9780762743162

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.

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).

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

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

¿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¿

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

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

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

0762743166

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Author Biography

Table of Contents

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