bomb sites of the Second World War in London, England for abandoned bike frames and parts. With friends, he would find enough parts to assemble bikes and sell. The proceeds went to buy better parts for their own bikes.

Once in a while, Mike would find some interesting and rare parts, which he always kept. That was the beginning of an extensive bike and component collection, which expanded throughout the years.

A Life with Bicycles includes only the more interesting bicycles in his collection. He chose them because of their distinctive features, which are highlighted in the pages of this book through Mike’s writing and the exquisitely detailed photographs of Walter Lai. ( )