So I've had Tino's copy of Richard Ballantine's soon to be released "City Cycling" for a week and a day now, just long enough to furrow the collective brow of the iBikeTO bloggers, who can't wait to get their SynLubed little palms on it!
From first perusal, the reasons are clearly evident. The fun and easy layout make this little volume a joy to read, to refer to, or even just to pick up and flip through. The pages are laden with an entire basket full of golden knowledge-nuggets for the urban cyclist, yet the reader never feels encumbered by excess weight. Beautiful and colourful bicycle imagery adorns nearly every page and the whimsical coaching diagrams are both playful and useful. Ballantine's sharp wit and experience translate beautifully to the text, and one can sense his passion and connectivity to the bicycle with every suggestion that he makes.
Urban Cycling
By circumstance alone, urban cycling is indeed much different that other kinds of cycling. With City Cycling, Ballantine leaves the open-road and mountains behind and homes in on the nitty-gritty of what urban-dwelling cyclists really need to know. His chapter on Wheel Dealing, for instance, addresses bike fit and function but goes much further, discussing things like selecting a reputable bike shop, what to look for in a used bike, how to recognize a stolen bike and even how to disguise and protect your bike from thieves. The Healthy Bike checklist is a highly functional resource and would only be improved by the inclusion of a bike parts diagram for reference.
A fine example of the amazing golden knowledge-nuggets offered, appears in the aptly named Ballantine's Golden Rules of Bike Buying found on page 84: "Out of any given group of perspective bikes, "best" is the one you like most".
Seemingly simple, yes, but still so often ignored!
Riding in Traffic
The chapter on Riding, not only teaches valuable nuggets of basic traffic theory, it effectively describes their application, in practice, through the use of easily related personal anecdotes. Ballantine's encounter with "Hyper Annie Super Mom" in her SUV full of kids or the aggressive "Johnny Balls-Up in his tricked out GT Whizzer TI" seem all too familiar, and the advice he provides for addressing these sorts of situations a welcome affirmation! While paying much respect to order and experience, Ballantine seems unencumbered by the "rules of the road" and his suggestions, while perhaps not protecting you from the occasional fine vulnerability, will certainly keep you alive and happy while riding on busy downtown streets. As he states, "Traffic" is simply "a series of conflicts resolved by agreements."
One thing to bear in mind is that, as cute and whimsical as the instructional diagrams are, they were created in London, England and are laid out for those riding on the left hand side of the road. A quick check in the mirror seemed to resolve any confusion as to how the same scenarios might play out here in Toronto. Please be sure to ask, or check a local resource, if you're unsure of anything.
Tactics and Mechanics
Also very useful, are chapters on Tactics and on Mechanics. The former, provides valuable insight into some of the macro functions of urban riding, such as selecting a route, parking and security or shopping and haulage. The latter is a veritable cornucopia of golden knowledge-nuggets and step-by-step photo illustrated instructions for the micro functions of basic maintenance and repair.
Our Beloved Seasoned Cyclist
At 66 years of age, Ballantine has been riding forever, it seems, and has been publishing books and magazines on the subject since the early 70's. He was (and is) instrumental to the development of the Human Powered Vehicle movement and has consistently advocated that cyclists have a right to use the road, and should not compromise their own safety by riding to the side of a lane, simply for the convenience of others. As he states, "The core of cycling is that you are in control and set your own pace. That includes choosing where you go. Freedom."
May I suggest that you choose to ride by and pick up a copy of this book, either for your own enjoyment (as a potential or actual city cyclist), or as a gift for a friend who really ought to be out there riding along with you. While published in the U.K., Ballantine's golden knowledge-nuggets are mostly universal. Upon reading City Cycling, I was not only inspired to tune up my ride, but have found that I am communicating much more with my fellow road users and am riding around with a few extra nuggets of confidence in my satchel.
Comments
anthony
The Best Bike Is...
Thu, 08/23/2007 - 09:18On a related note:
I like to say: the "best" bike is the one between your legs; that is, the bike you ride is the best bike.
It sounds like I'll like this book. I'll be looking for it in my bookstore.
Another bike book out of the UK that I enjoyed is "On Your Bike" by Matt Seaton, Black Dog Publishing, 2006. Perhaps without the focus of urban cycling that "City Cycling" has, it's also a good read with practical advice and also a bit of backround and history of cycling. But mostly it's fun to read with lots of pictures.
Glen (not verified)
Not very useful, and with some scary advice thrown in..
Sat, 04/12/2008 - 16:14I can't believe you liked this book! To me, it's mostly a rehash of 'The Bicycle Book', with a focus on urban commuting in the U.K. - hardly 'universal' or relevant in its recommendations to the vastly different environment for bike commuting in the U.S. - laws and traffic regulations, traffic environment, road conditions, the huge variations in North American city cycling environments, etc, etc. For U.S. and Canadian bike commuters - note that you'd get more useful advice from a single visit to bikeforums than you'll ever get from this book.
The bike repair/maintenance chapter is a JOKE. The hoary old practice of including a short chapter on bike repair in a bicycle book may have had some utility back in 1978, when bikes were mostly roadsters or 10-speeds, but not in 2008, when whole thick books on beginning bike repair must be now devoted to certain types of bicycles because of the vast differences in cycle design and componentry. The bike security Note how often Mr. Ballantine ends his repair/maintenance advice with a comment along the lines of "find a bike shop and pay them to do the work". Do even beginners really need 'advice' such as that?
Moreover, some of his advice, like recommending adjustable bike stems for hard everyday use in urban traffic, strikes me as extremely dangerous. As anyone who's examined these knows, they use only bolt friction against serrations stamped on the bolt seat to hold their position. Should one slip, you'll be in deep trouble when the stem suddenly flattens to a 'zero rise'!! Ballantine really slipped on that one.
I still like his 'Bicycle Book', but I think Mr. Ballantine's best years are behind him. Certainly the prior quality of his work isn't evident in 'City Cycling.'