Gears for Queers is a book by Abigail Melton and Lilith Cooper, or Abi and Lili, as you’ll get to know them. In the foreword, the authors say the book was “written specifically for the queers, for other fat, disabled, trans, female, femme and non-binary people”. While it may have been written with all those people in mind, this is a book for everyone!
The start
The authors never went cycle touring before, then planned to cycle to Spain, via Switzerland. Their route mostly followed the Rhine, until Switzerland. Already, for people who never went cycle touring, that’s a huge adventure to tackle. However, the authors wrestled with feelings many of you will identify with: that they weren’t real adventurers, because they didn’t fit the stereotypical mould. They didn’t have the right bikes. They didn’t have the right gear. And yet, off they went.
Queer women
The authors are a couple, and through the book you may gain insights you might not previously have had. I know I did. At times, they felt forced to pretend to only be friends, instead of a couple. That’s a sad, and frankly sickening reflection on the state of our world.
They also made use of the Couchsurfing site, to find some accommodation along the way. As women, that’s a completely different experience to what men have, and you will learn about some of the authors’ strategies.
Cooking
Not content with simply cycle touring, the authors mostly cooked all their own meals. The fact that they’re both vegan both made this easier, as well as more difficult. The book includes a handful of vegan recipes, as a welcome bonus. At no point do the authors lecture anyone (least of all the reader) about veganism.
The story
Book reviews are absolutely biased, and I will tell you right now that this is one of my most-favourite cycle touring books ever. The authors are both very gifted and talented writers. A good book tells a story. A great book tells a story in a manner that makes it very hard to put down. This is a great book.
I would suggest this book should be required reading for anyone who wants to go cycling the Rhine route. In addition, while women may benefit from reading it, I rather strongly urge men to read it. The authors never lecture anyone, but they do offer perspectives that are well worth exploring further.
I laughed at several places in the book and the author’s actions. They’re not afraid to poke fun at themselves, and they’re refreshingly open about their doubts and fears. They also openly address the fact that cycle touring can be unreachable to so many, because of the costs involved. Yes, even when done on a shoestring budget.
Social media
In our image-obsessed world of social media, the authors regularly measured themselves against the portrayed perfection of social media “influencers”. Predictably, they came up short. Not because they weren’t “authentic”, but because they were comparing their lived reality with carefully curated show-reels. Nobody wins in that game!
As far as authenticity goes, the authors were probably amongst the most authentic cycle tourers any of us are likely to encounter. The slick and polished show-reel crowd cannot come remotely close to the levels of authenticity in this book.
The negatives
I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this book. However, I will urge that you don’t have the authors service your bike: wait until you read about the absolutely hair-raising Alpine descents, knowing they had faulty brakes!
Verdict
I have long maintained that my two all-time favourite cycle touring books are Dervla Murphys Full Tilt, and John Devoy’s Quondam. Gears for Queers is easily as good as either of those books. I have no doubt you will find it as enjoyable a read as I have.
Get your copy here, or at any good bookstore.
You convinced me! I’ll get the book.
Perhaps you could also had a bookshop.org link for that.
Thanks Will! Great post.