BICYCLE RACING MAGAZINE

On Bicycles: 50 Ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life

Bike culture is exploding in cities like Portland, OR, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Montreal, and Vancouver, BC. Whether people are riding folding bikes to the commuter train, slipping through traffic on streamlined single speeds, or carrying children and groceries on their cargo bikes, bicycles are making urban life more dynamic and enjoyable ? simply better.

Amy Walker has been at the forefront of this trend as cofounder of Momentum magazine, which chronicles and inspires urban bike culture and transportation cycling. In On Bicycles, she gathers a wide-ranging group of cycling writers to explore the ways that biking can change, and is changing, people’s lives. From utility bikes that are becoming the primary mode of transportation for entire families to the artistic creations of freakbike riders, On Bicycles has something for everyone who has ever ridden a bike.

Topics include:

* cargo bikes * bike parties * a history of bike advocacy
* the bike-craft boom * folding bikes * recumbents * biking with kids
* handmade bikes * car-free streets * relocalizing * bike style
* collective bike shops * women and bikes * and many more

Well, friends, I did it. I got a bike and I rode it and it was awesome.

Shit, though, a bike really lets you know when you're not a biker. I thought I was in somewhat decent shape physically, but the hills around here -- even the small ones, and there are many -- are brutal. My quads were burning, my butt was sweating (sorry), I was panting. I felt like I could have walked faster, at times. It was exhilarating, though.

I bought a new bike yesterday and took it out for a ride today. It was awesome. I got it up to 20mph and felt like such a big kid. It isn't green but it's very light and fast and feels right. 8