For every way to ride, there's a bicycle to fit the need. An homage to the beauty of the bike, Cyclepedia showcases the innovations and legacies of bicycle design over the past century. Join longtime bike enthusiast and avid collector Michael Embacher for a tour of 100 bicycles, from the finest racing bikes and high-tech hybrids to the bizarrely specific (such as a bike designed to cycle on ice). Captivating photographs, detailed component lists, and anecdotal information illuminate the details that make each bicycle unique. Also including a foreword by cyclist and designer Paul Smith, Cyclepedia is the ultimate coffee-table book for devotees of the two-wheeled life.
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"From the sleek to the strange to the truly innovative, 100 detailed bike profiles will captivate cycle aficionados." - Fast Company
"Equal parts illuminating and aesthetically transfixing, Cyclepedia: A Century of Iconic Bicycle Design is bound to tickle your curiosity, quench your design eye, and make your hands itch for the handlebars." -BrainPickings
"Even if you've never picked up a surfboard, Ghost Wave will propel you to one of the most dramatic spots on Earth. "- Scientific America, Book Club selection
"Equal parts illuminating and aesthetically transfixing, Cyclepedia: A Century of Iconic Bicycle Design is bound to tickle your curiosity, quench your design eye, and make your hands itch for the handlebars." -BrainPickings
"Even if you've never picked up a surfboard, Ghost Wave will propel you to one of the most dramatic spots on Earth. "- Scientific America, Book Club selection
About the Author
Michael Embacher is a designer who lives in Vienna. He boasts one of the world's greatest collections of bicycles.
Paul Smith is a world-famous designer and a passionate cyclist.
Paul Smith is a world-famous designer and a passionate cyclist.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I purchased the app, that is basically a very, very smart interface with all of the bikes in the book. I found it greatly interesting - specially the timeline feature - and enjoyed the possibility of playing around with the image of each bycicle.
But then i saw some of the typical icons where not included ... Then had to google the author. I found he is a very talented collector and designer. This shows very well indeed in this compendium of bikes. But theni found this is his collection, not the world's iconic bicycles.
That may - for anyone wanting to learn more about how bicycles evolved through history - be a major drawback. It is for me. Seminal introductions by giants as Raleigh, BSA, Campagnolo are not included, and if you don't bear in mind this is just one (huge) collector's collection, you might miss out how important they were in history.
Having said this, the book will make a great passtime to discuss some bike models and innovations with your friends. I recommend buying it ... Together with another, more comprehensive, publication out there.
But then i saw some of the typical icons where not included ... Then had to google the author. I found he is a very talented collector and designer. This shows very well indeed in this compendium of bikes. But theni found this is his collection, not the world's iconic bicycles.
That may - for anyone wanting to learn more about how bicycles evolved through history - be a major drawback. It is for me. Seminal introductions by giants as Raleigh, BSA, Campagnolo are not included, and if you don't bear in mind this is just one (huge) collector's collection, you might miss out how important they were in history.
Having said this, the book will make a great passtime to discuss some bike models and innovations with your friends. I recommend buying it ... Together with another, more comprehensive, publication out there.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Jeff Potter
Format:Hardcover
This is basically the best photo overview of bike design. The diversity depicted is inspiring. I just love a big bike book.
Chronicle Books knows what they're doing -- they consistently pick great topics and execute them well. Whenever you see the "spectacles on a spine" you know you're in for a treat.
(Say, I just heard there's now a "Cyclepedia App" available offering zoomable and 360-degree views of all the bikes! ...Plus extra historic footage. [...]
This book is very satisfying. Still, it has a couple aspects that make me hunger for the next big bike book... I suppose no bike book is exhaustive, and there's always room for more -- but a couple came close in their day (Richard's and Durry/Wadley's). This book has a couple aspects that might baffle a reader. First, the book is a presentation of one architect's amazing collection. This is mentioned nowhere. Michael Embacher's collection is world famous in a few ways, including because it has been touring on its own as an art exhibit with bikes displayed on an amazing S-track near the ceiling of galleries. It's been quite an attraction. This exhibit is shown in a tiny sidebar pic in the book but not explained.
Next, Embacher is not a bike buff per se, but a Viennese designer. He picked bikes that seemed quirky and cool to him. He was even accepting of failure. He went for audacity. If a laugh resulted, that was fine.
Now, many of the bikes depicted are enduring classics. But there are so many amazing bike designs that both astonish and succeed which don't appear. I miss them! Goofy false-start bikes might be more satisfying if successes along similar lines are included. (For instance, it only brushes the ultra-creative world of recumbents.) Oh, to have seen a dozen more 'just right' bikes!... Read more ›
Chronicle Books knows what they're doing -- they consistently pick great topics and execute them well. Whenever you see the "spectacles on a spine" you know you're in for a treat.
(Say, I just heard there's now a "Cyclepedia App" available offering zoomable and 360-degree views of all the bikes! ...Plus extra historic footage. [...]
This book is very satisfying. Still, it has a couple aspects that make me hunger for the next big bike book... I suppose no bike book is exhaustive, and there's always room for more -- but a couple came close in their day (Richard's and Durry/Wadley's). This book has a couple aspects that might baffle a reader. First, the book is a presentation of one architect's amazing collection. This is mentioned nowhere. Michael Embacher's collection is world famous in a few ways, including because it has been touring on its own as an art exhibit with bikes displayed on an amazing S-track near the ceiling of galleries. It's been quite an attraction. This exhibit is shown in a tiny sidebar pic in the book but not explained.
Next, Embacher is not a bike buff per se, but a Viennese designer. He picked bikes that seemed quirky and cool to him. He was even accepting of failure. He went for audacity. If a laugh resulted, that was fine.
Now, many of the bikes depicted are enduring classics. But there are so many amazing bike designs that both astonish and succeed which don't appear. I miss them! Goofy false-start bikes might be more satisfying if successes along similar lines are included. (For instance, it only brushes the ultra-creative world of recumbents.) Oh, to have seen a dozen more 'just right' bikes!... Read more ›
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
What great pictures. These bikes have never received the attention that they deserve. 100 years from now, people will still need this book.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
THIS IS GREAT REFERENCE BOOK FOR COFFEE TABLE IN HOME OF ANY REAL CYCLING ENTHUSIAST..
GREAT STORIES AND PICTURES FOR THE LAZY VIEWERS..
GREAT STORIES AND PICTURES FOR THE LAZY VIEWERS..
By Rose Koller
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gave this to my boss, who is a bicycle enthusiast, for Christmas, and he LOVED it!! He was amazed by the photos and the number of really rare bikes.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you like to look at interesting & unusual bicycles this book is an outstanding value. The pictures are crisp studio portraits, several of which are poster-quality. This is an important record of bicycle innovation and an important addition to the library of any serious enthusiast.
This book is a catalog of the author's personal collection of idiosyncratic 20th century bicycles. It is the only catalog of any bicycle collection currently available. The table of contents lists 97 bicycles. It is not a historic collection so much as a collection of 20th century bicycles; 71 of them are after 1976. The oldest bike is 1922, three are from the 1920s, five from the 1930s and five from the 1940s. The bike collection lists 38 racing (including 2 Cinellis, a Kestrel, and breath-taking Sabliere and Bianci C-4 pages) 26 "urban", 24 unusual folding, 19 touring (which includes 2 Herse bikes and a Baines), 5 mountain bikes, 4 tandems. 2 cargo and 35 what it describes as "curiosity" bicycles, which include bicycles with spring frames, shaft drives and a 1996 two-wheel drive, to name a few. The collection is a catalog of the variety of human ingenuity developing different braking, gearing and frame designs.
The photographs are high quality close-ups. The book emphasis is on the collection. The sometimes awkwardly translated text is casual and unfootnoted, like a museum display pointing out interesting details about the bikes rather than details about history.
This is the second catalog of the Embacher collection. The first one was Smart Move- Bicycles From the Embacher Collection was published in 2007 which had 48 bicycles.... Read more ›
This book is a catalog of the author's personal collection of idiosyncratic 20th century bicycles. It is the only catalog of any bicycle collection currently available. The table of contents lists 97 bicycles. It is not a historic collection so much as a collection of 20th century bicycles; 71 of them are after 1976. The oldest bike is 1922, three are from the 1920s, five from the 1930s and five from the 1940s. The bike collection lists 38 racing (including 2 Cinellis, a Kestrel, and breath-taking Sabliere and Bianci C-4 pages) 26 "urban", 24 unusual folding, 19 touring (which includes 2 Herse bikes and a Baines), 5 mountain bikes, 4 tandems. 2 cargo and 35 what it describes as "curiosity" bicycles, which include bicycles with spring frames, shaft drives and a 1996 two-wheel drive, to name a few. The collection is a catalog of the variety of human ingenuity developing different braking, gearing and frame designs.
The photographs are high quality close-ups. The book emphasis is on the collection. The sometimes awkwardly translated text is casual and unfootnoted, like a museum display pointing out interesting details about the bikes rather than details about history.
This is the second catalog of the Embacher collection. The first one was Smart Move- Bicycles From the Embacher Collection was published in 2007 which had 48 bicycles.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, especially in combo with the companion iPad application
The book is a joy to browse, and production values are very high. The text is informative, although the selection probably is more a reflection of the author/collector's... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Tom Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful book
If you are a fan of bikes and photography, make sure you have this book in your collection.
Bicycles unimaginable that I would love to see running the streets of Rio de... Read more
Bicycles unimaginable that I would love to see running the streets of Rio de... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jean J. Michel
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice book!
The book is very interesting because you can see how they engineered bikes from 75 years ago up until 20 years ago. The pictures were great!
Published 17 months ago by jarek
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cyclepedia, a great gift for bycyle affiannados
I gave this as a holiday gift to my daughter and son in law and all through the week my son in law kept going through the book with great appreciation. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Denyse Holt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book!
This is a great coffee table book for those bicycle enthusiasts out there and for the cyclist. The bicycles they show in the book are fantastic. Great buy and made a great gift!
Published 17 months ago by CDorgs
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good thing
It is a fine looking and interesting collection. My issue is not with the publication.
I was disappointed that it arrived with a dent in the cover and there was no way I... Read more
I was disappointed that it arrived with a dent in the cover and there was no way I... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Michael Signorella
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice coffee table book for the cyclist.
I got this book for my mountain biker son for Christmas. He hasn't received it yet but I have looked through the book and I know that he will love it.
Published 20 months ago by Tonia Greenawalt
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