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Art of Cycling: A Guide to Bicycling in 21st-Century America
The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry. As if that weren't enough, the American cyclist must carry the weight of history along on every ride.
After a brief heyday at the turn of the twentieth century, American cyclists fell out of the social consciousness, becoming an afterthought when our cities were planned and built. Cyclists today are left to navigate, like rats in a sewer, through a hard and unsympathetic world that was not made for them. Yet, with the proper attitude and a bit of knowledge, cyclists can thrive in this hostile environment.
Covering much more than just riding a bike in traffic, author Robert Hurst paints, in uncanny detail, the challenges, strategies, and art of riding a bike on America's modern streets and roadways. The Art of Cycling dismantles the bicycling experience and slides it under the microscope, piece by piece. Its primary concern is safety, but this book goes well beyond the usual tips and how-to, diving in to the realms of history, psychology, sociology, and economics.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 17, 2021
Modified vehicular cycling: alert, cautious, flexible.
September 29, 2016
Nice history of bikes/cycling. The rest I've pretty much figured out on my own.
Could be good tips for someone nervous about starting out riding in the street.
Could be good tips for someone nervous about starting out riding in the street.
August 29, 2007
The Art of Urban Cycling is more than just a book on "how to ride your bicycle in traffic". The author, Robert Hurst, begins with a bit of a history lesson covering bicycles, roads and America's obsession with automobiles. He quickly covers the evolution of the bicycle from the mid-1400s to "safety cycle" of the 1890s and beyond. He then goes into how America's obsession with automobiles and the transition from pedal to petrol power has shaped cities making them less bike and pedestrian friendly.
In the next two sections of the book covers various road hazards and scenarios encountered while riding in traffic. These sections read more like a how-to manual with Hurst delivering a quick explanation of various road hazards and strategies for dealing with them. He also discusses perhaps the greatest road hazard: Motor vehicle traffic. His strategy for riding in traffic is similar to the "defensive driving" strategy many people learn in drivers ed. It is applied to cycling as pragmatic mix of "cyclists are have the same rights to the road as cars" and "cyclists are second rate citizens who need to fend for themselves."
The next section covers one of the grim realities of frequent cycling: Accidents & injuries. While many of the passages in this section made me cringe it is a topic which deserves to be covered. Hurst gives some tips for minimizing the impact of a fall and a dose of reality that in some situations you a screwed.
After reading about broken collarbones and other painful accidents, the topic of air pollution seems trivial by comparison. This short section covers some of the realities of riding in the wake of vehicles emitting toxic sludge.
The remaining two sections of the book cover bike maintenance and equipment selection for the urban cyclist. A variety of topics are covered including how to avoid flats (and repair them) as well as how to select equipment which will be less likely to require complex or costly maintenance.
Overall this is a great book for anyone who considers a cyclist. It is also a useful read for non-cyclists as a insight into the complexities of cycling in a car dominated world.
In the next two sections of the book covers various road hazards and scenarios encountered while riding in traffic. These sections read more like a how-to manual with Hurst delivering a quick explanation of various road hazards and strategies for dealing with them. He also discusses perhaps the greatest road hazard: Motor vehicle traffic. His strategy for riding in traffic is similar to the "defensive driving" strategy many people learn in drivers ed. It is applied to cycling as pragmatic mix of "cyclists are have the same rights to the road as cars" and "cyclists are second rate citizens who need to fend for themselves."
The next section covers one of the grim realities of frequent cycling: Accidents & injuries. While many of the passages in this section made me cringe it is a topic which deserves to be covered. Hurst gives some tips for minimizing the impact of a fall and a dose of reality that in some situations you a screwed.
After reading about broken collarbones and other painful accidents, the topic of air pollution seems trivial by comparison. This short section covers some of the realities of riding in the wake of vehicles emitting toxic sludge.
The remaining two sections of the book cover bike maintenance and equipment selection for the urban cyclist. A variety of topics are covered including how to avoid flats (and repair them) as well as how to select equipment which will be less likely to require complex or costly maintenance.
Overall this is a great book for anyone who considers a cyclist. It is also a useful read for non-cyclists as a insight into the complexities of cycling in a car dominated world.
February 17, 2017
Hands-down awesome book, no real reservations, glad a new edition has come out; puts someone who rides in the city in context and [eco]systems that might otherwise escape them in their commuting or riding. Lots of helpful perspectives you wouldn't think would be 'bookable', but there they are. finding my beaten-up copy actually motivated me to start cycling my commute again. RAD 80's cover art!...;-)
June 19, 2009
Experience helps most, but this book, with its detailed description of almost everything that can possibly (and eventually will) go wrong, helped me overcome my fear of traffic and gain the mindset of a confident rider. One of its most powerful points: expect every driver, pedestrian, and other cyclist to do every stupid, reckless thing that's physically possible, and to do it right in front of you. If you're wrong, great; if you're right, and you often will be, you just saved a trip to the hospital.
Robert Hurst is pragmatic, not an ideologue, and he discusses the benefits of vehicular cycling for example (the notion that "bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles"), but also points out the drawbacks of this approach and criticizes those who take it as gospel. You get the sense that he's drawing on his experience to try to give the most practical advice possible, and he nearly always succeeds.
If you are a city dweller or suburbanite who wants to ditch the car or stop taking the bus, but busy thoroughfares make you freeze with fear, get this book. In addition to riding regularly, of course.
Robert Hurst is pragmatic, not an ideologue, and he discusses the benefits of vehicular cycling for example (the notion that "bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles"), but also points out the drawbacks of this approach and criticizes those who take it as gospel. You get the sense that he's drawing on his experience to try to give the most practical advice possible, and he nearly always succeeds.
If you are a city dweller or suburbanite who wants to ditch the car or stop taking the bus, but busy thoroughfares make you freeze with fear, get this book. In addition to riding regularly, of course.
April 1, 2015
A great book for the new-ish urban cyclist. Hurst examines common bike-related laws in American cities and conventional wisdom among urban cyclists (often two violently opposed things) and then blends the best of both systems to come up with a new style that gives urban cyclists the most benefits and the most safety in riding. Even when you disagree with his conclusions, he encourages you to move beyond knee-jerk reactions and examine why you disagree.
I appreciated Hurst's unflinching contemplation of the real dangers of urban cycling, which are simultaneously under-emphasized by bicycle advocates and overstated by safety experts. An informed rider, Hurst believes, is a safe one.
Neophyte urban cyclists should be aware that this is a dense book with a lot of information in it. A second reading might be necessary to really get everything that's in it. Fortunately, Hurst's accessible writing style makes that prospect fairly pleasant.
I appreciated Hurst's unflinching contemplation of the real dangers of urban cycling, which are simultaneously under-emphasized by bicycle advocates and overstated by safety experts. An informed rider, Hurst believes, is a safe one.
Neophyte urban cyclists should be aware that this is a dense book with a lot of information in it. A second reading might be necessary to really get everything that's in it. Fortunately, Hurst's accessible writing style makes that prospect fairly pleasant.
December 8, 2008
This very good book is not so much an instructional but more a description of Hurst's nuanced, experienced understanding of the 'art of urban cycling.' Well written, well researched and humorous, this book starts with cycling in the urban landscape from the beginning, from when bicycles might be recognizable but the city-scapes they traveled through were definitely different than today. From this introductory section,Hurst shows how cities have developed to form the sometimes hostile traveling environment (regardless of mode) that exists today. However the bulk of the text deals with the contemporary problems of urban cycling.
I was most impressed with Hurst's balanced approach to the many issues facing North American urban cyclists (and indeed, his refreshingly balanced approach to the main, and often opposing, philosophies of committed bike users).
I was most impressed with Hurst's balanced approach to the many issues facing North American urban cyclists (and indeed, his refreshingly balanced approach to the main, and often opposing, philosophies of committed bike users).
January 9, 2012
As the introduction says, this book aims to cover a wide range of cyclists. As a fairly experienced biker, I really appreciated the history of biking and the discussion of various cycling practices in depth (e.g., to roll through, or not to roll through). The care taken here using statistical information and good anecdotes adds a great deal.
On the other hand, the section on injuries got tedious and seemed like it would do more harm than good to getting more bikers on the road. There's a line between cautionary information and overzealous, gruesome detail. It's crossed several times. Probably due to that section, the following chapters were a bit of a slog.
All in all, a good, informative read. I wouldn't recommend trying to read straight through if you're newer to biking. The information will be helpful, but the shear amount could be overwhelming.
On the other hand, the section on injuries got tedious and seemed like it would do more harm than good to getting more bikers on the road. There's a line between cautionary information and overzealous, gruesome detail. It's crossed several times. Probably due to that section, the following chapters were a bit of a slog.
All in all, a good, informative read. I wouldn't recommend trying to read straight through if you're newer to biking. The information will be helpful, but the shear amount could be overwhelming.
November 22, 2016
There's a lot of really, really good information in here. Vital, important information that if you bike regularly (particularly if you do so for commuting or in an urban environment) you should know.
That said, there's a lot of filler. Like, a lot of filler.
I could have done without the extended prologue about the history of transportation, if only because it's loaded with snide comments about the rise of automobiles. I get it. Cars are bad. Bikes are better.
But if you can get past that, and some of the other filler in here, you'll find a good amount of genuinely useful stuff, from important equipment to navigating the road to how to change a sudden flat and how to properly crash. All good stuff.
If you're a regular rider, it's a solid book to have in your collection to refer to as needed.
Just skip the whole history section. That's garbage.
That said, there's a lot of filler. Like, a lot of filler.
I could have done without the extended prologue about the history of transportation, if only because it's loaded with snide comments about the rise of automobiles. I get it. Cars are bad. Bikes are better.
But if you can get past that, and some of the other filler in here, you'll find a good amount of genuinely useful stuff, from important equipment to navigating the road to how to change a sudden flat and how to properly crash. All good stuff.
If you're a regular rider, it's a solid book to have in your collection to refer to as needed.
Just skip the whole history section. That's garbage.
October 14, 2011
Very informative! Definitely contain new information that general cycling books don't have but cyclists need. It is a bit more text heavy though, and some of the tricks is a bit harder to visualize with just text. Some terms are more technical, so a reader would need to look up the terms. The books gears toward historical side and scientific side of cycling.
For some the history side can be interesting, but for some it can be extremely dull. (I am the former, since I like reading urban planning info).
The books is more for the intermediate bicyclists. I am still a beginner, so it was a bit difficult for me to read through, but I think I would really like it and feel more connected once I become more knowledge and experienced about basic biking.
For some the history side can be interesting, but for some it can be extremely dull. (I am the former, since I like reading urban planning info).
The books is more for the intermediate bicyclists. I am still a beginner, so it was a bit difficult for me to read through, but I think I would really like it and feel more connected once I become more knowledge and experienced about basic biking.
March 23, 2014
Sober and well-rounded advice from an experienced urban cycler. The scope is comprehensive. Topics include surveying and navigating the paved landscape, riding habits, flowing with traffic, tips for falls / injuries, and equipment selection. The historical and cultural commentary is interesting and level-headed. This level-headedness also makes for valuable psychological advice, especially with regard to riding and getting along with motorists. Would recommend to anyone interested in the subject, regardless of experience.
He drilled into my head how important it is to not assume anyone sees you when riding in city traffic. It may have saved my bones at least once already, as I started bike-commuting around the time that I started reading this book.
He drilled into my head how important it is to not assume anyone sees you when riding in city traffic. It may have saved my bones at least once already, as I started bike-commuting around the time that I started reading this book.
August 31, 2010
I enjoyed this book. Hurst writes with a wry tone about the foibles of riders and drivers. He discussed the things both groups do that anger each other. He also emphasizes that riders need to take personal responsibility for their own safety and provides riders with some helpful strategies for visualizing the road and how drivers are likely to move in certain situations.
As with many books on cycling Hurst spends a bit too much time delving into the history of cycling. Overall, he focuses on establishing good practices so riders can survive while having a good experience on the road.
As with many books on cycling Hurst spends a bit too much time delving into the history of cycling. Overall, he focuses on establishing good practices so riders can survive while having a good experience on the road.
April 16, 2011
Having never done serious city cycling myself, I had a rather romantic view of running errands by bike. This book will cure you of that. From broken collarbones and pollution to the multiple ways one can get mowed down by a car, Hurst runs through the gauntlet of dangers involved in city cycling. Still the main and repeated point of the book is that facing the dangers and being prepared is more than worth it. Also gives some brief history of the bicycle (which amusingly involves Leo da Vinci and lewd cartoons), gear, tools, riding surfaces and more. Like the manual you used to drive a car except snarky and filled with dark humor.
November 26, 2012
This is not so much a practical guide to cycling as it is a conglomerate of cycling philosophy and collection of advice on fine-tuning one's riding skills. As such, it is not suitable for the very beginner.
I enjoyed Hurst's balanced approach to writing. Although he is a strong bicycle advocate, he doesn't shy away from chastising cyclists for common errors they tend to commit (e.g. rolling through stop signs and red lights). He avoids dogma and sees a complex mix of both truth and falsehood in many popular arguments the reader may encounter elsewhere concerning the subject. Hurst is realistic and down-to-earth, but also manages to inject a sizeable dosage of humour into the book.
I enjoyed Hurst's balanced approach to writing. Although he is a strong bicycle advocate, he doesn't shy away from chastising cyclists for common errors they tend to commit (e.g. rolling through stop signs and red lights). He avoids dogma and sees a complex mix of both truth and falsehood in many popular arguments the reader may encounter elsewhere concerning the subject. Hurst is realistic and down-to-earth, but also manages to inject a sizeable dosage of humour into the book.
May 1, 2008
Very good summation on cycling in the city. A quick and fairly comprehensive read on the basics and not so basics on how to get around the city without getting killed and without pissing too many people off.
Of course, I started this one day, finished it the next, and got into a screaming match with a driver who called me an asshole and responded very badly to my telling her that it was my fucking lane too, and she should go fuck herself...
So maybe it's not foolproof. But I know now that that was the wrong way to handle that situation.
Of course, I started this one day, finished it the next, and got into a screaming match with a driver who called me an asshole and responded very badly to my telling her that it was my fucking lane too, and she should go fuck herself...
So maybe it's not foolproof. But I know now that that was the wrong way to handle that situation.
September 2, 2009
This was a very informative (and entertaining) book. The author is very realistic and not preachy at all. I learned a lot of good tips I will use when I bike everyday to work. I'm not in a major city, but still a city (I work downtown) and so this was very helpful. In addition to practical information (tools, how to ride in traffic, etc etc), it also tells you about the history of cycling, the history of cities, how cities have become what they are today, etc which gives good insight to the biking culture. If you bike, read it!
October 8, 2007
The topic is informative and enjoyable, and the writing is extremely engaging. Essential reading for anyone who spends time on American roads, as a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian. Begins with a well-researched discussion of the historical relationship between bicycles and automobiles. The remainder of the book is packed with a discussion of "safe" urban riding methods, with many references to other published bikeheads. Highly recommended!!!
December 18, 2007
an amazing collection of random suggestions, considerations, and logical arguments for everything a city bicyclists might encounter on a normal ride. my favorite chapters included "how to fall" and "close combat: positioning in heavy traffic".
definitely the best book i've read so far about city bicycling (ok, the first book i've read about city bicycling, but please, how many of them are there...)
definitely the best book i've read so far about city bicycling (ok, the first book i've read about city bicycling, but please, how many of them are there...)
March 4, 2009
I've checked this out of the library 2x now, and still haven't finished it. Really informative read for anyone considering becoming a bike commuter/reducing their car dependency. Especially good if you lack the confidence necessary to bike alongside SUVs, which let's admit it, everyone could use a little "hurrah!" every now and then.
Some interesting bits on bike history too.
Just couldn't motivate myself to finish it before the due date.
Some interesting bits on bike history too.
Just couldn't motivate myself to finish it before the due date.
November 3, 2009
Has some very useful chapters about how to ride in a city and easily maneuver specific situations, but ultimately the book has too much filler. The first few chapters about the rise of the bicycle are too fluffy and told in a too-cute, accusatory way. And did we really need a chapter devoted to differentiating road surfaces in more than a bare-bones way?
I just wanted this book to be more professional, considering there are so few books out there about urban cycling.
I just wanted this book to be more professional, considering there are so few books out there about urban cycling.
January 15, 2015
A decent book anyone wanting to know how to negotiate the mine field that is urban cycling. An avid rider myself I avoid the dangers of the street whenever possible and after reading this book it reinforces why. The deck is certainly stacked against the cyclist on the streets and Hurst delivers on numerous topics and techniques that can help make it survivable. A must read for those venturing out for the first time and a great refresher for those who think they have seen it all.
July 4, 2007
Most of the guidelines for riding safely in traffic are common sense, but it is still helpful to see this stuff formalized. I did learn a few new things about safe riding, and the initial part on the history of the bicycle was interesting. Toward the end there were some good arguments that comparing statistics about the relative risks of various activities is a fairly useless exercise.
September 6, 2011
Thank goodness somebody has the gumption to take on squarely several of the sacred cows of bicycling etiquette. Yes, yes, we already know we should bike like a vehicle and signal and wear a helmet. But Hurst dares to navigate and explicate the murky waters wherein each of these seemingly clear ethical bounds becomes blurred.
Read
October 21, 2008a must read for anyone trying to navigate the mean streets of an urban setting. I found most of the advice very relevant to my daily bike commute. Plus, he is funny and not too technical, very rare.
I would also recommend it for anyone wanting to be a more bike-friendly driver (everyone!).
I would also recommend it for anyone wanting to be a more bike-friendly driver (everyone!).
March 2, 2009
Radical re syncing of the business of surviving on two wheels in the urban jungle. Read it to learn how to cycling defensively. An important book -- even a philosophical one --all cyclists should read.
Read
September 18, 2011I could do without the author's tone at times, but it's a fairly easy read and usefully thorough on the whole.
My two big takeaways were:
* don't depend on others for your safety
* the importance of route choice
My two big takeaways were:
* don't depend on others for your safety
* the importance of route choice
June 15, 2012
I got a little bogged down on this one even though it is extremely applicable to me. There is only so much a person can expound on the thesis "Don't get hit!" before it starts to get somewhat tedious.
August 4, 2012
This book is the greatest for anyone considering bicycle commuting. It defines many riding skills and maneuvers needed to survive and succeed in any urban or suburban setting. But best of all it celebrates bicycling.
"Ride with fear and joy"
"Ride with fear and joy"
July 11, 2007
Chrissie, a must as you are a burgeoning cyclist.
It enhanced my bag o' tricks for "city" riding, and improved my perspective on it.
It enhanced my bag o' tricks for "city" riding, and improved my perspective on it.
Read
September 23, 2007also look for
Commuting in America
author recently interviewed on Today Show, very new book?
does not show in search on Goodreads.
Commuting in America
author recently interviewed on Today Show, very new book?
does not show in search on Goodreads.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews