Biking around the world seems so Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance, but Scott Stoll shows through his new tome that there is more to maintenance than spark plugs and gas valves. Stoll recounts what his Waterford bicycle went through on the journey, and emphasizes how much endurance this ordinary bike had to go through — chipped paint, taped working parts and bald tires. All of this wear and tear is testimony to the months and thousands of miles Stoll took in traveling around the planet on two wheels.

The bicycle, a customized mountain bike with a steel frame made by Waterford Precision Cycles, served for four years as Stoll’s vehicle for discovery. It is a star in his new book, Falling Uphill: 25,742 Miles, 1,461 Days, 50 Countries, 6 Continents & 4 Moments of Enlightenment on a Bicycle. It may be optimistic to think that anyone could make this trip successfully, but it’s good to know that it won’t take a extra special bike to ride.

via Outside