Many Penn State students rely on their bicycles for quick trips around campus. But for Jim Joyce, a 1984 Penn State alumnus, bicycles are more than just transportation. They're inspiration.

Joyce recently edited a collection of stories and comic strips about bicycling called The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings, which was released this November. In addition to his editing, he contributed three essays to the collection.

Joyce's interest in bicycling began at a young age.

"I did a lot of biking as a kid," he said. "I lived in a community where you could ride a bike anywhere. I'd ride through the neighborhood, ride along trails, ride to friends' houses."

Although he is past that time in his life, Joyce, who now resides in Pittsburgh, still enjoys frequent long-distance rides.

"I'm always looking to stay fit, and you get that runners' high on a nice long distance ride," he said. "You work up a good appetite, and there's nothing like a good meal after a bike ride."

The process of writing and publishing his thoughts about bike riding started back in 1996, when Joyce created his Web site, The Bicycle Exchange, www.bikexchange.com as a way to document his lifelong passion.

Joyce, who majored in English while at Penn State, always considered writing to be one of his strengths.

"I wanted to keep my hands in writing. And then I got bitten and smitten with the Internet," he said.

The Web site allowed him to mesh his writing skills with his interest in the bicycling world.

It started on a small scale, with Joyce contributing several stories about bicycling and inviting other people to submit stories.

The Bicycle Exchange satisfied Joyce's literary urge until about six years ago.

"Then I started to think that while it's great to surf the Internet, boy, is it good to have a book in your hand," he said.

Joyce searched for publishing companies and eventually found a willing publisher in Julie Murkette of Satya House Publications.

Murkette was a little reluctant at first about the subject matter.

"I'm not a bicycle person, so I had to think about it," she said. "But the bicycle community is huge. I didn't know about it. It's growing all the time, especially as gas gets more expensive. People are riding bicycles instead."

Murkette said that a quick search about bicycles on www.amazon.com turns up lots of books about bike repair and Lance Armstrong biographies. Joyce's anecdotal approach to the sport makes his collection of essays all the more unique, she said.

Paulette Joyce, Jim's wife, cited vivid descriptions as the gears that move Joyce's bicycle stories.

"He has a way of describing things as if you're really hearing the sound or smelling the odor," she said. "It's very descriptive writing and very clear writing."

It's a style of writing that will allow anyone -- even inexperienced cyclists -- to enjoy the book, she said. Her husband agreed.

"The stories read easy. They're not just for experts. It definitely will appeal to anyone who has ever ridden a bicycle," Joyce said.

Bicycling and writing are only hobbies for Joyce, who has worked as a traveling teacher for the blind for the past 20 years. In his work, Joyce goes to homes, workplaces and schools to help blind and low-vision people learn how to get along safely on their own.

Joyce has even found a way to combine his work and his play: He's donating 5 percent of the royalties from The Bicycle Book to the United States Association of Blind Athletes' tandem cycling program.

"It's a terrific recreational and competition outlet for them, and it's something close to my heart," he said.

He is also donating money to other philanthropic organizations: 5 percent will go to Soldier Ride, a cycling program for wounded veterans, and another 5 percent will be given to the League of American Bicyclists.

Murkette said Joyce's dedication to bicycling, the blind and his book has been steadfast through the years.

"Jim's been working on this book for years, and it really shows," Murkette said. "He never gave up on making this the best it could be."