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

by Hurst, Robert; Streb, Marla

• ISBN13: 9780762743162
• ISBN10: 0762743166
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: FalconGuides

Summary

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. It empowers readers with the Big Picture of riding a bicycle in America -- and gives cyclists useful insights to consider while pedaling the next commute, grocery run, or training ride.

Author Biography

Robert Hurst is a veteran bicycle messenger and all-around cyclist who has cycled more than 150,000 miles and 15,000 hours in heavy traffic. In this time, he has completed something like 80,000 deliveried. He is a native Coloradan who is just happy to be in one piece after working for more than ten years as a professional bike messenger in Denver. He celebrates his continued survival by spending time in the mountains, and by riding the world's most excellent trails. Mr. Hurst is also the author of Mountain Biking Colorado's San Juan Mountains and Road Biking Colorado's Front Range (FalconGuides).

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	xvii
ONE: Frankenstein's Monster
Continuum	2	(1)
Bicycles in the Age of Manure: Leonardo to Starley	3	(7)
The Bicycle Craze of the 1890's	10	(2)
Chumps of the Road	12	(2)
From Bicycles to Automobiles in Sixty Seconds	14	(1)
Speed and Greed	15	(2)
Barney Oldfield and the Arena of Death	17	(3)
A Dark Wave Cometh	20	(2)
Fake Gas Tanks	22	(1)
Transportation and the Shape of Cities	23	(1)
Automobile Suburbs	24	(2)
The Great Streetcar Massacre	26	(2)
Congestion	28	(5)
Enclosure	33	(2)
Rage	35	(1)
Cycling the New American City	35	(4)
Invocation	39	(3)
TWO: The City Surface
Pavement: Get Over It	42	(1)
Responsibility and Surface Hazards	43	(2)
The Great American Pothole	45	(2)
Cracks and Seams	47	(2)
Waves	49	(1)
Lane Markers	49	(1)
Wet Metal	50	(1)
Drainage	51	(2)
Railroad Tracks	53	(1)
Toppings	54	(2)
Plazas	56	(1)
Curbs	57	(5)
THREE: In Traffic
Beyond Vehicular Cycling	62	(4)
Blame Versus Responsibility	66	(3)
Vigilance	69	(3)
Route Choice	72	(4)
Road Position and Location	76	(3)
The Invisible Cyclist	79	(1)
Space Versus Visibility	80	(1)
The Myth of Lane Ownership	81	(3)
Running Green lights	84	(2)
Eye Contact, Stop Signs, and Fake Right Turns	86	(3)
The Gap Effect	89	(3)
Four-way Stops	92	(1)
Momentum	93	(2)
Notes on Traffic lights	95	(2)
Waiting at Traffic lights	97	(4)
Running Red lights	101	(2)
Left Turns	103	(1)
Corner Cutters	104	(1)
Looking Back	105	(2)
Seeing without Looking	107	(2)
Instinct Unveiled	109	(2)
Turn Signals	111	(1)
Hand Signals	112	(1)
In Defense of Gutters	113	(3)
The Door Zone	116	(2)
Reading Parked Vehicles	118	(3)
Close Combat: Positioning in Heavy Traffic	121	(2)
Riding a Straight line	123	(2)
Track Stands	125	(3)
Turning and Cornering	128	(2)
Panic Stops	130	(4)
Bicycle Lanes and Paths: Good or Evil?	134	(7)
On the Bike Path	141	(2)
Sidewalks and the Law	143	(4)
Riding in Suburbia	147	(2)
Riding at Night	149	(4)
Riding with Others	153	(5)
FOUR: Bicycle Accidents and Injuries
The Statistical Quagmire	158	(3)
The Stats at a Glance	161	(1)
Cycling Fatalities	162	(2)
The Paradox of Experience	164	(1)
The Accident Immune System	165	(1)
Road Rash	166	(2)
Collarbones	168	(3)
How to Fall	171	(2)
Facial Injuries	173	(1)
Head Injuries	174	(1)
Other Injuries	175	(1)
Disclaimer	176	(1)
The Helmet Controversy	176	(3)
What Are Helmets Built For?	179	(2)
Torsion Injuries	181	(1)
The Helmet Verdict	182	(4)
FIVE: Air Pollution and the Cyclist
A Historical Reality Check	186	(2)
The Good News about Air Pollution	188	(2)
What Am I Breathing and What Does It Do to Me?	190	(3)
Breathing Strategies for the Cyclist	193	(3)
Does Air Pollution Cancel the Health Benefit of Cycling?	196	(4)
SIX: Punctures and Flat Tires
Flat Repair Equipment	200	(1)
Fixing Flats: A Primer	201	(3)
Broken Glass	204	(1)
Tire Wiping	205	(2)
Glassphalt	207	(1)
Tribulus Terrestris	208	(3)
A Thorny Dilemma	211	(1)
Random Sharpies	212	(1)
Pinch Flats	213	(1)
Blowouts	214	(4)
SEVEN: Equipment
The Cult of Equipment	218	(3)
Bike Choice	221	(2)
Track Bikes	223	(2)
Bike Fit	225	(2)
Tools	227	(5)
Clothing	232	(2)
Messenger Bags, Backpacks, and Panniers	234	(2)
Drivetrain Maintenance	236	(3)
EPILOGUE: Of Bicycles and Cities	239	(4)
Chapter Notes	243	(10)
Bibliography	253	(4)
Index	257	(8)
About the Author	265

Excerpts

¿Road rash is a precious gift. Road rash is your friend. Bask in it, appreciate it, love it. Above all, learn from it¿

¿Even after a successful tuck-and-roll maneuver, the cyclist is left with a discomforting sense of the terrible force involved with hitting the street. The pavement is not soft. You never say to yourself, man, I want to try that again¿

¿The Door Zone is a brutal, sadistic taskmaster. The Door Zone is a total beeyotch.
Getting "doored," as it is universally known in the language of cycling, is a violent, completely unpleasant experience. Unfortunately, it's also a rite of passage for urban cyclists, who remain difficult to convince about the treacherous nature of the DZ until they experience it for themselves. Then they never want to go near a door again¿

¿Theoretically, the most effective stopping force that can be applied to a wheel comes at the moment just before the wheel locks up. This leads many to believe that the shortest stops will involve no skidding. On a bicycle, it doesn't work that way. The rear wheel skid is almost automatic when the front brake is applied correctly. Trying not to skid the rear wheel in a maximum stop is like trying to keep the eyes open during a sneeze¿

¿The cyclists' struggle for visibility has been a noble and long-fought effort. Problem is, it hasn't worked. No matter how much tinsel and ornamentation we attach to ourselves, no matter how many flashing beacons we strap to our backsides, no matter what previously unseen degree of neon insanity we manage to surpass in our jersey selections, some drivers continue to look right through us, as if we were-that's right--invisible.
The dream of visibility is a sweet siren's song that will, eventually, lead us into the rocks. Not that visibility is a bad thing, mind you, we all love visibility. It's just that an attitude of faith in visibility puts the rider on a slippery slope on the way to complacency, which is a very dangerous place for an urban cyclist to hang out¿

¿Consider the condition of some of the drivers locked in the typical urban traffic grid. They're trying to make a left turn, but all they see is an unbroken line of fast-moving vehicles coming at them, with no end in sight. They're late. They're hopped up on four cups of coffee.
fs20They're about to pee their pants. They've been waiting to make that left turn since the Mesozoic Era. Actually, they've been waiting about 30 seconds or so, but to them it seems like a very long time. Like the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era, their eyes are bigger than their brains. Suddenly, a small gap opens in oncoming traffic. They're going to hit that gap if it's the last thing they do. They stomp on the gas and crank the wheel. This is the Gap Effect in action.
One big problem, though-there's a cyclist in the gap, puttering along¿

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Excerpted from The Art of Cycling: A Guide to Bicycling in 21st Century America by Robert Hurst
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