When it comes to biking, there’s no shortage of books about the topic.
So we chose our favorite three to get your wheels turning. Happy reading about riding!
Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling
By BikeSnobNYC, Christopher Koelle
Cycling is exploding — in a good way. Urbanites everywhere, from ironic hipsters to Earth-conscious commuters, are taking to the bike like aquatic mammals to water. BikeSnobNYC — cycling’s most prolific, well-known, hilarious, and anonymous blogger — brings a fresh and humorous perspective to the most important vehicle to hit personal transportation since the horse.
“Bike Snob” treats readers to a laugh-out-loud rant and rave about the world of bikes and their riders, and offers a unique look at the ins and outs of cycling, from its history and hallmarks to its wide range of bizarre practitioners. Throughout, the author lampoons the missteps, pretensions, and absurdities of bike culture while maintaining a contagious enthusiasm for cycling itself. “Bike Snob” is an essential volume for anyone who knows, is, or wants to become a cyclist.
The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes: From the Velocipede to the Pinarello: The Bicycles That Have Shaped the World
By Tom Ambrose
The invention of the bicycle changed history by democratizing travel for the first time. The common man — and importantly, the common woman — could now afford to travel at reasonable speed without the need of a horse. Instead of walking just 10 miles a day on foot, a healthy individual could now ride up to 80 miles on a cycle at a relatively modest cost.
Today, despite the prevalence of the car, the bicycle is as important as ever. More cycles appear on city streets each year, offering healthy, pollution-free transport. Commuters cycle to work through congested traffic, urban hire-bike schemes are increasingly common, and the sports of road and track racing continue to gain in popularity.
For an invention with a history of just 200 years, the simple bicycle has changed the world in many ways. “The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes,” by Tom Ambrose, relates this history by telling the stories of 50 iconic machines that have shaped the world.
Bicycling Science
By David Gordon Wilson
The bicycle is almost unique among human-powered machines in that it uses human muscles in a near-optimum way. This new edition of the bible of bicycle builders and bicyclists provides just about everything you could want to know about the history of bicycles, how human beings propel them, what makes them go faster, and what keeps them from going even faster.
The scientific and engineering information is of interest not only to designers and builders of bicycles and other human-powered vehicles, but also to competitive cyclists, bicycle commuters, and recreational cyclists.
The third edition begins with a brief history of bicycles and bicycling that demolishes many widespread myths. This edition includes information on recent experiments and achievements in human-powered transportation, including the “ultimate human- powered vehicle,” in which a supine rider in a streamlined enclosure steers by looking at a television screen connected to a small camera in the nose, reaching speeds of around 80 miles per hour.
It contains completely new chapters on aerodynamics, unusual human-powered machines for use on land and in water and air, human physiology, and the future of bicycling. This edition also provides updated information on rolling drag, transmission of power from rider to wheels, braking, heat management, steering and stability, power and speed, and materials. It contains many new illustrations.
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