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Urban Cycling: How to Get to Work, Save Money, and Use Your Bike for City Living
Bicycle commuting is growing by leaps and bounds, especially among women. For many prospective bike commuters, simply seeing a bicyclist cruise past their car or bus while stuck in heavy traffic is enough to inspire a change. But many novice bike commuters crave a manual. The largest percentage of would-be bicycle commuters falls in the Interested But Concerned category they have questions about rules of the road, fears about traffic, or uncertainty about how to get started. Urban Cycling is the easy-to-navigate resource that answers it all!
Author, advocate, and urban-cycler extraordinaire Madi Carlson provides accessible and appealing guidance, giving even the most hesitant bicyclist all the tools she needs to join the cycling community. Carlson details everything from choosing a bike and gear accessories to safe riding techniques, city cycling infrastructure to route planning, and multi-modal commuting to basic maintenance. She also discusses legal issues around urban biking and commuting with children. Illustrations and diagrams of various bicycle facilities and traffic situations help show readers what is expected in each, while photographs demonstrate gear essentials and riding techniques. Tips, personal anecdotes, and profiles of bike commuters and cycling organizations from around the country provide additional advice and inspiration.
Author, advocate, and urban-cycler extraordinaire Madi Carlson provides accessible and appealing guidance, giving even the most hesitant bicyclist all the tools she needs to join the cycling community. Carlson details everything from choosing a bike and gear accessories to safe riding techniques, city cycling infrastructure to route planning, and multi-modal commuting to basic maintenance. She also discusses legal issues around urban biking and commuting with children. Illustrations and diagrams of various bicycle facilities and traffic situations help show readers what is expected in each, while photographs demonstrate gear essentials and riding techniques. Tips, personal anecdotes, and profiles of bike commuters and cycling organizations from around the country provide additional advice and inspiration.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2015
9 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Madi Carlson
1 book3 followersMadi Carlson bikes all over Seattle, Washington with her two kids. She is continually experimenting to find safe- and flat-enough routes as well as creative ways to carry all the snacks/toys/gear that come with small children.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 5, 2016
It happened to me probably the same way it happened to you. I'd moved to the city, and although pleased at the sudden surfeit of destinations within walking or transit distance, I found myself thinking it'd be nice to have a mode of transportation faster than walking and without the scheduling hassles of transit, but less troublesome than driving a car on crowded city streets. Then, lo and behold, a friend was moving out of town and had a bike for sale, and, probably with vague recollections of my teenage years bombing around the suburbs on a bicycle, I'd bought it...only to realize that biking in the city is an entirely different ballgame.
Luckily, I had a friend who's also recently entered the urban-biking ballgame, and who almost instantaneously recommended this book. I'm glad she did, too - it strikes that wonderful balance between accessibility and comprehensiveness that's absolute gold to the newbie. I've read through it once already, and strongly suspect I'll be revisiting parts of it once spring comes around and I start biking regularly. I especially liked the rundown of family biking options, as well as lifestyle options such as clubs and advocacy groups. A marvellous resource for beginning cyclists and likely with a thing or two to teach experienced bikers alike.
Luckily, I had a friend who's also recently entered the urban-biking ballgame, and who almost instantaneously recommended this book. I'm glad she did, too - it strikes that wonderful balance between accessibility and comprehensiveness that's absolute gold to the newbie. I've read through it once already, and strongly suspect I'll be revisiting parts of it once spring comes around and I start biking regularly. I especially liked the rundown of family biking options, as well as lifestyle options such as clubs and advocacy groups. A marvellous resource for beginning cyclists and likely with a thing or two to teach experienced bikers alike.
September 10, 2022
Very helpful book. If recently taken up city biking and wanted to get a more information on etiquette, laws and how to prepare for winter riding. It was helpful that the author has spent lots of time cycling in Seattle, so it was applicable to my situation. The author approaches cycling from a lifestyle perspective that can be intertwined in to everyday life. There’s no reason you can’t cycle to work in your dress, or skirt. There’s a bike for every user. You don’t have to be or look a certain way to bike. I loved the discussion on laws and interactions with drivers. That is what I’m having the hardest thing with personally, but being reminded to keep a positive attitude and that biking is statistically safe really helped my framing. Also, just knowing I have the power to choose routes and avoid unsafe interactions. Everything is within my control.
July 13, 2023
Bike Time
This is a fun and informative book about biking and commuting by bike.
I was particularly interested in the safety and commuting practices of this book, especially how Vancouver is probably one of the most dangerous places to drive/bike/walk in Canada.
I learned a lot, and this book will help me through urban roads!
See you on the paths!
3.9/5
This is a fun and informative book about biking and commuting by bike.
I was particularly interested in the safety and commuting practices of this book, especially how Vancouver is probably one of the most dangerous places to drive/bike/walk in Canada.
I learned a lot, and this book will help me through urban roads!
See you on the paths!
3.9/5
September 17, 2018
Extremely informative guide. I wish I had read this before I bought my bike. Would love to have a Canadian version!
August 20, 2022
A very solid introduction into the topic.
March 27, 2016
On a chilly, rainy evening last week two (Retired, Senior Citizen type!) cycling friends rode our bicycles to Madi Carlson’s author talk about her new book “Urban Cycling” at the Lake Foprest Branch of the King County Library System. True to form, Ms. Carlson was wearing the trademark red skirt she wears also in the photo on the rear cover of her book.
In the same photo, she clarified those are apple, not tomatoes in her front metal basket!
Ms. Carlson’s book is published by Skipstone, an imprint of The Mountaineers Society in Seattle. Tangibly, the cover of the book has one of those soft, velvety touches to the hand. The book has friendly rounded corners on the side where you open the book to read. Madi Carlson says “friendly for carrying in your bike panniers”. The layout of the book is open, full of photographs, and contrasting color highlights for section titles and labels. Pinkish, orange?
“Urban Cycling” is firmly in that sub-genre of bicycling books that addresses adopting bicycles as a personal form of transportation in urban settings for everyday activities like commuting to work and school, grocery and personal shopping, recreational riding and rendezvous with friends over distances of 3-5 miles. This type of riding is quicker, easier and less expensive than using an automobile she claims - and much transportation research backs up these claims. My personal experience backs up these claims. Ms. Carlson is authoritative and qualified to address “bicycling as urban transporartion” because she is an accredited League of American Bicyclists trainer and regularly offers training events in the Pacific Northwest. She definitely knows what she is talking about
The book is addressed principally to readers who are not yet, but considering using bicycles as a form of everyday transportation. Ten years ago, I was one of these people and I could not quite find a book like this. I really wanted to get out of this steel capsule we live in in urban environments, and get my daily exercise in during the time I commuted to work in Seattle City Center. I was a bit frightened, but my friends encouraged me. If you are already one of the coverted to bicycles as urban transportation, you surely will pick up a new tactic or two by buying this book. I did, and it was named the “Copenhagen Left”, left hand turn. (I did buy the book directly from the author at her book talk!). Oh, by the way, “Copenhagen left” does NOT automatically mean your place on the political belief spectrum.
All the above said, if you are already riding your bike for urban transportation, buy this book for a friend who has been looking curiously at you and asking questions. Then, offer to ride with them on some of their first attempts!
Budding urban cyclists will find the “profiles” of real individuals, men and women, the most useful. Chances are you will find a life and body type similar to yours and identify enough with it to be convinced to try riding a bicycle for everyday activities. You will find someone who can dress pretty much the same way for indoor life and bicycling life. All these individuals in her book, ride inventively, inexpensively and safely.
Madi Carlson does mention frequently how environmentally friendly riding bicycles is as an activity. She has charts on CO2 emissions reduction. However, CO2 is an invisible gas and so is a less tangible benefit when considering actually riding your bike in the ways she encourages. She says so often in her book that riding a bicycle, after a short time, just makes you feel physically and mentally good. All those secondary environmental benefits just come from a bicyclist’s personal practice. So, if you you want to feel better, urban cycling for the optimal 3-5 mile distances gets your daily exercise in without budgeting dedicated time and money in a gym. “Feeling better” has become my primary motivation.
In the same photo, she clarified those are apple, not tomatoes in her front metal basket!
Ms. Carlson’s book is published by Skipstone, an imprint of The Mountaineers Society in Seattle. Tangibly, the cover of the book has one of those soft, velvety touches to the hand. The book has friendly rounded corners on the side where you open the book to read. Madi Carlson says “friendly for carrying in your bike panniers”. The layout of the book is open, full of photographs, and contrasting color highlights for section titles and labels. Pinkish, orange?
“Urban Cycling” is firmly in that sub-genre of bicycling books that addresses adopting bicycles as a personal form of transportation in urban settings for everyday activities like commuting to work and school, grocery and personal shopping, recreational riding and rendezvous with friends over distances of 3-5 miles. This type of riding is quicker, easier and less expensive than using an automobile she claims - and much transportation research backs up these claims. My personal experience backs up these claims. Ms. Carlson is authoritative and qualified to address “bicycling as urban transporartion” because she is an accredited League of American Bicyclists trainer and regularly offers training events in the Pacific Northwest. She definitely knows what she is talking about
The book is addressed principally to readers who are not yet, but considering using bicycles as a form of everyday transportation. Ten years ago, I was one of these people and I could not quite find a book like this. I really wanted to get out of this steel capsule we live in in urban environments, and get my daily exercise in during the time I commuted to work in Seattle City Center. I was a bit frightened, but my friends encouraged me. If you are already one of the coverted to bicycles as urban transportation, you surely will pick up a new tactic or two by buying this book. I did, and it was named the “Copenhagen Left”, left hand turn. (I did buy the book directly from the author at her book talk!). Oh, by the way, “Copenhagen left” does NOT automatically mean your place on the political belief spectrum.
All the above said, if you are already riding your bike for urban transportation, buy this book for a friend who has been looking curiously at you and asking questions. Then, offer to ride with them on some of their first attempts!
Budding urban cyclists will find the “profiles” of real individuals, men and women, the most useful. Chances are you will find a life and body type similar to yours and identify enough with it to be convinced to try riding a bicycle for everyday activities. You will find someone who can dress pretty much the same way for indoor life and bicycling life. All these individuals in her book, ride inventively, inexpensively and safely.
Madi Carlson does mention frequently how environmentally friendly riding bicycles is as an activity. She has charts on CO2 emissions reduction. However, CO2 is an invisible gas and so is a less tangible benefit when considering actually riding your bike in the ways she encourages. She says so often in her book that riding a bicycle, after a short time, just makes you feel physically and mentally good. All those secondary environmental benefits just come from a bicyclist’s personal practice. So, if you you want to feel better, urban cycling for the optimal 3-5 mile distances gets your daily exercise in without budgeting dedicated time and money in a gym. “Feeling better” has become my primary motivation.
November 19, 2015
I pre-ordered this book after meeting the author at one of Seattle's women bicyclist "Critical Lass" rides; I was impressed with her knowledge, friendliness, and intentions to make urban bicycling accessible to all kinds of people, and I wanted to support that. Her ethos really shines through in the book, and I'm very glad I ordered it. It's the book I wish I had had when I started being primarily bike-centric rather than car-centric in Seattle a couple years back. If you're a super experienced urban rider you may find it a bit basic, but even with two years of year-round experience under my belt I still learned a lot and found many useful references to Google later. The section on repairs was particularly nice to have all spelled out, but I was surprised that my second favorite part were the profiles of different riders in different cities around the US. I've just begun to take my bike with me when I travel, so it was neat to see how folks handle their different regional weather and terrain challenges, and gave me ideas for how I might do the same.
February 6, 2016
If you want to change the world, you have to get out of your car. And, if you live in the US with our woefully inadequate public transportation and low density development, a bicycle is often your best alternative. "Great idea," say many people, "but I have young kids to schlep all over town and live on a hill in rainy, cold Seattle. So, there's just no way I can live my life by bicycle." Madi Carlson shows us how wrong this reasoning is. I call this the "no excuses" book. Madi, and a growing number of others of her generation are demonstrating that there is a way to reject car culture, and Madi has done the rest of us the favor of writing a how-to book. Her and her friends' bikes sport bumper stickers saying "one less minivan." As a member of the generation that intended to change the world but ended up buying too many minivans, I am inspired by this book to do better with whatever time I have left.
January 8, 2016
This book has a little bit of everything you need to ride your bike. While it has some insight on urban city riding, it's also a great resource for anyone hopping in the saddle for the first time. There is also a great section on riding with children, that covers birth through adulthood.
January 17, 2017
Great guide to get you in the saddle & help you ride confidently for transportation or recreation. Lots of useful information, including useful stuff for riding with children. Definitely worth buying & having on hand for help with basic bike maintenance.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews