Art of Cycling: A Guide to Bicycling in 21st-Century America

This is an extremely well-written and pleasurable book. It presents a lot of information -- history, how-to, suggestions etc -- but all are cloaked in a terrific writing style that makes this a work of literature. And this excellent writing comes from someone whose professional training is not in writing, but in bike messengering. The first few chapters are a history not only of cycling but of transportation and cities in America. Even someone with no interest in bicycles would enjoy and learn from these chapters. From there, the author abruptly shifts to detailing how to ride in the city, dealing with road surfaces, traffic, accidents, etc. And through all this often-technical, safety-oriented matter, he maintains his sense of humor and superb style, so that you hardly realize you are being instructed. Eventually the author gets to such utter practicalities as what tools to buy, and how to change a flat, but by this time you are so hooked by his voice that you read it all word for word and love it. If I have one criticism of this book, it is that the author has attitude. He is a serious cyclist, and looks down at the weekend-only or newbie types, e.g., "Comfort bikes are apparently for folks who want to ride a bike but nevertheless want to make it as much like sitting on a couch as possible." But as you see, he makes his digs with such style and humor that you are entertained more than insulted. I rate this as one of the three must-have books on the cyclist's bookshelf, with Portia Masterson's Bicycling Bliss and Dave Glowacz's Urban Bikers' Tricks & Tips. Each is wonderful in its own way, and the three complement each other perfectly.

I've never ridden a bike in a city, so I thought I'd do some reading on the matter first, then hop on my new bike. And I'm glad I did, this book is well written and extremely informative about the dangers of the road and the ways in which to limit those dangers. I highly recommend this book to everyone; people in cars, people on bikes. Everyone should read this book. Even people that walk everywhere!

This book is a must for a commuter! He discusses the pros and cons of both the vehicular and invisible styles of riding. It's frankly a good idea to mix them. Drivers just really don't see you, so if you ride visibly, but make decisions based on the fact they don't see you; you are safer in the long run. There is a bit of politics in the beginning, but spend a year riding in city traffic during rush hour and you'll understand why he feels the way he does.

It is rare a book be so informative and yet so entertaining. It is full of all kinds of tidbits, in addition to the practical information on riding in an urban environment. Definately helped me...

The best "how to" cycling book out there. I've bought several copies for myself, strategically placed to rarely be far from one. Having ridden in cities for over 40 years, I still found every page, infact almost every paragraph contained a pearl. Pros and cons of controvertial issues are presented, and with excellent references, making the author's recommendations so much more authoritative. Two of many examples: The helmet controversy is addressed, including most the anti-helmet arguments, yet concludes: "Wear a helmet, but don't let it get to your head", which encompasses the notion of 'risk compensation' without directly mentioning it (which would have opened up a real Pandora's box). Mirrors are credited with negating some of the need to look back, but yet Hurst tellingly mentions "Turning back can have almost the same effect as a turn signal". There are literally hundreds of similar insights to safe riding. Safety is the first priority throughout the book, yet it's much too inspiring and humourous to be treated as an instruction manual. Recommended without any reservation!