Everyday Bicycling: Ride a Bike for Transportation (Whatever Your Lifestyle) (DIY)

by Elly Blue

Everyday Bicycling is your guide to everything you need to know to get started riding a bicycle for transportation. Elly Blue introduces you to the basics, including street smarts, bike shopping, dressing professionally, carrying everything from groceries to furniture, riding with children, and riding in all weather. With its positive, practical approach, this book is perfect for anyone who has ever dreamed of getting around by bike. The new edition also includes information on bicycling with pets, using bike share, and cycling when you have a physical disability.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cycling, Environment

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic. Hopefully, it’ll get a few people to drive less.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really feel like the last three chapters were very relevant to me. I was just looking to read a book that'd encourage me to spend $100 on a garage-sale bike and ride to Job B, instead of these magazines that are all, "Oh, if you spend less than $5000, you're buying a beginner bike, and if you spend less than $1000, you're buying a throwaway." Um, what? I'm not trying to go 30 miles an hour for two hours three or four or five days a week. I'm not trying to ride competitively. I'm trying to go from point A to point B. Quit being jerks. This book definitely helped with that, but I'm still not sure what to do about my bike. Bikes. I now have two, and they're both too small. But they kind of don't make bikes for women over 5'7". Lucky for me, Blue acknowledges the outdated nature of the girl-bike/boy-bike distinction (mostly relevant only when wearing skirts, which I mostly don't do, or carrying cargo/children, which I do not have) and encourages bike shoppers to take no guff from salespeople. If a "girl's" bike or "women's" bike doesn't suit me, there's nothing wrong with looking at a "man's" bike.

Conclusion: Did it help get closer to riding to work? Yes. Will I try it tomorrow? No. I need to lube my shifter cables. Did it teach me about traffic safety when riding? No, but only because my parents did a good job of teaching me all that when I was 7. (Meaning the information was there, but I already knew it all.) Did it teach me about bikes? Not especially, since I've read other basic biking books. Did it help me pick a style of bike? Kind of? The closest fits are a "hybrid," which Blue implies I'll "outgrow" (mentally, not physically), or a "city," which is often a bike that's been tinkered into what I need. But I don't tinker very well, and I'm not comfortable asking someone else to do it, 'cause I'm cheap. But at least I'm now certain that just about everything else isn't what I'm looking for. If I'm looking for a review of basic bike stuff or tips on getting to the next level of bike-commuter-ness, will I look for this book again? Definitely. At least as a launching point.

The only question I'm left with: Is it better to ride or walk your bike over train tracks? 'Cause I will be crossing some in my commute, and the space between the "roadbed" and the actual rail is plenty wide enough for a bike tire, but I'll be crossing perpendicular to this gap… Is it a question of what my rear end prefers? Perhaps I'll ask a bike shop person…

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, to the point, practical, even for experience people can have some good tips, recommended!

[Alex Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a bit too deep in the weeds at times, but overall very good, informative, and useful.

[Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast and informative read, Everyday Bicycling provides some great advice and basic information for beginning bicyclists and the more experienced alike on how to use a bike for everyday transportation. I've ridden a bike as my main source of transit for about five years now and I found quite a bit of helpful knowledge in this little book. Blue discusses useful bike accessories, various types of bike (city, mountain, cargo, etc.), and guidance on common concerns of cycling for transportation (where to park, how to dress, etc.) For instance, she discusses such useful problems as moving by bike or cycling while pregnant. The sections on bike etiquette and traffic laws were the most useful and interesting for me.

For the most part, Everyday Bicycling is probably most useful to people interested in bicycling but don't know where to start. While DIY bike repair is discussed, for instance, this is not a technical guide of bicycle maintenance or a consumer guide on which brand of bicycle/technical gear are best for quality or economy. While lacking in specific details, Blue provides a lot of good common sense advice that may have slipped the mind of even the most experienced, and with a fun, casual writing style, this a good introduction for anyone interested in using their bicycle to get around.

[Elizabeth Theiss Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the less-experienced cyclist, this book is a gold mine. It's full of practical ideas about how to trick out a bike, commute safely and haul a surprising amount of stuff using a bike. Written in a straightforward way without jargon, it's a quick read, though I suspect I will go back to it a few more times for details.

As a more experienced cyclist, I also learned some helpful tips. On lights, for example, who knew you could power a headlight with pedal-power? Well worth reading.

[Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fabulous. I don't think it's possible to get MORE information into a smaller book! I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It literally touches on every single thing you ever wanted to know about bicycle commuting, whether you are a solitary rider or have kids. WONDERFUL!

[Bill Landau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this book even though it was pretty much centered around city bike riding. I live in a rural area that does not coincide with lots of the content and suggestions in the book. But still, it was informative, inspirational and it convinced me to dust off my bike. I appreciated the author's writing style. Bike on, homies!

[Meg]

Ya bikes! I still am toeing the line between moderately capable beginner and thriving intermediate (the part of the process where improvement is a matter of refining technique and slow painstaking gains) Always things to learn. Everyday Bicycling is a solid read for the beginner, kinda beginner urban cyclists.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I'm a fairly experienced cyclist, this book was a great little read to get a refresh in the basics. The family bike section was pretty useful, as we'll be moving to getting a tag-a-long in the near future.

[Phill Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little short, but a vital antidote to Forester's Effective Cycling. Less of a beginner's guide to riding a bike than a handbook on living with a bike, using it to carry things and people, as well as finding community through cycling.

[darce vader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun read with some great tips.

[Robin Filipczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great resource if you are getting started as an everyday bicyclist. Not much to learn if you've been at it for 15+ years.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, to the point, and a bit disjointed. Reads like a collection of tips rather than a cohesive whole. Still, not bad.

[Albert Hong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, short intro to bicycling as a lifestyle.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and covers many types of bikes, and for what purposes they're best for.