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As the nights draw in and it gets colder outside, my mind turns to armchair-based cycling adventures, and cold nights spent fettling the bike indoors as opposed to being out in the sunshine putting in the summer miles.
The Urban Biking Handbook by Charles Haines is a comprehensive guide to cycling in the city, with a specific focus on building, rebuilding, tinkering, recycling and repairing your bike. Ever wondered how to swap out your handlebars? This book shows you how. Want to plan a summer cycling tour? It's all in here. Want to build one of those insane looking tall bikes from second hand frames??! Check! If there aren't any ideas in the book that tweak your interest, the beautiful photographs that generously illustrate it will inspire you to want to go for a ride.
Whilst decidedly North American in it's layout and design (is a chapter on setting up a co-operative "bicycle education space" really necessary?), the book is a great introduction to those wanting to learn the nuts and bolts of their bicycles inside and out. Refreshingly, it's focussed less on buying 'stuff' to improve your cycling experience, and more on getting to know your bike really well and adjusting it yourself to meet your needs.
The chapter encouraging a car-lite lifestyle is full of useful tips on how to use your bike more and your car less, and the tips on how to ride safely in the city are invaluable to any cyclist.
The Urban Biking Handbook by Charles Haines is a comprehensive guide to cycling in the city, with a specific focus on building, rebuilding, tinkering, recycling and repairing your bike. Ever wondered how to swap out your handlebars? This book shows you how. Want to plan a summer cycling tour? It's all in here. Want to build one of those insane looking tall bikes from second hand frames??! Check! If there aren't any ideas in the book that tweak your interest, the beautiful photographs that generously illustrate it will inspire you to want to go for a ride.
Whilst decidedly North American in it's layout and design (is a chapter on setting up a co-operative "bicycle education space" really necessary?), the book is a great introduction to those wanting to learn the nuts and bolts of their bicycles inside and out. Refreshingly, it's focussed less on buying 'stuff' to improve your cycling experience, and more on getting to know your bike really well and adjusting it yourself to meet your needs.
The chapter encouraging a car-lite lifestyle is full of useful tips on how to use your bike more and your car less, and the tips on how to ride safely in the city are invaluable to any cyclist.
With a copy of your own you'll want to spend all winter indoors tinkering with your bike and getting your ride ready for spring!
And here at ibikelondon we have a brand new copy of the Urban Biking Handbook to give away to one lucky reader! All you need to do is hop on over to the ibikelondon Facebook page, click "Like" and tell us about your winter riding plans - whether that's simply keeping up your commute to work or touring through the snow, tell us your stories!
1 comment:
Hi Mark
"is a chapter on setting up a co-operative "bicycle education space" _really_ necessary?"
Hmm. Do these count as bicycle education spaces? Are they really necessary?
www.thebristolbikeproject.org/
www.56a.org.uk/bikeworkshop.html
http://www.kebelecoop.org/?page_id=22
http://cranks.org.uk/
and many more
They are all run by very committed people and I think they are doing as much for cycling as anybody. So a chapter introducing the concept shouldn't be dismissed.
Peddlars Arms in Leeds (http://pedallers-arms.org/) for example has these aims:
To empower people to maintain their own bicycle and provide accessible learning opportunities for all levels of ability.
To re-use old bicycle parts to keep environmental and financial costs low, thereby keeping useful resources from going to landfill.
To promote cycling as a safe, viable and cheap transport option.
To help marginal or under represented groups who cycle to feel comfortable with their bikes and the space so they can in turn help others.
Regards
Chris
PS I don't have a facebook account so I can't enter the competition but I like ibikelondon and I will be cycling pretty much as normal throughout the winter - if I can drag myself away from the woodstove.
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