The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street [Paperback]

Robert Hurst (Author), Marla Streb (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Road rash is a precious gift. Road rash is your friend.
Bask in it, appreciate it, love it. Above all, learn from it.
The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry. As if that weren’t enough, the urban cyclist must carry the weight of history along on every ride.
After a brief heyday at the turn of the twentieth century, American cyclists fell out of the social consciousness, becoming an afterthought when our cities were planned and built. Cyclists today are left to navigate, like rats in a sewer, through a hard and unsympathetic world that was not made for them. Yet, with the proper attitude and a bit of knowledge, urban cyclists can thrive in this hostile environment.
Author Robert Hurst dismantles the experience of urban cycling, slides it under the microscope, and examines it piece by piece. The primary concern of this book is safety, but Hurst goes well beyond the usual tips and how-to, revealing the bicycle’s historical truths and its pivotal role in the origin of the automobile, the psychology of blame and responsibility, the social advantage of communicating solidarity with drivers, and the economics of riding a bike. This book empowers readers with the big picture of bicycling - and gives riders useful insights to ponder while pedaling their next commute or grocery run. Riding a bike will never be the same.

About the Author

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762727837
• ISBN-13: 978-0762727834
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lotsa street wisdom in this book---, September 1, 2004

By 

Cliff Heegel (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street (Paperback)

I love riding my bike through the city-- Cities are fascinating when you experience them from a bicycle. To me riding a bike through a city is an adventure. I am amazed when others are amazed that I don't have a car and don't want one.

City bike riding is great--- and this is a great book for anyone who wants to learn wise ways to wisely negotiate urban streets and traffic. Hurst articulates the street sense that takes years of riding to acquire. I have been riding as a bike commuter in urban settings for the past 20 years-- this book is on target.

If you want to ride your bike more and depend on cars less, this is a good source to turn to for some sage advice. To really learn, of course, you need to ride your bike on your streets in your city.

If you decide to ride, read this book. If you are already a veteran of the urban biking wars, read this book-- I learned a lot. I feel even more relaxed riding now than I did before I read the book.

There are other books about cycling that are worth reading (such as Effective Cycling by John Forester but I think this one is the best of the bunch.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivating, pragmatic, entertaining, well written and thoroughly referenced., January 1, 2006

By 

Hansel de Sousa "hdesousa" (Bethlehem, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street (Paperback)

The best "how to" cycling book out there. I've bought several copies for myself, strategically placed to rarely be far from one. Having ridden in cities for over 40 years, I still found every page, infact almost every paragraph contained a pearl. Pros and cons of controvertial issues are presented, and with excellent references, making the author's recommendations so much more authoritative.

Two of many examples: The helmet controversy is addressed, including most the anti-helmet arguments, yet concludes: "Wear a helmet, but don't let it get to your head", which encompasses the notion of 'risk compensation' without directly mentioning it (which would have opened up a real Pandora's box).

Mirrors are credited with negating some of the need to look back, but yet Hurst tellingly mentions "Turning back can have almost the same effect as a turn signal".

There are literally hundreds of similar insights to safe riding.

Safety is the first priority throughout the book, yet it's much too inspiring and humourous to be treated as an instruction manual.

Recommended without any reservation!

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and well-considered, August 12, 2004

By 

Katherine E Stange (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street (Paperback)

I would like to highly recommend the book "The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street" by Robert Hurst. Not only is it delightfully written (with a sense of humour and a relaxed style) and absorbing ("just a second, dear, I'll take out the trash after I read about curbs"), but it's *dead on*. I've been riding my whole life, never having owned a car, to get everywhere from school to grocery shopping to Canada. And he's *right*.

Nevertheless, I've learned much from reading it. Hurst advocates a practical and well-considered (not to mention well-tested and developed by very experienced riders), safety-oriented, philosophically coherent approach that I find very appealing. He draws the best parts of Forester's well-established "vehicular-cycling" philosophy but drops the impractical and dangerous aspects of any strict adherence to it. He advocates awareness, a consideration for others, and responsibility for one's own safety, above mere blind rule-following.

The book starts out with a history of cycling and the role it played in the development of our automobile society. He shows us that the ties are deep and tangled, and encourages us to embrace the complex world that is the city street. He then discusses the history of and previous philosophies of urban cycling before getting into the equally fascinating details of riding style, dangers, accidents, equipment, etc. It's a wonderful book, both to read cover-to-cover for interest, and as a reference with a detailed index.