The Art of Urban Cycling : Lessons from the Street

Rating:
Summary: Well-written and well-considered
Review:
I would like to highly recommend the book "The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street" by Robert Hurst. Not only is it delightfully written (with a sense of humour and a relaxed style) and absorbing ("just a second, dear, I'll take out the trash after I read about curbs"), but it's *dead on*. I've been riding my whole life, never having owned a car, to get everywhere from school to grocery shopping to Canada. And he's *right*.

Nevertheless, I've learned much from reading it. Hurst advocates a practical and well-considered (not to mention well-tested and developed by very experienced riders), safety-oriented, philosophically coherent approach that I find very appealing. He draws the best parts of Forester's well-established "vehicular-cycling" philosophy but drops the impractical and dangerous aspects of any strict adherence to it. He advocates awareness, a consideration for others, and responsibility for one's own safety, above mere blind rule-following.

The book starts out with a history of cycling and the role it played in the development of our automobile society. He shows us that the ties are deep and tangled, and encourages us to embrace the complex world that is the city street. He then discusses the history of and previous philosophies of urban cycling before getting into the equally fascinating details of riding style, dangers, accidents, equipment, etc. It's a wonderful book, both to read cover-to-cover for interest, and as a reference with a detailed index.


Rating:
Summary: Lotsa street wisdom in this book---
Review: I love riding my bike through the city-- Cities are fascinating when you experience them from a bicycle. To me riding a bike through a city is an adventure. I am amazed when others are amazed that I don't have a car and don't want one.

City bike riding is great--- and this is a great book for anyone who wants to learn wise ways to wisely negotiate urban streets and traffic. Hurst articulates the street sense that takes years of riding to acquire. I have been riding as a bike commuter in urban settings for the past 20 years-- this book is on target.

If you want to ride your bike more and depend on cars less, this is a good source to turn to for some sage advice. To really learn, of course, you need to ride your bike on your streets in your city.

If you decide to ride, read this book. If you are already a veteran of the urban biking wars, read this book-- I learned a lot. I feel even more relaxed riding now than I did before I read the book.

There are other books about cycling that are worth reading (such as Effective Cycling by John Forester but I think this one is the best of the bunch.