Bicycling Science, Second Edition [Hardcover]

Frank Rowland Whitt (Author), David Gordon Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 1982

The second edition of Bicycling Science includes new information on recent achievements and experiments in human-powered transportation, from the "ultimate human-powered vehicle" (UHPV) in which supine riders can achieve speeds well over 60 mph, to human-powered aircraft, boats, and rail transportation. New chapters cover the history of bicycle and humanpower technology and science, and the speed-power relationships of various modes and vehicles including performance predictions for the UHPV and the "commuter human-powered vehicle." The chapters on braking, steering, friction, air drag, rider cooling, and transmissions and gearing have all been enlarged and updated. James McCullagh, editor of Bicycling Magazine has written a Foreword for this edition which also includes many new illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The human being used as an engine may not be the way you look at a bicycle, but that's how nature looks at it. This exceptional book analyzes, compares and judges the measurable aspects of people-power and the bicycle being ridden .... Happily, [the authors) haven't hidden the findings in a mass of jargon. The chapter on bicycle physics will get most readers to a useful level of understanding. The chapter on people-powered devices other than bicycles is fascinating."
- J. Baldwin, The CoEvolution Quarterly



"The technical discussion is presented for the intelligent layman, and the book will interest bicycle racers, serious bicycle tourists, and man-powered transportation enthusiasts. A landmark reference."
- Library Journal

From the Inside Flap

"*Bicycling Science* is the bible for bicycle and human-powered vehicle development. It offers the reader a good understanding of the technical aspects of bicycle design, as well as a look back at where we've come from, and perhaps where we're going. Everyone involved in the bicycle industry should read this book -- a real gem." --Bob Bryant, Publisher, Recumbent Cyclist News

"*Bicycling Science* is the ultimate fundamentals book in cycling science. The third edition of this highly respected work is more comprehensive and better than ever ­ rigorous in its scholarship, yet clear and entertaining, at times even lighthearted. Wilson sets out what is established and known on the physics of cycles and human power, and identifies open questions and directions for ongoing research. For anyone with a deep interest in cycling science and human power, this book is simply essential." --Richard Ballantine, President, International Human Powered Vehicle Association

"In this much-modified third edition of *Bicycling Science*, David Gordon Wilson has at last compiled the definitive book about this efficient method of travel. He covers all of the bicycle's facets, from history to physics to aesthetics, in a book that is both exacting and entertaining." --Paul B. MacCready, Chairman, AeroVironment Inc.

"If you want to really understand the physiology and physics that make your bike fun and fast, Bicycling Science is the one book you need. For more than a quarter century, it has been bicycle technology's Rosetta stone for dedicated enthusiasts and professionals alike. The third edition expands on this tradition nicely, adding and updating valuable information." --John Schubert, Technical Editor, Adventure Cyclist Magazine

"The third edition of *Bicycling Science* is the best book of its type since Archibald Sharpe's 1896 *Bicycles and Tricycles*. Wilson's book includes excellent updates on topics ranging from bicycle history, human power, and bicycle stability to aerodynamics and mechanics. It will become the essential reference for those who really want to understand what makes a bicycle work." --Chester Kyle, Co-founder, International Human Powered Vehicle Association --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 2 edition (August 12, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262231115
• ISBN-13: 978-0262231114
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,328,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Other reviews refer to previous editions, May 3, 2004

By 

Jim Papadopoulos (green bay, wi United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bicycling Science (Paperback)

Disclosure: I am an interested party (contributor), so you may take my 'star' rating with a grain of salt. My main message is to make a point that I have also emailed to Amazon.

As of May 1, 2004 the other customer reviews posted for this title are somewhat misleading, because they refer only to the much older (second) edition. The third edition, published April 2004, is dramatically enlarged and updated -- a completely new book based on a tremendous amount of recent work. Dave Wilson and I have attempted to address all the issues to be seen in those reviews, plus many more, we hope successfully.

In this 5-year process every chapter was rewritten or even replaced outright. A great quantity of new material on history, physiology, speed calculations, aerodynamics, steering theory, human powered vehicles etc. is available nowhere else.

I encourage any scientifically curious cyclist, or bicycle industry engineer, to contribute a genuine review of the third edition, so potential readers can learn about this distinctly different book.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bicycling Science 3rd Edition, August 9, 2004

By 

A. Fuchs - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bicycling Science (Paperback)

Reviewed by Dr. Andreas Fuchs, Berne, Switzerland, August 2004

Long-awaited for Bicycling Science 3 is finally here: 22 years after the second edition was originally published! A main question for the reviewer was therefore: Will the 3rd edition of Bicycling Science consider the key-developments that happened in this field during the full age of the desktop computer in a wisely weighted manner? This question is a fair one since Bicycling Science ranks among the most important books in the field of cycling!

The new, third edition of Bicycling Science (BS) contains main chapters about: History, human power generation, thermal effects on power production, power and speed, bicycle aerodynamics, rolling (tires and bearings), braking, steering and balancing, mechanics and mechanisms (power transmission), materials and stresses, unusual human-powered machines, and human-powered vehicles in the future.
Compared with BS2, BS3 has relatively more content in the chapters "human power generation" and "steering and balancing". BS3 discusses relevant results of work physiology in much more detail than BS2. Since bicycling science is a wide field it is a wise decision to involve co-authors; in the "steering and balancing"-chapter Jim Papadopolous vast experience with this main topic shines up and is, at least by the reviewer, very much appreciated!

After reading BS3, the question put up by the reviewer at the beginning of this review receives an overall positive answer: D.G. Wilson lists many new references; as a very serious observer of the field of bicycling science Wilson identified the important developments and discusses them accordingly. The main omission detected by the reviewer is the absence of the topic "suspension" high up in the hierarchy of the chapters of the book. Also, the hydraulic actuation of brakes would have deserved a more prominent position.
Apart from that, the book covers bicycling science as what it is today very well! BS, if it was an academic discipline, was defined by engineers and physicists; one focus that is therefore still missing too much is the one of human factors and ergonomics. By saying that the reviewer does not at all negatively criticize BS3... he just likes to point out a weakness in the bicycle research area for which neither D.G. Wilson nor J. Papadopoulous are responsible, of course!

Conclusion: The 3rd edition of Bicycling Science is a noble successor of BS2 and assures that The MTI Press's Bicycling Science remains in the top ranks in cycle literature!

The reviewer is physicist and is since many years actively involved in the study, development and promotion of modern forms of cycles. He could therefore be called "an expert" in the field of bicycling science. Main fields of interest are velomobiles, power-assist drives and human powered vehicles dynamics, especially aerodynamics.

71 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engineers will love it, but the book could use updating, September 11, 2001

By 

John H. Henderson (Las Cruces, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bicycling Science, Second Edition (Paperback)

Warning: I am an engineer with a Ph.D.. So I might enjoy some things that may other can't appreciate. Bicycling Science is for the bicyclist, or someone interested in human-powered vehicles (HPV), who has a background in science, engineering and/or mathematics. I absolutely love this book. There are few books that I've enjoyed more. The reasons why I don't give it five stars are below.

This book can help one separate reality from marketing hype. Does cutting down the weight of spokes really help much? How does crank length affect performance? What affect does cooling have on a cyclist? How much does the difference between cheap bearings and good bearings affect performance? How fast should you really pedal? Are aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber vastly superior to steel? How heavily is someone breathing when they begin breathing through their mouths? How efficient is a person on a bike (in energy per mass per person per speed) compared to a bus, moped, swimmer, horse or hopping bunny? How many wives can you trade your bike for in Nigeria? These questions, and many more, are answered in this book.

The style is very much that of an academic journal, and the book is a survey of the literature in the field. References abound. The authors do their best to combine the results from different sources into a coherent reference. If this style is familiar to you, then you will not feel out of place with this book.

Chapters in the book include those on human power generation, cyclist cooling, wind resistance, the wheel, mechanical friction, braking, balancing and steering, materials and stress, and future developments. I particularly like the chapter on stability, an apparently controversial topic. The chapter presents a plausible theory supported by experiment, and provides a simple equation to calculate a stability factor for a bike design. The book concludes with an interesting chapter on what advances can be made to bicycles and to the infrastructure to make biking more viable as a form of transportation.

I mainly did not give Bicycling Science five stars because it is getting out of date. I'm sure that much additional research has been performed since the 1982 copyright date, and many advances have been made in the last 20 years, particularly those as a result of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA). The materials section could add data for some of the newer materials used for bikes such as Reynolds 853 steel and some new titanium alloys. Also, the authors tried to present data from different sources on common graphs, and in some cases, I am still puzzled at how to interpret some of the plots. I also felt that sometimes I had a bunch of data dumped in my lap with no conclusions being drawn. For example, after reading the chapter on human power generation, I wasn't sure if one should always attempt to pedal at 90-100 RPM, or should reduce cadence for the required endurance.

My complaints are few and minor, however, and I highly recommend this book to the cyclist, or cycling aficionado, who relishes the math and physics.

The only book that I've heard of that seems to be similar is High-Tech Cycling by Edmund Burke. However, I've not seen it, and reviews of it seem few and far between.