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As someone in a technical job making way more than a book publisher would ever pay him, I have to say that I've been through the same situation. Unfortunately, I wasn't as persistent as Philip in insisting on a skinny book. (I had 200 pages of material, they insisted on 400 filled with illustrations).Unfortunately, I also had a day job that I refused to put down for the book, so eventually missed enough deadlines ( mainly because of the insane page count) that the book was cancelled.
A sobering experience, but a lesson well learnt. I wondered whether getting a book published would make me feel better, but now that I've seen what Philip's been through, I doubt it.
Congratulations, though. I'm going to buy a copy just out of sympathy!
I hate it when people who've never ridden a properly set up road bike talk about how uncomfortable they are. Most people who have trouble with road bikes just don't have them setup right. I ride road bikes off road just fine, and my road bike has probably seen more off-road action than 90% of mountain bikes out there. Nothing stops you from using SPD pedals and Camelbaks on road bikes, though I've found regular waterbottles to be convenient.If you want a different opinion on how to get started on cycling, try reading my article on starting up . I've ridden tens of thousands of miles on road bikes and never had a problem.
Ultimately, it's a matter of preference, but if you come from a mountain biking background, try a road bike at a good local shop that knows how to set you up. You'll see what I mean. It's like flying without having to burn gas.
I've since come back to writing An Engineer's Guide to Silicon Valley Startups, and handling entirely myself. This lets me keep the page count low, not clutter up the book with junk, and it turns out that it makes more than a few dozens of dollars. The entire experience is also much more satisfying, since you actually get positive feedback about the book. So much so, I'm writing Independent Cycle Touring the same way. It turns out that you can make money writing and selling books, but you have to self-publish.