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Home > The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street
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The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street
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By Robert Hurst
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 (13 Reviews)
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Publisher:
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Falcon
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Edition:
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1st
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Published:
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December 31, 1969 |
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Binding:
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Paperback
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Pages:
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272
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The Urban Cycling Manual dismantles the urban bicycling experience and slides it under the microscope, piece by piece. The book's primary concern is safety, but this book goes well beyond the usual tips and how-to, diving in to the realms of history, psychology, sociology, and economics. It empowers readers with the Big Picture of urban cycling--and gives urban cyclists many useful insights to consider while pedaling the next commute or grocery run.
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Customer Reviews:
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 Lotsa street wisdom in this book---, September 1, 2004
By Cliff Heegel (Memphis, TN United States)
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I love riding my bike through the city-- Cities are fascinating when you experience them from a bicycle. To me riding a bike through a city is an adventure. I am amazed when others are amazed that I don't have a car and don't want one.
City bike riding is great--- and this is a great book for anyone who wants to learn wise ways to wisely negotiate urban streets and traffic. Hurst articulates the street sense that takes years of riding to acquire. I have been riding as a bike commuter in urban settings for the past 20 years-- this book is on target.
If you want to ride your bike more and depend on cars less, this is a good source to turn to for some sage advice. To really learn, of course, you need to ride your bike on your streets in your city.
If you decide to ride, read this book. If you are already a veteran of the urban biking wars, read this book-- I learned a lot. I feel even more relaxed riding now than I did before I read the book.
There are other books about cycling that are worth reading (such as Effective Cycling by John Forester but I think this one is the best of the bunch.
34 of 36 people found the above review helpful.
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Well-written and well-considered, August 12, 2004
By Katherine E Stange (Providence, RI USA)
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I would like to highly recommend the book "The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street" by Robert Hurst. Not only is it delightfully written (with a sense of humour and a relaxed style) and absorbing ("just a second, dear, I'll take out the trash after I read about curbs"), but it's *dead on*. I've been riding my whole life, never having owned a car, to get everywhere from school to grocery shopping to Canada. And he's *right*.
Nevertheless, I've learned much from reading it. Hurst advocates a practical and well-considered (not to mention well-tested and developed by very experienced riders), safety-oriented, philosophically coherent approach that I find very appealing. He draws the best parts of Forester's well-established "vehicular-cycling" philosophy but drops the impractical and dangerous aspects of any strict adherence to it. He advocates awareness, a consideration for others, and responsibility for one's own safety, above mere blind rule-following.
The book starts out with a history of cycling and the role it played in the development of our automobile society. He shows us that the ties are deep and tangled, and encourages us to embrace the complex world that is the city street. He then discusses the history of and previous philosophies of urban cycling before getting into the equally fascinating details of riding style, dangers, accidents, equipment, etc. It's a wonderful book, both to read cover-to-cover for interest, and as a reference with a detailed index.
26 of 28 people found the above review helpful.
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Motivating, pragmatic, entertaining, well written and thoroughly referenced., January 1, 2006
By hdesousa (Bethlehem, PA, USA)
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The best "how to" cycling book out there. I've bought several copies for myself, strategically placed to rarely be far from one. Having ridden in cities for over 40 years, I still found every page, infact almost every paragraph contained a pearl. Pros and cons of controvertial issues are presented, and with excellent references, making the author's recommendations so much more authoritative.
Two of many examples: The helmet controversy is addressed, including most the anti-helmet arguments, yet concludes: "Wear a helmet, but don't let it get to your head", which encompasses the notion of 'risk compensation' without directly mentioning it (which would have opened up a real Pandora's box).
Mirrors are credited with negating some of the need to look back, but yet Hurst tellingly mentions "Turning back can have almost the same effect as a turn signal".
There are literally hundreds of similar insights to safe riding.
Safety is the first priority throughout the book, yet it's much too inspiring and humourous to be treated as an instruction manual.
Recommended without any reservation!
19 of 19 people found the above review helpful.
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 Practical and Sensible, July 27, 2006
By Stephen Triesch (Shoreline/Seattle USA)
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The inclusion of the word "art" in the title of this book made me fear that this book would be laying out a pretentious philosophy of cycling as a form of pseudo-mysticism, a bicycle version of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Gratefully, these fears were unfounded, and what we have instead is a very sober and practical account of the pleasures, risks, and techniques of cycling in an urban environment.
Opening with a brief history of cycling in America, and a discussion of the emergence of the automobile and its effects on urban design, the book moves on to describe and analyze the various kinds of hazards the urban cyclist will face, and how best to deal with them. In doing this, the author avoids the strident sermonizing often characteristic of those who promote "alternative" and "earth-friendly" forms of recreation.
Above all, the author emphasizes the importance of constant vigilance as the best way to avoid accident and injury. And, without getting too mystical about it, he points out that this heightened awareness or vigilance in avoiding trouble is - paradoxically - one of the main pleasures of cycling. Cycling, for Hurst, is very much a thinking man's (or woman's) game.
The author also discusses cycling clothing, helmets (pro-and-con), and pros-and-cons regarding different types of bicycles (he favors traditional narrow-wheeled road bikes over mountain bikes and their offshoots). In all of this he is non-dogmatic, seeing both sides of every issue.
Good is this book is, I gave it four stars instead of five because the author is not a particularly memorable stylist, and I think he could have gone into more detail about the clothing and equipment alternatives. These quibbles aside, I can recommend the book without reservation.
18 of 19 people found the above review helpful.
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Great reading and sensible analyses, February 21, 2005
By Andrew Kent (Westborough, MA)
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Hurst has produced a book that is applicable to cyclists of all types, not just urban cyclists. As someone who commutes in a mixed urban/suburban environment, I found the insights and advice to be very practical. Hurst's writing style is casual but brilliant, very conversational but never lacking in substance. The book is well-designed and easy to browse or read at length -- I've done both. It places many aspects of cycling (helmets, bike paths, injuries, and road protocol) in a practical perspective, updating many classic analyses along the way. Highly recommended if you find that reading/learning about cycling is part of why you enjoy cycling.
16 of 17 people found the above review helpful.
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 Good if you want to ride like a bike messenger, August 4, 2009
By Monsieur L'Ingrate (capacitated)
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OK, here's what you should know:
Hurst is writing for experienced cyclists. He makes that very clear. So if you're just starting out with urban bike commuting, this might not be the place to go. As Hurst himself says, John Forester's _Effective Cycling_ -- regardless of what you think of his opinions on bike lanes -- lays out the basic traffic principles for beginners very clearly.
If you are an experienced cyclist, then Hurst wants to teach you to ride like a bike messenger, which he is. That is, he wants you to ride like a professional. His style is graceful and flexible, but it demands constant vigilance and a high level of interest in the activity of riding itself. If you find biking fascinating from minute to minute and second to second, the Hurst philosophy is for you.
I think, though -- and this is my biggest problem with the book -- most people don't want to ride like bike messengers. Most people want to get from one place to another safely, but they don't necessarily want to put 100% intense concentration into it. Hurst doesn't have much time for commuters who aren't totally obsessed with biking. It's telling that a book called "The Art of Urban Cycling" says absolutely nothing about city bikes! That could just be the age of the book -- Dutch-style city bikes were much less available in the US in 2004 than they are now -- but I also think he's just not interested in the idea that you might want to ride upright, at a moderate pace, with your pants protected by a full chainguard. He's not interested in the idea that you might want to carry your children. He's not interested in the idea that you might want to carry your briefcase, a vase of flowers, or anything else that won't fit in a bag (his section on cargo talks about backpacks and panniers, but not baskets). Me, I'd rather trundle along safely and easily, thinking about music or food or whatever else I'm interested in, rather than treating every ride like an absorbing chess game. Sure, America's cities are "rockable," as he puts it, but are most people really ready to rock? We need a style of riding that's more like Mozart: fascinating if you want to put the attention into it, but light and easy to enjoy as the background to your life, if you don't.
11 of 12 people found the above review helpful.
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Take responsibility for riding, August 27, 2006
By Wandering (Melbourne , Australia)
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Excellent book for any rider who rides to commute or just rides to live. Blends the learnings of "Effective Cycling :6th edition"
and other inner city riding techniques. Provides a non-biased view of riding in the city and it's surrounds and urges all riders to take responsibity for their actions on the road.
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Well Written and Informative, May 25, 2006
By Heather (Atlanta, GA)
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It is rare a book be so informative and yet so entertaining. It is full of all kinds of tidbits, in addition to the practical information on riding in an urban environment. Definately helped me...
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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The good, the bad, and the ugly about bike commuting, January 4, 2008
By J. Silva (Los Angeles,CA)
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I like this book because it tells it like it is. Unlike Urban Bike Riders Tips and Tricks, another book-which I also like for different reasons, this one tells you about the risks of commuting by bike-air pollution, accidents, bike jackings for example, he explore topics like wearing your helmet. Yes it's the law, but does it actually protect you? This is first bike commuting book that I've read that raises questions like this. It's no nonsense advice for those seriously contemplating bike commuting.
Don't get me wrong, the author comes across as a serious bike advocate, but this is the first book that I've seen that takes the issues above with a little more seriousness than others out there.Down Low Glow Lighting Kit - Two Tubes-Envy(green)
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Answers all of your "where to ride" questions, February 25, 2010
By southernsara (Jacksonville, Arkansas, USA)
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Great book for the city rider! If you have ever wondered where on the road to safely ride, this book will tell you, and with diagrams!
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The Production of Space and Subjectivity in Robert Hurst's The Art of Urban Cycling, November 10, 2009
By L. Shane (Canada)
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Robert Hurst's text The Art of Urban Cycling is, by far, one of the best books out there when it comes to insights on how to move through the urban streetscape with greater ease. Written clearly and conversationally, it is a fast and easy read. I highly recommend it.
That said, Hurst's book is not without it's limitations. For a discussion of these limitations, and then some, check out:
[...]
Here you will find a sort of companion text, a "Coles Notes" or "Cliff's Notes" if you will, to Robert Hurst's The Art of Urban Cycling (now The Art of Cycling). In other words, you can get the gist of Hurst's basic ideas, techniques and strategies around riding in the city with greater ease without having to read his entire book. In addition to this basic summary, you will also find Hurst's text contextualized within larger academic, policy and popular debates surrounding urban cycling and some of its limitations discussed. If you're a little more nerdy, you might find the theory sections on space, postmodernism(s)and whiteness of interest. Check out the Table of Contents for a more in-depth view of each chapter.
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Art of Urban Riding aka "Urban road Survival Guide", July 19, 2009
By JoeTriCruiser (Ft.Worth,Tx USA)
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I bought this book abt 4 years ago and have worn it out. I made the choice 4 years ago to dis the car for most of my normal running around but it had been over 30 years since I had done any real bike riding on regular busy roads. If you ride on the streets where you live or have a young family member considering road riding on a bike, this is a MUST READ. It is THE COMMON SENSE GUIDE to surviving on the road. The information I gained from this book has "saved my bacon" on many occasions. Friends I ride in parks and trails with are terrified to get on the streets here around DFW Airport alone but feel safe when I am watching their backs. They don't read, :) what can I say. BUY THE BOOK, READ THE BOOK, pass it on,save a life,maybe your own and have fun riding safe.
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Practical street info!, June 8, 2007
By Carp Stalker (Fenton, MO. USA)
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Would recommend this to anyone who has had to cycle in the streets in an urban area. Very practical advice of things and situations I had never even thought of. A must read for cyclists
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