The Art of Urban Cycling Lessons from the Street

by Hurst, Robert; Streb, Marla

• ISBN13: 9780762727834
• ISBN10: 0762727837
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-01
• Publisher: FalconGuides

Summary

The Urban Cycling Manual dismantles the urban bicycling experience and slides it under the microscope, piece by piece. The book's 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 urban cycling--and gives urban cyclists many useful insights to consider while pedaling the next commute or grocery run.

Author Biography

Robert Hurst is a native Coloradan who is just happy to be in one piece after working for seven 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. He is also the author of Mountain Biking Colorado's San Juan Mountains.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. xv
Frankenstein's Monster
Continuum
Bicycles in the Age of Manure: Leonardo to Starley	p. 2
The Bicycle Craze of the 1890s	p. 3
Chumps of the Road	p. 10
From Bicycles to Automobiles in Sixty Seconds	p. 12
Speed and Creed	p. 14
Barney Oldfield and the Arena of Death	p. 15
A Dark Wave Cometh	p. 17
Fake Gas Tanks	p. 20
Transportation and the Shape of Cities	p. 22
Automobile Suburbs	p. 23
The Creat Streetcar Massacre	p. 24
Congestion	p. 26
Enclosure	p. 28
Rage	p. 33
Cycling the New American City	p. 34
Invocation	p. 35
The City Surface
Pavement: Get Over It	p. 40
Responsibility and Surface Hazards	p. 41
The Great American Pothole	p. 43
Cracks and Seams	p. 45
Waves	p. 47
Lane Markers	p. 47
Wet Metal	p. 48
Drainage	p. 49
Railroad Tracks	p. 51
Toppings	p. 52
Plazas	p. 54
Curbs	p. 55
In Traffic
Beyond Vehicular Cycling	p. 60
Blame Versus Responsibility	p. 64
Vigilance	p. 67
Route Choice	p. 70
Road Position and Location	p. 74
The Invisible Cyclist	p. 77
Space Versus Visibility	p. 78
The Myth of Lane Ownership	p. 79
Running Green Lights	p. 82
Eye Contact, Stop Signs, and Fake Right Turns	p. 84
The Gap Effect	p. 87
Four-way Stops	p. 89
Momentum	p. 91
Notes on Traffic Lights	p. 93
Waiting at Traffic Lights	p. 95
Running Red Lights	p. 99
Left Turns	p. 100
Corner Cutters	p. 101
Looking Back	p. 103
Seeing without Looking	p. 105
Instinct Unveiled	p. 107
Turn Signals	p. 108
Hand Signals	p. 109
In Defense of Gutters	p. 110
The Door Zone	p. 112
Reading Parked Vehicles	p. 115
Close Combat: Positioning in Heavy Traffic	p. 118
Riding a Straight Line	p. 120
Track Stands	p. 121
Turning and Cornering	p. 124
Panic Stops	p. 126
Bicycle Lanes and Paths: Good or Evil?	p. 130
On the Bike Path	p. 137
Sidewalks and the Law	p. 139
Riding at Night	p. 143
Riding with Others	p. 146
Bicycle Accidents and Injuries
The Statistical Quagmire	p. 150
The Stats at a Glance	p. 153
Cycling Fatalities	p. 154
The Paradox of Experience	p. 156
The Accident Immune System	p. 158
Road Rash	p. 159
Collarbones	p. 161
How to Fall	p. 163
Facial Injuries	p. 165
Head Injuries	p. 167
Other Injuries	p. 168
Disclaimer	p. 168
The Helmet Controversy	p. 169
What Are Helmets Built For?	p. 172
Torsion Injuries	p. 173
The Helmet Verdict	p. 174
Air Pollution and the Urban Cyclist
A Historical Reality Check	p. 178
The Good News about Urban Air Pollution	p. 180
What Am I Breathing and What Does It Do to Me?	p. 182
Breathing Strategies for the Urban Cyclist	p. 185
Does Air Pollution Cancel the Health Benefit of Cycling?	p. 188
Punctures and Flat Tires
Flat Repair Equipment	p. 192
Fixing Flats: A Primer	p. 193
Broken Glass	p. 196
Tire Wiping	p. 197
Glassphalt	p. 199
Tribulus Terrestris	p. 200
A Thorny Dilemma	p. 203
Random Sharpies	p. 204
Pinch Flats	p. 205
Blowouts	p. 206
Equipment
The Cult of Equipment	p. 210
Bike Choice	p. 213
Track Bikes	p. 215
Bike Fit	p. 217
Tools	p. 219
Clothing	p. 224
Messenger Bags, Backpacks, and Panniers	p. 226
Drivetrain Maintenance	p. 228
Epilogue: Of Bicycles and Cities	p. 232
Chapter Notes	p. 235
Bibliography	p. 243
Index	p. 245
About the Author	p. 253
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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 Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street by Robert Hurst
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.